Wing Dungeon Kalvar Darhun 3/1/5: Roc's Ring (20r) + Huntsman Profession (30r) Ulivali 1/4/4: Gale Aura (35r) + 15 Ulivali had perhaps chosen a foolish time to begin his journey. Maps meant nothing to a sightless man, but with the help of his staff he was able to follow the predictable morning winds in the same direction as always, pausing once the winds changed. He found it easiest to travel at sunrise until the day was full, then at sunset until the night gales overpowered his sense of direction. His attunement was proving to be more helpful with navigation than he would have dared hope; twice now he had encountered strangers who were concerned for the man sweeping his cane in the manner of the blind before him, and each had confirmed he was on the correct bearing. One hadn’t believed him, he’d found, until he explained that it was through the magics of the winds that he managed his feat. Magic, apparently, was more believable to those of the mainland than a blind man learning to find his way. Granted, he was frustrated. It was slow progress, and he would soon have to find the point at which the old caravan trail his old Fokka tribe had often worked along split into the cobbled path into the larger town. Ulivali had never needed to stop the caravans to dismount, had never needed to identify the direction, and only his tenuous navigation magics were leading him back to the town he had visited twice before. He turned his head sharply at the sound of hooves; a horse was approaching from his right. “Hail, Rito!” called the rider. “Are you lost? The night grows deeper, and it isn’t safe so far from the town,” Friendly, then. “I am lost, yes,” Ulivali said, turning his head towards the rider as he stopped. He heard the man’s breathing falter when he clearly noticed the blindfold. “Are you able to point me in the right direction?” “My horse can carry two, traveller,” the man replied instead. “Rito are not heavy, after all. I would happily take you with me into town. Are you visiting relatives?” The man dismounted to help Ulivali onto the horse before resuming his place in the saddle, and Ulivali curled his talons to avoid scratching their mount as it began to move again. “No relatives.” ---- It was on his twelfth day in the town that Ulivali found what would be - if he were fortunate - his first Courageous Deed to please Valoo. He had overheard a man in the town talking about ancient ruins due east, and had seated himself on the ground beside a stone-bricked building to listen. Apparently the man’s brother had sworn that he’d heard noises from within, great crashes and clashes echoing out of the ruins. The other laughed and called the man a paranoid fool, to which the first protested, growing angry at his companion’s insult. Ulivali tucked his legs closer to his body when he heard footsteps approaching, uncertain if he was blocking the path or not. Perhaps he should move, he considered. Shaking his head, Ulivali climbed to his feet and tapped his staff twice on the ground, listened for footsteps, then began to walk along the road in the direction he had come, seeking out the lady who stood at the inn’s door. “Maria, would you be able to point me east, please?” he asked her. “Sure thing, hon,” She took his elbow and turned him to face a certain direction. “If you follow this road here until you get to the gate, then stick to the left side of the path, you’ll follow the eastern fork. The road- oh right. I’m not sure if this will help, but you’ll be able to tell if you took the right fork because the cobble road ends and becomes dirt. The other fork leads to the Arat boy’s farm.” Ulivali was flattered at the skill of her directing; she’d been very uncertain on his first day staying at her inn when he’d been unable to navigate by any of the town’s landmarks. “Thank you,” he said, and handed her a rupee. “Just be sure you don’t get turned around, there’s old ruins out there and they’re unstable. Wouldn’t want you falling down a hole, hon,” “I won’t,” said Ulivali, and he began to walk, tapping the road in front of him as he went. He reached the ruins a little after midday, the slightly scratchy dry grass giving way to soft, malleable earth. Ulivali tread as lightly as he could, tapping his staff harder on the ground before him. Some of the clay earth crumbled, but no great chasms opened to swallow him, and soon his staff connected solidly with a wall. His hands found a great archway, roughly hewn from stone, and he traced along part of the outside of the building. He decided it was too far to circumnavigate the entire structure after some time, but it was quite a circular place, made of large rocks and mud-bricks. When Ulivali reached the door again he examined the archway further, running his hands along the pillars in search of perhaps embossed text or carvings. As he reached above his head he could feel what seemed to be a carving of a face, although it had been weathered smooth by several hundred years of the elements. He paused when he reached where he had expected a Hylian’s nose, or perhaps even the rostrum of a Zora, but instead he had found a much larger extrusion that was undoubtedly a beak. He couldn’t reach high enough to see if it was hooked as a beak, or if the carving had a crest of feathers, but he felt confident that it was, somehow, a carving of a Rito. Which was… unexpected. Perhaps this was part of why the Pachatuku had often traded with this town. Was there a historical link between his people and this place? He found himself sitting before the door, lowering his head to simply listen. It was silent, with only the wind whistling from deep within the structure. It was oddly familiar, like the sound of a gale around the mountains of his home. No sign of the sounds reported by the man in town; a fool with rumours, perhaps, leading Ulivali to a dead end. And yet, a place that clearly had something to do with Rito. He sat in contemplative thought for some time, before it slowly occurred to him that there was something wrong. He hadn’t found any other entrances to the building, but the wind was blowing from the inside.
"You really should eat, Kalvar. You haven't taken the time to have a proper meal in three days." A voice spoke up from the bow slung over his back, a melodic tone to every word. And yet, the young man could only sigh in response, pausing for a little bit as he took the time to respond. "The ruins are right there," He'd reply, eyes drifting across the large circular ruined structure in the distance. Even from this distance and despite the age and weathering the ruins have no doubt suffered, the theme of the place was still remarkably visible. Large wings wrapped around the place likely carved out of stone or laid with bricks in an incredibly elegant fashion. From his distance, the finer details were hard to make out, even with the aid of his Hawkeye. "I can eat after I clear it. You heard the tales as well as I did. A merchant caravan nearly got scared to death, lost oxen too. Flying monsters-" He was interrupted by the voice within his bow once again, seemingly having no patience for the young man's lack of self-care. "And you will do them no good if your stomach growling alerts enemies of your presence. Eat, and revitalize your spirit, young master Kalvar." She was right, as she always seemed to be. With a long sigh, Kalvar settled underneath a cliff edge to keep the sun off his back as he finally settled in to rest. "Alright, alright. I understand. But just enough to keep my strength up and then I'm heading out again." "As you say," was the only reply. However, it was certainly tinged with a bit of a sarcastic snark. Kalvar found himself idly wondering when she started acting like a second mother to him? Granted, he couldn't really find himself upset with the matter either way. It was true that he'd oftentimes outright forget to eat on the job, but he swore if they had their way he'd be fattened up like a pig. Time passed, the sun slowly rising up into the sky. Settling so close to the ruins while he ate had its dangers, but more importantly, allowed him to watch over and scout the place from a distance. Nothing had entered or left the ruins since he had begun his vigil, however, a few wild animals seemed to steer clear of the place as well. Perhaps they could sense the danger within? The senses of beasts were much stronger than his, without a doubt. Just as he was about to properly get up and head out when he finally noticed something a bit out of the ordinary. A man was walking down the road entirely by himself towards the ruins. That alone was cause for caution, but considering the plentiful other adventurers he has met during his travels, it didn't seem too out of the ordinary until he zoomed in his eyesight with his Hawkeye, only to reveal the man was walking with a cane as if he was blind. Caution was replaced with curiosity as he witnessed the strange figure explore the outside of the tomb, feeling up the large Rito statue near the entrance. A man without sight walking into danger was either an incredibly brave individual or a fool. Perhaps it was time to go see which of the two it was. Perhaps normally, Kalvar would have sneaked his way up to a stranger, but considering the unique circumstances of this man, Kalvar didn't hide his approach. Sneaking up on the blind seemed like a useless endeavor anyhow. With his bow casually drawn, more so for his own comfort than any actual expectation to fight, he began to speak out loud as he came close by. "I would be careful, friend. The tomb you stand before has been said to be infested by foul beings, with ill intent." Almost as if she was mentally rolling her eyes, Wind Fairy began to speak up to supplement Kalvar's lack of social grace. "What he means to say is, hello! I am the Fairy of the Winds and this is the young master Kalvar. And who might you be, stranger?" Kalvar quickly cleared his throat as he spoke again, obviously trying to remain in control of the conversation, and failing completely. "Ahem. Would you happen to, uh... be aware of this location's original purpose, perhaps?"
The Rito sat for a time, dwelling on what the meaning of such a building might be, and whether indeed there was darkness afoot inside. For all his accompanying the Pachatuku sellswords on their quests, he felt freshly hatched now that he stood before such a place alone. His talons would tread the floors without others about him, and it was only now that he truly remembered the number of times he had been saved when a threat he had not been able to see had nearly taken his life. After a time, he decided it was not entirely fruitless to attempt such an endeavour alone, but not for the first time he wished he had some form of reliable guidance to safely point his feet in the right direction. When Kalvar spoke Ulivali flinched, not having heard the approach of the people behind him, and scrambled to his feet. “I am aware,” he said meekly, holding his staff carefully. The man did not sound like a foe, and his greeting had been kind. It would have been easy for anyone with wicked interests to simply attack him from behind; still, Ulivali trusted in his generally accurate ability to sense malice approaching, and the man had not raised any fearful instincts in the Rito. He startled a second time as the more feminine voice spoke; not having been paying attention he could not have guessed how many had joined him. A fairy of the winds, she said? Some of the Pachatuku had told him of the Great Fairies, the mainland’s answer to beings like Valoo. One gifted with control over the winds lessened the tension in his shoulders; indeed, there seemed to be a soft, comforting breeze that had not been here a moment ago. He had spent season after season after season attuning himself to the winds, and so the sense of innate familiarity brought him ease. “Well met, kind Fairy and master Kalvar,” he responded, somewhat uncertain whether he should be mirroring the Fairy’s honorifics for the man. “I am Ulivali, of Clan Pukamamani of the Rito.” Old habits, he felt, died hard, and when he had begun his adventure and finally began introducing himself to new people he had found himself providing his clan’s name alongside his own, as if there was no bad blood between their pinfeathers at all. Using it had not bothered him; he had as much right to use it as he ever had, and his ties to his own bloodline remained strong. “I have come here in search of these… beings. I had hoped to be able to cleanse this place. I have no knowledge of what these ruins once stood for, but I dare presume that it has something to do with my people. This statue here, see-” he pointed three feet to the left of the statue “-is of one of my kind, I believe. Perhaps you can confirm it for me; this statue is of a Rito, yes? I struggle to reach high enough to be certain, but it seemed to be a beak I felt upon its face,” He felt a thin strand of unease through him at the admission of his limitation; something which surprised him, as he’d thought over his years with the Pachatuku that he’d grown accustomed to others knowing that he could not see and required their aid. Maybe it was different when he had to admit to it aloud. Nevertheless, he reminded himself that his blindfold gave him away in any case, and so there was no real reason to attempt to conceal his blindness from Kalvar. “Regardless,” he said after a moment’s pause. “What of this place has interested the two of you? I would very much be fascinated to know whether the same that I sought to investigate drew the attention of a Fairy and her vassal. If you were hoping to enter, I would appreciate the opportunity to accompany you.” He scuffed at the dirt unconsciously with one talon, the sharp point scraping across dirt-covered stone.
Kalvar's eyes narrowed as he examined the individual from up close. The blindfold and cane made his blindness obvious, but what surprised Kalvar the most as he continued his visual investigation of the was the apparent lack of wings. It was a bit of a shock, considering he had never seen a Rito without them. Then again, he had never truly met a blind Rito either. Perhaps there was simply a lot about this man that didn't immediately meet the eye. Thankfully, Wind Fairy was more than able to fill Kalvar's uncomfortable silence and lack of social knowledge. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ulivali. That statue of which you speak is certainly of Rito origin. Its plumed feathers are quite remarkable, within its stone form." Kalvar cleared his throat to finally start speaking again, an obviously confused expression on his face, admittedly one that Ulivali couldn't see. "Our purpose is simple, and it appears they align. Reports of winged monstrosities have reached my ears, and we thought it best to eliminate the threat, before evil breeds more evil. To be, quite blunt." He had to admit, he didn't have any idea what kind of assistance a blind individual could bring to combat. Were they a wizard of some kind? Or perhaps was it wrong of him to judge someone else because of an inherent flaw? If they managed to make it here all by themselves, traveling across the wilderness, then surely they knew how to take care of themselves somewhat. Wait, did he just get called Wind Fairy's vassal? He didn't know whether the explanation would be weirder than whatever he assumed was reality, so Kalvar just, casually let that slide. Perhaps eventually he'd have to explain Wind Fairy's true form, but quite honestly, he had no idea how to properly explain it. "I would presume there is nothing I could even attempt to say to get you to stay put, so you are welcome to join us should you feel comfortable." Kalvar slowly walked past him, his eyes staring into the depths of the temple itself. It was dimly lit inside, with cracks from the sun peeking in from various bricks not perfectly set, but it certainly didn't appear like there were any torches. Great. "Do not worry," The same melodic voice rang from his bow again, the sound moving with Kalvar as he carried it around. "The young master is an excellent shot. Those malicious beasts that claim the winds as their home will be grounded before they know it and bring both peace and security to the lands and skies around they have abused and misused."
The edges of Ulivali's mouth curved upward at the Fairy's description of the statue. His people were dedicated craftsmen for sure, and so it did not surprise him that the statue would be resplendent in its depiction. The man's words, however, were more worthy of his focus. "Those in the nearby village mentioned the same," he mused, giving a nod. "A man was speaking of having heard some manner of cacophony from within these ruins, to which his companions made great fun. But if you have also heard of such rumours, then I feel more certain that something is truly afoot." The phrasing of 'winged monstrosities' gave him pause. He was familiar with many creatures of the sky, both friend and foe, and yet the concept of something winged that lived inside a place like this eluded him. From the sound of the winds, the entrance had led to somewhere enclosed; what free winged creature would choose to live within an old temple? It must have been something monstrous indeed. "I should very much like to join you," Ulivali said, with a sense of certainty. "Any creature that would create such fright in others is certainly not one I feel comfortable allowing within any temple built by my people. I have faith in your archery, master Kalvar; I would like to lend my staff and strength to this cause." As he spoke, though, the Rito tilted his head. While he wasn't overly confused by the fact that there was only one set of boots crunching on the stony soil - why would a Fairy have need of walking? - he almost felt he must be mishearing the Fairy of the Winds. Or rather, not mishearing her words, but the direction from whence she spoke. Each time she had raised her voice, it had come from where the footsteps had stopped. But if those were perhaps the Fairy's footsteps, where were those of her companion? It set him somewhat on edge; spatial awareness was his crutch in a world full of things he could not see, and to be ignorant of how his newfound allies moved made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to stumble over one of them if one indeed moved completely silently. It could cause a horrible vulnerability if he were to bump into - or worse, accidentally strike - one of his companions in battle. "Shall we enter?" Ulivali said, completely unaware of the lack of light within for Kalvar and the Fairy to see by. With a quick cautious set of taps, left to right to left again on the ground before him, Ulivali crossed the threshold from worn soil to old stone brick.
Kalvar found himself instinctively attempting to judge the combat capabilities of the blind rito before him once more, less out of a sense of caution and more a growing curiosity that continued to build. He spoke with confidence, brandishing a staff as his only visible weapon. There was no reason to doubt his skill, indeed it was simply replaced with a bit of admiration. To suffer such a disability and seek to continue and overcome forces of evil despite that, meant that they were an individual clearly of good heart. While Kalvar was simply lost in his head overthinking their new companion, Wind Fairy began to speak up in his stead. "We would be welcome to have you. May the winds guide us to a swift victory." The young archer nodded in response to Ulivali, only to realize a few seconds later the mistake he made and speak with a slightly flustered expression on his face. "Of course, I'll lead the way. The stone brick is cracked and uneven in places, but before us stands a long hallway, of sorts. Seeing what rests beyond is impossible from here, but we shall discover soon enough." With that said, Kalvar quickly slipped inside. His footsteps would definitely be audible to the Rito walking alongside. Though notably, his steps were quite careful and quiet. With the dim light from the cracks up above providing only the bare minimum of light, it only grew darker as they proceeded through the entrance to the temple. However, with a bit of focus, the glow iron bands on his bow began to light up just enough to see where to step. Oddly, as they pushed deeper the wind slowly began to grow in strength as it pushed back, almost as if it was attempting to eject them back out the way they came. Luckily it wasn't impossible to push through just yet, though Kalvar was already expecting a few situations where it would be all but impassable. "Careful, Master Kalvar and kind Ulivali," Wind Fairy began. "These winds are likely magical in nature. Or perhaps byproducts of incredibly precise architecture. I would recommend caution in our approach."
Ulivali gave a thankful nod at the direction, his talons picking out the cracks and uneven stones of the floor. His staff's rapid tapping against the floor was almost secondary to the single-direction gust of wind that buffeted them. The Rito found himself digging in his talons as he walked; his hollow bones weren't in his favour when it came to frightful winds like these. Despite the adversity, winds were much his domain as they were the Fairy's - albeit likely less so. He was not so vain as to believe his familiarity to be equivalent to that of a timeless magical being. He followed behind Kalvar, head slightly tilted as he listened to the whistling of the wind. "I think there's a room ahead. Or a widening of the passage. The wind is doing strange things. You may have been right about the architecture, madame Fairy," The air didn't freshen so much as it lightened when they entered a wider chamber. The winds in this room were much less straightforward, eddies of air whirling where different focused currents met and clashed. The Rito winced at the confusing surroundings, reaching out his free hand to trace the wall. "Hmm," he considered for a moment, waiting for his surroundings to settle in his mind. "This seems familiar. One of the paths to ascend Dragon Roost Mountain involves a chiselled tunnel that directed the cliffside winds upwards. Is it possible the creators of this place have used a similar technique?" He rather hoped not. He'd found that climbing path when he was younger and hadn't been able to ascend without a flighted guide taking hold of his arms and bodily lifting him into the currents. Perhaps there were other options, though. That had been one of his earliest attempts, and he'd learned much since that day. He stepped further into the room, the taps of his cane becoming firmer as he tentatively checked the stability of the ground. He turned back to where he remembered Kalvar being. "Many of these streams are heading in a certain direction. Are they paths to be followed? We may have trouble since none of us are flighted. I am skilled at jumping and controlled descent, but without wings I would not be able to carry you. Perhaps madame Fairy would be able to?" Ulivali was typically quite talented at understanding his surroundings - a healthy sprinkling of honed arcane sense aided in this respect - so he was relatively confident he wouldn't smack into a wall if he tried this trick. Try as he might though, his senses couldn't tell him which of the paths was the correct route forwards.
The Glow Iron bands on his bow glowed brightened to contrast against the darkness found within this wider chamber. While he certainly didn't have the same attunement to the natural energies of the wind, even he noticed the swirling winds about him. However, his focus was primarily on the actual architecture around him. It was something he could actually examine, something physical. The chamber was mostly circular, with a few strange round bulges in the walls he presumed for directing wind flow in ways he couldn't comprehend. Tunnels lay in many directions, some with entrances elevated off the ground, intended to be accessible by those with wings, perhaps? Or were they solely for the wind? He did notice, however, that the floor of the ground began to ever so slowly slope downwards, and presumably increased its slope over time. Did the structure go deep underground and carry the winds with it? Or was it simply a few levels? Quite simply, he didn't have any way of predicting. "Worry not, kind Ulivali. The young master is quite capable. I have observed him climbing walls with such ease, it would make geckos jealous." Wind Fairy spoke from his bow, the Wind Gems twinkling with light that refracted from the Glow Iron. Not one to have the Fairy of the Winds praise him for too long, he cleared his throat and spoke up himself. "Tunnels lead in many directions. I presume the wind streams head down each of them, in some manner. Some within the walls a few feet from the ground. Others within the ceiling."He'd slowly pace, feeling the wild and different streams of wind all rush past, trying to gauge where they might be strongest. "It is likely that we are supposed to find the strongest wind stream and follow it along, perhaps? Before any of the aforementioned Winged Beasts that have infested this place discover us. I would ask your expertise, what would the Rito's have designed?"
Ulivali took a breath, stepping forward again. "I agree," the Rito mused. "I can't be certain, of course. But based on how my people create trials on our own island, the fact that there are this many currents means that there's definitely red herrings. Picking out the strongest is our best bet." With a practiced hand, Ulivali flipped his staff around, holding the hooked end in front of him and tilting his head. It was difficult to make out the sound of the wind whistling through the holes in his staff when the sound of the currents through the tunnels was much louder, but he thought he could perhaps hear the sound louder when angled towards the right... "I believe we should turn left," he said, clacking his beak as he mused. "Although..." He lifted a hand and untied his blindfold. It was useless for him in here anyway, social signalling wasn't necessary in a dungeon. He held one end of the cloth and stepped forward; the fabric whipped around wildly, but after a bit of moving around settled into blowing directly to the left. "Definitely left." Flipping his staff back around, Ulivali made his way over to the left, tip of the staff catching slightly on the step upwards. "Looks like we're remaining level for now. But I think that won't be for long. Rito often build based on height, rather than spreading out. I get the sense that this place won't be going upwards, though." The next room was a little quieter, the competing currents whittled away. His staff struck something hard on the ground in front of him. Crouching, he ran his hands over the surface. "Is... is this just a stone block? Just sitting in the middle of nowhere?" He felt further along, finding another block right beside it. "The wind doesn't seem to be interacting with them, but maybe we're supposed to make it..?"
Kalvar would hum in thought as he watched Ulivali at work, and once again he was impressed at the way the blind Rito navigated his environment. He stood silently, watching the staff whistle with the winds and the way his blindfold would flow. He doubted that if he was suddenly unable to rely on his sight he would be even remotely as capable. The huntsman would follow along, his eyes once again gazing across the architecture. A few avian figures were carved into the stone walls, wings spread out wide that circled the chamber. When Ulivali called out about a block, he was swift to turn and look at the two that they had found and discovered a few others around the room. "They're different colors." Kalvar would speak. Each stone was incredibly alike, carved with some strange patterns that probably differed in small ways, but they were in unique shades of color. Red, blue, and yellow. He supposed it was his turn to pick up the slack. His eyes would wander up and around the room, finding one stack of colored stones that seemed to be stacked in a U shape. Or, perhaps more accurately carved together, like they weren't meant to be moved. The wind blew straight through them, leading towards another open spot on the ground filled with colors. "There's a U-shaped stack of blocks on one side, wind passing through, and then an open space on the ground with a few colors painted into the floor. I presume we are to build another U the wind passes through... In the same colors." He'd pick up one of the large yellow stones with a huff, placing it down on the right color with a huff. Kalvar would glance over at Ulivali, pausing for a second before speaking again. "Wind Fairy, might you-" "I can assist in identifying the different colors, and where they are, if the kind Ulivali desires, gladly." The Fairy of the Winds would speak, their voice as ethereal as ever echoing from the bow upon his back. "Shall we get started stacking blocks?"
"Ah," Ulivali nodded with understanding. "I'm glad you're here, then! I'd have been a bit lost trying to match them up otherwise. Lead the way, I'll carry what you need me to carry." Ulivali placed his staff on the ground beside him, crouching to pick up the stone block. He bit off a loud curse as he strained. The blocks were unreasonably heavy! Although perhaps that was more due to his own limits. He knew his upper body strength was not as impressive as that of his flighted kin, and he was sure that in this particular situation having hollow bones probably wasn't helping. Regardless, after muttering his exertion in language a touch more uncouth than he would have purposefully used in front of a Great Fairy, Ulivali got the block off the ground. "Where does this one go?" He was slightly out of breath, and more than slightly embarrassed. He'd never much been one for heavy lifting. He cautiously stepped past his cane, making his way over to where Kalvar had been. Maybe his use would be better just bringing blocks over and then letting Kalvar move them into their final positions. "I might leave this one here, I think it's better if you line them up properly if they're colour coded." Placing the block delicately on the ground, the Rito turned around, retracing his steps to where he had found the first two blocks. His foot connected with his staff on the ground, the rattle of it surprisingly loud in the enclosed (albeit windy) space. Finding the second block, he hefted it much as he had the first. He probably should have warmed up first, he mused, and then abruptly had to remind himself to lift with his legs, not his back. It would be rather humiliating to take himself out of commission by simply throwing out his spine. "Here's the second one." Ulivali deposited the block next to the first. "Hoping I'm bringing you the right ones, though. I'll move them aside if there's irrelevant blocks in here. Would be a waste of floor space for them to have spare blocks, but you never know." Turning around and reclaiming his staff, Ulivali began to search the room for more blocks, tapping the stone floor ahead of him as he went.
The blocks were heavy, enough to make Kalvar huff with every hoist of the colored blocks. Althought, there was a significant problem. Wind Fairy couldn't truly "lead" Ulivali in the traditional sense. Instead, she would simply speak out from her position hanging from Kalvar's back. "A little to the left, you shall find a yellow cube." Wind Fairy would speak, and so and so forth as Ulivali brought the cubes over towards the duo. "Thanks," Kalvar would speak, slowly hoisting the cubes into a matching pattern. Some of the cubes had different carved patterns on the different sides, and it felt appropriate to turn them to match the exact same shape on the other side of the room. "These puzzles, are the worst thing about going into these old places." He complained audibly, slumping over a bit against the blocks he stacked as he speaks. "Sometimes it is panels in the floor, sometimes it's Ropes trying to bite away at your feet. Othertimes, jumping across pits filled with lava, or other death traps. I feel like the people of old had... interesting ideas about how to lock their doors." He would laugh softly, trying to make idle, if uncomfortable conversation as they gathered blocks together to stack. "You're bringing the right blocks, no stress. We're almost done." He'd hoist another cube up, this time almost above his head with a heavy groan. The U shape finally matched the other U across the room, and somehow the old temple seemed to recognize it. Perhaps the wind blowing through diverted it to a unique path? Some silly puzzle magic? How else did it know what color the blocks were? All that mattered is a door slowly began to make itself known, bricks descending into the floor on the wall and revealing another passageway. "The wind reveals the next path," Wind Fairy began. "I admit, I am quite eager to see the central chambers of this place-" Suddenly, Kalvar's Sense for danger immediately had him drawing an arrow. It was like a cold breeze had sent a chill up his spine. "We're not alone," He spoke out, interrupting Wind Fairy just in time before cackling laughter revealed that fact. Three Vires appeared, crawling in through the wind vents in the ceiling. Sadistic laughter spilled into the room as they readied to strike with claws and teeth both.
Ulivali quietly snorted. “I’ve only been to a few of these ancient structures, I usually haven’t ventured too far in. But they definitely seem like they’re made to be more of an inconvenience than they really needed to be. Maybe they were just really concerned about losing their keys.” Kalvar’s grunts of effort soon heralded the slide of stone. The wind in here wasn’t as distinct as outside, and as Ulivali retrieved his staff he couldn’t pick out as defined a mental map of the place as he usually would have liked. Ulivali tensed as he felt the strange ripple that made his feathers along his neck rise and his crest flare up. Something was wrong. Kalvar had clearly picked it up too, and the sudden laughter confirmed it. Something - multiple somethings - swooping down upon them, cackling all the while. Something winged, he thought, jumping backwards as one swooped past. He let his danger-sensing magic flare. The creatures were moving quickly, and he growled under his breath as he realised these small beasts were going to be difficult for him to fight. He’d have to strike out and hope he’d gotten their location right. It was safer if he put his back to his companions - although with Wind Fairy silent, he had no clue where she was. Hopefully a great fairy such as herself would not be harmed by his own wind magic. With a grunt of effort, Ulivali twisted the air around him into a pulsing force around his staff, listening sharply to the laughs of the creatures. There, one coming towards him! Ulivali stabbed out at the creature, and its shriek as a sudden gale threw it into the wall made clear his strike had connected. There was a cracking sound and its laughter did not resume. One down. Out of how many, though? He lashed his staff upwards, the hooked end narrowly missing the creature in flight. He was pretty sure he remembered hearing about these creatures when he’d accompanied a trip with the Pachatuku to an old dungeon. Vires, they’d called them as they complained about the demon-beasts that had swarmed. Were these Vires, also? They certainly seemed like it. A second lashing-out motion caught a Vire with the hook of his staff, and its squawk of surprise heralded Ulivali whipping it downwards into the ground.
Fingers pulled the bowstring tight as it glowed a soft green, letting loose in a perfectly straight arrow towards one of the Vires as they crawled into the chamber. His arrow missed as the beast dropped down to avoid being struck straight through, but a sudden burst of wind erupted from the impact in the stone behind. The Vire's wings were caught in the sudden breeze, slamming into the wall where Kalvar finished it off with another arrow shot. "Hate these things. They always-" Even as he spoke, the one Vire he shot and slain seemed to explode into two large Keese, once again on the offensive as they seemed to flutter about aggressively. "-Split apart into Keese. Goddesses, I hate Keese." His attention swiftly turned to Ulivali, ready to defend him but it seemed once again the blind Rito was full of surprises. It seemed not only had he downed one of them, he had struck down the other. Kalvar was swift to let loose another arrow fly, pinning the one Ulivali had just struck to the ground before it too split apart into aggressive Keese. But where there had been only three Vires, now flew 6 fairly large Keese. Several swarmed towards him at once and instead of readying another arrow, Kalvar swung Wind Fairy the bow straight towards the swarm as it once again glowed a faint color. All it took was a slight clip of a wing for the explosion of wind to rock through the flying beasts, sending them all back with intense force. "Six Keese remain," Wind Fairy began to speak as Kalvar quickly retrieved his oft-unused sword with his right hand. One Keese dived in and with a sudden slice had a wing sheared straight off, but not without a scratch across his armor. "Five," corrected Wind Fairy.
Ulivali almost missed Kalvar’s comment, stepping back gratefully as the twang of a bowstring and the sound of an arrow striking in front of him finished off the Vire he’d put down. It took him a moment to process what the Hylian had said as he ducked another swooping monster, focused on keeping himself safe/ “Wait, they what?” His answer was provided with an unceremonious chomp on his arm, his distraction proving a poor move. Cursing in Rito, Ulivali gripped his staff in both hands, dropping into a defensive stance. The Wind Fairy’s verbal guidance was a blessing. Five of the Keese left. He’d always hated Keese - small, agile, unpredictable and malicious, they weren’t something he enjoyed dealing with. The one that bit him had gotten away from him. Focusing, he managed to hook a Keese out of the air, throwing it down and delivering a punishing heavy hit with the head of his staff. The winged menace did not move again. Four to go. Ulivali winced as his arm twinged and his grip slipped on his staff; the Keese bite on his arm was shallow, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting! Another Keese swooped at him with a screeching sound; it would have been smarter to remain quiet, as Ulivali whirled and swung his staff as if a player in a ball game, striking the Keese and flinging it away from him. “Got two, three to go!” he called out, tracing his steps quickly back to where Kalvar was (and from the sound of her voice, nearby to the Fairy). “Any other nasty surprises?” He felt the whoosh of wind as a Keese narrowly missed him; in turn, he caught it with his staff and swept it across the ground a bit faster than he’d intended, the stunned creature sliding near to where Kalvar and the Fairy fought.
