Quest Bureau Thread In the mountains north of Mido laid an expansive mountain range along the coast, the soft smell of sea salt wafting among the breeze as it swirls along the mountain path. The old path up through the mountains was slowly overgrown with plant life once again, no longer a well-used dirty path. The sky was a lovely blue, the sun peaking up over the eastern cliffs as the pair of travelers made their way up the gentle slope. Freeja, her hair and dress gently tussled by the sea winds, hiked along with her old metal staff being used as a walking stick. Her grass-stained bare feet trudged along the path as she led them along the trail towards the old Hylian mines. Freeja had been on her way back to her house when the strange bird-lady had shown up, asking for information. The bird-lady wanted to be taken to see a nest of Tektites off in the mountains, something about a rare ground or something. Freeja hadn't been one-hundred percent sure, but if the bird-lady wanted to pay, Freeja would guide her there. Even though Tektites don't taste good at all. Yuck. Too much chitin, not enough meat.
Upon hearing word of a thriving Tektite colony up in the mountains of Mido, Ciska rushed to the seaside village as quickly as her feathered arms could carry her. It seemed as though every opportunity in the past to study these creatures had ended in some kind of disaster. Torrential rain washing away habitats, Hylian soldiers clearing away nests for travel, braindead adventurers killing everything that moved. Well, no more! Researching a decades old colony that’s lived relatively undisturbed in the mountains for a number of years was exactly what the doctor ordered! The fact that she’d crossed paths with a well-traveled guide on the way was just the cherry on top. Though as the duo hiked the beaten trail, Ciska couldn't help but notice her guide’s rather… Shabby appearance. Unkempt knee-length hair. Simple, single color dress. Lack of any footwear - well, as a Rito, Ciska could understand that one, but overall the girl seemed very unique among the other Hylians she'd encountered. With her inquisitive nature taking over, the Rito couldn't hold herself back from finding out more about the girl. “So, Freeja right?” The Rito started as she trailed behind the girl. “I notice that you're not wearing any footwear. In my experience, Hylians usually seem to double over in pain whenever they step on anything sharper than a dead leaf. What makes you different?” She asked. A simple and straight-forward question, had she not continued on a tangent. “Wait, no. Don't tell me! Are youuu... A half-breed? Red hair, hardy skin, you could definitely have some Gerudo blood.” She added, tapping her chin a bit as she studied the girl from behind. “Or maybe Moblin… I’m getting a bit of ‘Moblin’ off of you. Do you have any Moblins in the family? Moblin aunts or uncles? Maybe a little Moblin grandmother, knitting you Moblin sweaters?" The girl paused for a moment, "Oh wow, your grandmother sounds really nice.”
The hike was going well as the pair made along the path, Freeja quite enjoying the clear salty air of the mountain hills as she led the bird-lady along. It had been quite a while since she had been up this way, as hunting was better done closer to the foothills then up in the actual rocky paths. Nevertheless, she knew the path well and the pace was going well, so the young girl just soaked in the air and sun. While they had walked in silence for a while, past the introductions as Ciska had asked for her skills, it seemed the bird-lady had questions. It was probably just a matter of small-talk, as people like to do to pass the time during travel, but Freeja had no problem with responding. "Different? My feet got too big for my boots," she explained, slowing a bit to walk closer alongside the Rito. "Ground is not too hurtful, so I can walk fine." She had never paid much mind to her lack of footwear, as she had outgrown her boots years ago, having never sought to replace them once she got use to walking bare-footed. The next questions the bird-lady asked were a bit more confusing. She was, as far as she could tell, a Hylian. That part wasn't a question. "All blood is mine," she explained to Ciska. "My old family is all Hylian too, not my new family though." Thinking for a moment on what she told the bird-lady, she had to make amends. "Well, they might have some Moblin blood, but when you bite things that often happens."
Ciska cocked her head at the Hylian girl’s peculiar answers. Her guide was quickly becoming a very intriguing subject. “Bite them!?” she echoed in confusion. “Like, with their mouths? That's unbelievably unsanitary!” As she spoke, memories of the numerous chapters written on Moblin hygiene flashed through her mind. Hell, the fact that there were chapters in beastiaries devoted to the subject should be telling enough how bad of an idea it is. Freeja’s tone of nonchalance only made the situation even more baffling, as if it were a regular occurrence. “Your family, they are… Mentally sound, aren't they?” Ciska bluntly asked out of genuine concern.
Freeja continued to hike along the path as Ciska was baffled by her earlier response. The bird-lady seemed awfully confused by the concept of using fangs as a weapon, which was odd for one who was looking for monsters. Perhaps it was because Ciska had a beak, ergo she didn't consider teeth to be effective. The bird-lady sounded almost worried at the concept though, asking questions and sounding shocked. Freeja just shrugged to her travelling companion, "my family is fine. It's normal if you have fangs, maybe weird for you beak-kin." They rounded the corner of the outlook that would give them an overview of the little valley where the nesting grounds would be. But not soon after coming into view did Freeja dart back, raising her arm to pull the bird-lady back and get both of them out of view. "Moblins," she hissed to Ciska as the ducked away. Dropping to the ground, Freeja crawled slowly to the edge and peered out below to see what was going on. Apparently, she hadn't been up this way for longer then she thought. Down below, where it had once been a prime breeding ground for Tektites, it now looked to be a campsite of some northern Moblin invaders. Crudely fashioned tents strung about at random in the valley as Moblins marched about, some coming out of the mines that had been reopened by the monster's actions. It seemed like they had plans to mine precious materials to build up their forces, likely before planning any raids in the countryside. Freeja hadn't realized this many had been active in the mountains here, which had her concerned when it came to her usual carefree travels in the area. "Bad, bad bad bad," she muttered as she surveyed the scene below.
Ciska looked at the Hylian girl with an even more puzzled gaze. Rather than getting any clearer explanations out of her, Freeja’s continued nonchalant demeanor simply raised a dozen more questions within the Rito’s head. “Wait, but why do youuu-OOOPH!” she gasped as she was suddenly jerked aside by the other girl. Before she could even question why, the Hylian abruptly gave her answer. “Moblins!?!” Ciska echoed in shock. “What in Valoo’s name are Moblins doing this close to Mido?” She asked before noticing that Freeja had already crawled away to get a better view. Shrugging, she hunched down on her knees and followed suit, not wanting to scuff her armor against the rocky ground. “Well, it’s no big deal. So long as they didn’t harm the Tektites, I could probably circle around and- SON OF A MOBLIN MATRIARCH!” She shouted as soon as she peered over the cliffside, stamping her fist into the ground in both shock and anger as her eyes fell on the camp below. Right in the middle of the site laid several large Tektite bodies. Severed, skewered, and gently rotated over an open spitfire. “Do they have ANY IDEA WHAT THEY’VE DONE!?!” She growled as she suddenly sprung up to her feet! Flicking her large wings out to her side, she leaped off the side of the cliff and swiftly glided down to the camp below. “SPIT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW!” She loudly ordered to the moblins below. As soon as her feet touched down to the ground, her wings retracted and she dramatically threw her hand forward with an accusing finger pointing directly at them. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING?" She shouted with an exasperated tone. "That translucent BLACK strip running across its underbelly? - FECES. YOU’RE EATING FECES! SPIT IT OUT!”
Freeja crawled forward, keeping low to survey the scene below, leaving Ciska to mutter to herself. The trip was a bust, but if she got an idea of what all they would do she could report it and leave it for the Guards to deal with. So the young girl laid there watching the Moblins pick at rocks and check their supplies when she saw the familiar form of her Rito employer fluttering down in a tizzy. The foolish bird had taken some issue with the Moblin's choice of meal, but it wasn't worth the confrontation even if the girl also didn't see the appeal. The Moblins, surprised by the intrusion by the shrieking bird lady, started to cry out in shock and reach for their weapons. "Gah! Poor hunt, poor hunt!" Freeja yelled as she leapt from the ground. She flung herself down a ledge onto an incline leading down to the valley floor. Righting herself with her hands as she slid, she faced one of the Moblins closest to Ciska and opened her mouth. Embers flickered to life as she inhaled sharply and closed her mouth around the ball of flame that had sprung up. Her head jerked back as she opened her mouth to release a ball of fire that jolted out and crashed into the side of the Moblin's chest. A splash of flames and a sickening crunch caused the Moblin to falter and drop to the ground. Catching her feet on an outcropped rock and using it to leap to another ledge, Freeja landed and pointed her open palm towards the foes. "These are not your lands, begone from here!"
