Mile high club

"Parley? Who th-?" Wiki said, spinning around, just in time to see Julius leaping at her?! What the heck? Not ok! One,
Wiki was not ready to deal with all of these people trying to kill her. One, fine. Two, maybe. Three? Nope. She took a minute to try to size up the guy. Alright, Hyrulian Guard. She could do this, easy.

"What are you doing?!" She screeched, falling dramatically to the ground to dodge the punch. "You have known me for less than an hour... and you're already assuming that I'm in the wrong, for trying to kill someone?! Me?!" She pointed at herself. Anyone could admit, Wiki's magic hadn't been the best lately. And the lizard was pretty close to Guy. Magical misfire anyone?

"How old am I, like, twenty.. something? Look I have a concussion my eye is bleeding, I saw this guy just recently. Go ask his Picori b-- friend." She felt like .. huh. Maybe they were dating? Who was she to judge. Oh yeah, it was Guy, and everything he did was disgusting.

If it hadn't had been for one of the worst days she had been having since having acquired her book (which was fantastic, by the way), she probably would have cooperated. She probably wouldn't have cared about the hair. She would have tolerated it. But it was such an easy target...

Plus... Wiki ... Wiki might have actually have had a magical mishap. At this point, she was still in the process of getting her head straight.

"You're an ass," She got up, straightening herself out. She pointed up to Gustav. Something clicked in her head. "... So, you here on any ... other business besides mapping?" She gestured to wherever Guy ran off to. She had a hunch that this Deku Scrub was up to something shady. Come on, everyone in the Deku Scrub Association was up to something shady... you could watch someone use a transformation mask in front of you and it would count as selling to the 'locals'. Augh. Worse than the accountants. At least she paid taxes. Sometimes.

Gustav noted the tension was... palpable. Thankfully it seemed he was done in this room, and as such rolled up the scroll on which he had been jotting down notes. Thankfully this structure was rigid--with no twisting rivers or rolling hills to attempt to measure--so progress came smoothly. Just as he was about to float after Julius, however, he realized Wiki was speaking to him.

Wait, was he the ass? Gustav was under the impression he had been treating Wiki with respect, so why would she lash out at him? He feared Julius' parting words may ring true. He was a bit hesitant to respond, but nonetheless did so, "This is all," he answered, somberly. Previous experience told him that maps of exotic areas such as this could be lucrative in of itself. "That said, I always keep my eye open for ... new opportunities. Be careful, Wiki."

He floated off to the next room, unsure of whether the conflict would cause the group to split up or stay together. Regardless, he felt he still belonged in the vicinity of Guy.

...

Already in the next room, Guy glanced back. The heavy alabaster door pulled up, letting in the Hylian, before an unseen mechanism automatically closed the door behind him. He had been in many dungeons in his time, but, Guy remained nonetheless impressed at the craftsmanship of this place.

While a career criminal wasn't keen on openly associating himself with a Knight, Guy's opinion of this Hylian had nonetheless improved. For better or worse, he certainly seemed the most capable ally he currently had. His orange eyes looked up into the Hylian's face, momentarily. "Julius... was it?"

His gaze averted, looking back into the room. It was a beautiful but chaotic mess of ivory tiles and marble pillars. Holes both intentionally built, and unintentionally ripped by wear and tear, cut through both the floor and ceiling. Giant fans somewhere beneath the room must have been whirling a storm, because gusts were flying up through the holes. There was a strange tapestry of vines across the pillar and floors, particularly in the room's center.

It was eeriely quiet. Not even a Keese was in here--yet this room hardly seemed dangerous on its own. There must have been something... something perilous about it. Guy glanced into the gaps in the ceiling, muttering aloud, "Somehow... I get the feeling that dragon you're trying to kill likes this room." He began to fear those vines were some kind of colossal nest for the monster in question.

Gustav quietly entered through the automatic door, unrolled his parchment, and began to quietly map out this room as well. As Julius looked towards him, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"No, wait-" Wiki began to speak, then cut herself off. Frankly, Gustav had misunderstood. She shrugged, mourning the loss of the bird more than anything. Now she had pissed off everyone in the party. .. well, at least she hoped the bird still liked her.

She inhaled deeply, appreciating the feeling of being alone again. What was with that guy, 'I always keep my eye open for ... new opportunities'. The heck?! What a creep. Clearly a business scrub, only out for himself... but obviously, being out for yourself means you're always a little bit sharper than the rest. Well, Wiki thought so anyways. If the bird wasn't clearly attached to him she would have considered him on the list, but ... she really liked that bird.

She pulled out her journal again, flipping through it. She felt a low rumbling -- the dragon beast, probably. Unimportant. She looked around the room... before smashing a shit ton of pots. The feeling of breaking literally everything she could in the room was cathartic. Her entire body quaked after she looked at her handiwork, brushing off her hands.

Wiki picked a different route than the others.. she knew she was heading near the top of the structure. She looked around the ruins, spotting a staircase further away. She rushed towards it, making sure to run as stealthily as possible. When Wiki goes somewhere, she goes somewhere on a mission.

She found herself in a large room with a lot of holes in the floor. She cocked an eyebrow and slowly moved towards one of the closer holes, noting some foliage growing in the distance. Deku Babas. What awful creatures.

Looking down, she saw a nest. Alright, wrong way to go. She also spotted... augh, those thre-- Four, her head throbbed in pain of the memory that the fairy existed. Wiki pointed her finger down at the stationary group... it would be so easy. However she hesitated. Clearly having an internal crisis, Wiki finally sighed and pulled her hand back. She looked around, spotting a rather sturdy looking vine attached to a rock. Wiki rolled her eyes. Of course.

She threw the vine down, and it just so happened it was the perfect length to reach the floor and it looked study enough for someone to crawl up with. These temples

As any Deku Scrub should, Guy shot like an arrow away from the dragon's flames--his Hover Boots slid nearly tehn meters across the ground before he came to a wall. Pushing off the wall with both arms, Guy rebounded off it and towards the beast, sword in-hand. But the his adversary launched off the ground with a rumble, its wings shooting a gust across the area--it had vanished almost as quickly as it had come. Guy wasn't aware if this beast was intelligent, but if it was, then it knew there were enemies in its lair...

There was a dull echo of its giant wings flapping outside, each flap becoming quieter. It did not seem intent on returning, strangely, but Guy was certain they would be seeing it again--especially if he stuck with the madman trying to slay it. "Why," he breathed, "Are you trying to kill something like that?" He grumbled a bit, sheathing his sword, "Reminds me of my sister." Killing something for the sake of killing it definitely seemed like Sienna.

Guy's train of thought was cut off when he noticed a vine tangle down into the rooms midst. Glancing up to its source, he noticed Wiki. His eyes narrowed. He didn't have much interest in whatever offer she seemed to be making, and thus glanced away, silently. He found the gaze of Gustav, who piped in rather abruptly, "Say, Guy... this... energy you're seeking, this fluid, would function as a fuel for this place, right?" His snout was remained buried in parchment as he went on, "Then there is likely some system... some engine... which powers the entirety, if not the majority, of this city. ...Where else would we find such a fuel?"

Guy's eyes widened. He was so distracted by murderous traitors, suspicious strangers, and gigantic dragons, that he had nearly forgotten why he was here in the first place. He differed Gustav's point to Julius, "Have you yet come across such a place?" He assumed the man had been wandering this place at least as long as they have.

Wiki drooped her legs over the side of crack in the floor and laid back. She spread out her arms and faced the ceiling. She had a lot of climbing to do... but she couldn't help but eavesdrop on the group below her.

"The Hylian is right," Wiki shouted to no one in particular. "Take his path. The engine room is two doors on the left in that hall, down the right staircase. Hop through the holes in the fence. You're welcome." She mostly just wanted to brag about the immense knowledge she knew about this place. She had spent days memorizing and preparing for this journey. Any maps and books which were available about this place (not many, of course) had already been sought out, digested, and their knowledge completely consumed by Wiki.

She poked her head down to look at the group, looking smug as usual. A bit of sap was freshly dripping from her eye, and she didn't notice it in time to catch any of the substance before it might have fallen below on the group. She covered it more out of embarrassment than of concern, however.

Guy braced his temple against his palm, letting out a loose sigh. He had heard the term 'the most bloodthirsty Deku Scrub I have ever met' far too many times now, and every time it had referred to no one but Sienna. "Let me guess, she wielded a glaive, rode a wolfos, and probably talked about ecstasy in the same sentence as murder?" Why did he have to have such a twisted, disturbing sister? He was hesitant to discuss the subject further, however, and was glad when Julius, Gustav, and--apparently Wiki--began to discuss the more important matter at hand.

Gustav shuffled through his notes a bit, before adding on, "Yes, I believe there was a room there we have yet to visit." He had already began floating in that general direction, eyes still on the parchment.

Guy shrugged, and followed him--sliding over the ground on a thin cushion of air. In mid-stride, he reached into his satchel, before producing a small device which looked almost like an deflated balloon.

He exhibited it to Julius, as a means of passing the time to their next destination. "The nectar should be able to fit in this," he commented, "That's supposed to be a serving size. Although, drinking it is still said to be quite dangerous... especially if you've never handled the liquid before. It could even kill you." A smirk spread across his face. Of course, this liquid was something he had tasted once before. Though it had been in excess of two decades ago, he was sure he could do it again. The bigger problem was tracking down the stuff, since it was beyond ancient.

"She sounds horrifying," Wiki shouted down, obviously amused. She used the rope to climb down, then dusted off her hands. Of course his family would consist of other people who caused death, destruction, pain, and misery. Fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. Good thing she was an only child. She rushed to catch up with the group. Honestly.. if she could go this way, there would probably be a jar or something that would launch her to the top. It just had more obnoxious monsters. She grimaced.

"Listen, listen!" She said, speeding up to the group. "Guy, uh" - she snapped her fingers, doing her best to remember names - " Gustav .. Juli.. " - she hesitated - ".. ian?"

She put up her hands as she walked, trying her best to show that she was unarmed and not a threat. "The Deku with the weird hair can tell you, I've been having uh, not.. the best time with my magic." If she had teeth she would have been grinding them. She of course embellished her tone to make herself sound more sympathetic, but honestly even she could admit her magic hadn't been 100%. "I know this place more than I care to explain. Let me help guys out. Honest! Pretty sure I know exactly what you're looking for."

Wiki glanced over to Guy. ".. Horrifying, but refreshing. Does she have your hair? I should hope not."

Gustav blinked at Julius' response, before realizing why the poor man was pitying him. "Oh, please, do not worry. I am not offended" Gustav nodded slightly. There was a bit of a smile in his voice, "I am well aware I am not much of a true warrior, unlike either of you. Honestly, I could simply not think of matching your skills. That is why I desired Guy come with me in the first place!"

Guy shrugged a bit, nodding at Julius, confirming what Gustav was saying. He had almost forgotten the Business Scrub was the one who brought him along, and not the other way around. He moved to take up the rear of the group, before Wiki abruptly appeared before them all.

"Of course she's horrifying," he immediately sneered, "Probably more horrifying than anything in this entire dungeon. I'm sure even Julius here could attest to that." He continued quickly, "But no, she has leaves, like almost all Deku Scrubs do. You would never know it, though. Her entire head is covered in a steel helmet lined with foot-long horns, and--" Guy stopped abruptly. Why was he rambling at Wiki like this? She had just tried to kill him, for Din's sake! Maybe he was actually proud of his sister--in a sick, twisted way. How many people could talk about a younger sister the same way they could talk about a serial killer, or a dragon? It was a bit thrilling, now that he thought about it.

In any case, he wasn't completely interested in Wiki's attempt to join them. She would probably try to burn him, again--although she was probably even more liable to burn him if they refused her help. With a bit of reluctance, he admitted to Julius, "She... doesn't seem to be as capable a sorcerer as she once was. I suppose it is possible that she's using spells too powerful for her current level of power." His eyes narrowed, slightly. It seemed more like a convenient excuse than a legitimate reason. There had to be some reason she was so desperate to help them, all of a sudden... It was beyond suspicious.

"Whoa, hey, hold it--" Wiki began. "You can cut it with the unintended insults. I lost my staff in a poker game, that's it. No big deal." She glanced towards the guard. People lost more than staves that day. She still remembered the way that guy's hand flew up when the butcher's knife came down. She shivered.

Wiki listened to them explain Guy's sister. She didn't sound like the worst person in the world, the other Deku had made her out to be a serial killer. She sounded accomplished, at something decently honorable and the other well ... smithing was alright.

"She doesn't sound that bad man," Wiki said, shrugging. "Maybe you're just upset your sister is doing better at killing things than you." She cupped her chin in her hands, looking up towards the ceiling. She turned towards Julius "... So, purely academic standpoint, on a scale of like, 1 to 10, how attractive is his sister?" (she wasn't going to ask Guy how hot she was. She wasn't that much of an asshole).

She watched the Hylian begin to run across the platform. She looked around, not really in the mood to be walking across a large chasm. However, she followed the Hylian, fully expecting Guy and his companion to try to fly across. In the interest of time, Wiki found herself ignoring the others and meandering her way across halls and downstaircases to the aforementioned room. She looked towards the fence on the other side of the room... and made a deliberate attempt to scale the walls and not touch the floor below. Tile worms. Not that she'd mention their presence to the others, of course.

She'll make her way to the engine on the other side of the fence. If anyone was dumb enough to encounter a tile worm, she'll watch. And laugh internally.

"I don't really get off on killing things," Guy said, indifferently, "I'm mainly in this gig for the sense of discovery--and to get some boss loot, of course."

There weren't enough sigmas in the world to express the expression upon Guy's face. Wiki--Wiki, of all people--was asking about to attractiveness of his sister--Sienna, of all people. He had long believed his sister to either be asexual, or be so insane and murderous that she was practically asexual. He shuddered at the mere thought of what sort of person she would find attractive. He groaned, clasping his palm to his face, at the mere thought of the two of them--who was for some reason his best friend, and his worst ally--together, doing anything.

He was utterly grateful when Gustav changed the subject, "The winds...!" He shouted over the howling breeze, grimmacing slightly, "Are a bit strong, here...!" Nearing Guy, the two began to discuss a plan for crossing the bridge. The two clasped their hands and began to cross--Guy leading the way, scarf over his face as he squinted through the gusts. Progress was quick enough, but Gustav seemed overly concerned they would go flying off--and had his leaf propellers constantly at the ready.

The two made it to the center after Julius and Wiki--Gustav still looked uneasy. Guy groaned slightly, but held his tongue if only for the fact Gustav was humble enough already, and didn't need further insult. As Julius had described, the center platform was strangely static in the open wind, not twisting and shuddered like the bridges...

...and of course, as they made their way across, two of the tiles popped up, and a pair of beady, glistening eyes appeared beneath each. "If there's two, there could be more," Guy mumbled. He prevented Gustav from approaching further, but assumed the others not only knew of these things, and would have an easy time with them.

(Sorry if post is shit. I gotta get to work.)

Wiki yawned. She had no interest in this dragon. If she was to die, flying in the sky, far above the clouds, she would be pissed but it wouldn't be the worse way to go out. The ground mumbled beneath her. She felt sick to her stomach. Stupid Guy and his sister and this moving thing and this entire situation.

She readied her bow and ran outside. Let's just get this stupid thing over with.

The ground shook again and Wiki looked for the dragon. It suddenly sprang up, and she fired. Her arrow stuck under one of its wings, obviously wounding it. She quickly took out a playing card - by god these are literally the most versatile things in the universe - and immediately made the back of the card highly reflective. She covered it with her hand until the dragon appeared again in her line of sight.

She shot a beam of light towards the thing's eye, ducking as it swooped in, screeching in pain at the light. Stupid Twilit dragon.

"Use your stupid mirror shield!" She yelled at Guy. She pointed towards Julius. "You.. don't... don't die. More importantly!" She cupped her hands around her snout to make sure her shout reached Julius, considering the dragon was roaring around and trying to swoop down on the group. She took a deep breath, pointing at Guy before shouting at the Hylian: "IS HIS SISTER HOT?"

The dragon roared behind Wiki and she quickly ducked, running around and hoping her companions could finish this stupid thing off.

Why were they on a flying boat? Why was the dragon attacking them? Where was that damn juice he wanted so badly? Guy didn't have time to spare sigmas to Wiki's stupid question. She didn't realize his sister was a bundle of angst, covered in a bundle of scars, covered in a bundle of armor, covered in an aura of 'leave me the fuck alone or I will literally murder your family.' There might have been a Deku Scrub or even a woman underneath that, if it hadn't already been crushed by the weight.

Reluctantly, Guy whipped out his Mirror Shield. "You don't defeat dragons by shining light in the eyes," he grumbled. It was true, at least, for every dragon he ever fought. Even so, dragons usually breathed fire, and Guy desperately needed a means to block that fire... He drew a throwing knife into his spare hand. The beast had disappeared between layers of clouds, but its roars still boomed across the vessel.

This offered Guy a moment to consider the situation. He was particularly curious why they were on a flying boat, and more importantly, "Julius, where the hell are we going?" His eyes darted across the clouds, looking for any sign of the dragon. "Land somewhere...! I'm sure I don't have to tell you this is a disadvantageous position." The dragon had fled from them before, but it hardly seemed in the mood to do so now. The last thing anyone here needed was for this ship to go up in flames--and the three Deku Scrubs with it, even if one of them could fly.

Speaking of which, Gustav himself was hiding behind some of the machinery, panting hard. His bow was held in his quaking hands, but it was obvious he didn't want to fire it.

"You won't even answer my question, why would I listen to you?!" Wiki yelled. She was tired of this stupid Hylian trying to boss her around, thrusting around his authority. What a dick. Guards were always so full of themselves. She ran towards the steering and knocked whomever was controlling it out of the way BY JUMPING ONTO THEIR HEAD. Why were they on a boat. She had no intention to fight a dragon on a boat.

She did her best to steer the boat to an island where they could be stationary to fight the beast, but Wiki being Wiki, she didn't do well landing and the boat's hull gave as it crashed. She jumped out of the (MINOR !) wreckage, cocking an arrow in her bow and getting ready to fight the thing.