#yiga clan dedication to detail

[shishuri]

Dont mind me, just having a fun date night with my girl in this cage

[kikiyo]

only succeeded in one goal today which was a loz verse writeup (i have a wicked headache again and i goofed up my arm so energy to be around is quite minimal :P) – i know there's no need to apologize for lack of writing HOWEVER know that i do really genuinely hope i can do some more ic stuff soon, i know i owe quite a bit all around!

anywho.... my loz verse under the cut but pls know i'm sorta still trying to determine the deets ... anyone who knows more abt loz/botw than me (likely everyone LKJHSADF) is welcome pls to let me know if ANY of this doesn't make sense or could be better executed :3

Name:   Kikyo.

Summary:   A Hylian Shrine Maiden, Kikyo is a descendant of the seven sages. In this era, she is a reincarnation of sorts of the White Maiden, and thus is tied to the protection of the Lost Woods. She was born 30 or so years after the Champions lost to Calamity Ganon in Hateno Village. After her parents passed at a young age while the family was traveling, Kikyo took responsibility for herself and her younger sister, Kaede. The two, stranded and left to fend for themselves, and too young to recall the way back home, wandered and learned by necessity how to defend themselves. They found themselves in Kakariko village, and under the guidance of Lady Impa, Kikyo dedicated herself to training to become a shrine maiden. After years of training, Lady Impa asked her to find her way to the Shrine of Resurrection to keep watch, and protect it. Kaede, despite Kikyo’s requests for her to stay behind, followed her on this journey, and the pair made it to the shrine. Kikyo protected this sacred place from all matters of ill-intentioned creatures, for a long while. Then, of course, as the story would always go for Kikyo, she found herself betrayed when she allowed her guard be let down (The details of this will be verse and writing partner dependent, it may be similar to canon in that Inuyasha sought to enter the shrine, the two formed a friendship, then another, Naraku, tricked the two of them in order to lower Kikyo’s guard – something of that sort!). The betrayal leads to Kikyo’s demise, and Kaede returns to the village to tell Impa of what happened. Kikyo is buried just outside Kakariko village.

Fifty years following her death, Kikyo resurfaced. Kikyo possessed an uncanny talent for magic and archery, and had a purifying effect that Lady Impa was privy towards well before Kikyo herself understood it. Knowing of her power and aptitude, a member of the Yiga clan desecrated her grave and stole her bones, seeking to resurrect her as a pawn for their mission to hunt and destroy Link. Unfortunately for them, Kikyo is quick to kill them upon coming back to life, and retains a strengthy willpower which keeps her moving forward on a path adjacent to the one she was wandering during life. Due to the fact she died with so bitter a hatred and rage in her heart due to her betrayal, she is not the same she was – her anger festers, lingers. She first travels back to the shrine of resurrection, but finding the champion has already awoken, she seeks instead to fulfill her duty as the White Maiden, and become a protector of the Lost Woods. 

Powers:   Her arrows hold a radiant, purple glow to them, and enact a purifying effect - of the soul, sometimes of ailments, etc. She is an expert marksman, a survivalist and well trained in medicinal healing. Upon resurrection, I think there would still be some measure of needing to feed herself with souls to keep herself alive, though I’m still mulling on the particulars.

Settings:   I’m most familiar with Breath of the Wild, but can research any LOZ setting happily and will adjust for my writing partners.

[vigilantdesert]

@warriorsofxwild plotted starter

 Hyrule was in deep mourning and on high alert. The queen and king had been slaughtered in their bed, their daughter only spared by a guard's quick thinking and reaction time. Poor Zelda was left orphaned, the country scrambling to find a plan. The news traveled quickly to every corner of the earth, a cry of anguish and vengeance equaling each other.

As fast as the news traveled, Urbosa traveled faster.

She couldn't help but blame herself to some degree. She should have taken the Yiga clan more seriously, dedicated time to eradicating them herself. Now two innocents laid dead, one of which was her best friend and dearest confidant. And, though she'd never quite gotten along with him in life, Roahm hadn't deserved this fate either. If speculation was correct, he had given his life trying to buy Leta time to escape, but it was too late.

When the normally vivacious, charismatic chieftain arrived at the castle's gate, she was a ghost of her former self. She knew what she had to do, no matter how difficult it would be to convince them. No matter what Hyrule thought it needed, she was the girl's Vhani- her godmother - and she would act as such.

Stanna and the rest of the party was a half day's travel behind her, and by the time they had caught up, Urbosa had nearly convinced the chancellor that it was for the best. They could work out the details as they arose, but Urbosa was to raise the princess until she reached the age of majority - or until she mastered her sealing powers .Whichever came first.

[marshmallowloves]

Spoilers for TotK 👀

__________________

I've thought about how Sepria would fit into the story of TotK, given what happened to Master Kohga in BotW. I know it's kind of long fjsgfh but I like what I came up with for this~

When Kohga is defeated by Link and falls down the pit, Sepria is crushed. Kohga had become her rock since she joined, and all of her effort was for his sake, not just as her leader but as her close confidant. Some believe he is dead, that even someone like Master Kohga couldn't survive such a fall, but continue their work in his honor. Others believe he's alive, and work diligently in anticipation of his inevitable return. Nobody actively searches for him though - the ones who think he's alive figure he's strong and smart enough to return when he's needed, and the ones who think he's dead, well...they're not about to risk their lives searching for a corpse.

...except for Sepria. She spends many sleepless nights by the pit, trying to figure out how to safely search for Kohga, and she becomes increasingly doubtful that he's alive... that is, until the Yiga Clan starts to discover the Zonai devices after the Upheaval. Immediately, she dedicates her time to learning how they work, and builds herself a vehicle to travel below the surface. Most of the clan discourage her, saying it's a stupid idea, it'll never work, she doesn't know what's down there, it could really be bottomless... but she's determined, and it pays off.

She successfully reaches the Depths and touches ground, and by light of a torch, she comes across something completely unexpected... a piece of stone carved with a message, in Master Kohga's handwriting, explaining where he's currently camping while he figures out how to get back up to the Surface. She almost can't believe it, but she doesn't hesitate - she navigates the darkness all the way to the Abandoned Central Mine, and when Kohga turns to chew out whoever the hell is intruding on this place he totally claimed for himself, he sees none other than his favorite scout standing before him. After a moment of initial shock he nearly explodes in excitement that somebody finally came looking for him - and that it's Sepria, to boot! Since nobody's around he doesn't care about appearances, so he scoops her up in a big bear hug, and then they think of where to go from here.

They're able to travel back and forth between the surface and the Depths by way of the Zonai devices they find. By Sepria finding Kohga, she's essentially the one who gets the other Yiga Clan members to start setting up and exploring the Depths, though of course Kohga is the one who plans to use the mines for Ganon's return.

She is still first and foremost a scout, but Master Kohga decided that she would pretty much be his scout - when he needs to be present for a mission he specifically brings her, and sometimes he'll send a team for reconnaissance that she leads. She was assigned to be a scout because she's not really built for fighting - she's quick and quiet, but also a bit small and lean. But after they began working in the Depths, Kohga made it a point to teach her more offensive tactics. Between him and the Blademasters, she learned to use that quickness in fights, and to use her opponents' weight against them.

Except for a few instances where he sends her on recon to the mines that you aren't required to visit for the story, she travels with Kohga most of the time as protection and support. She would be fooled by Link's Yiga disguise, as she herself kind of breaks the uniformity of the Clan with her appearance and figures there may be some exceptions... but Kohga has told her in great detail what the little twerp looks and acts like, so she knows what to look for.

...I haven't thought about what she'd do after the whole Yiga side adventure is finished, but...I imagine it'll be pretty similar gkshgf.

[volganic]

If that is what you wish (1/?)

[AO3] || [discord]

my friendship with volink is over, kohga/sooga is my new comfort ship now jk i’ll always love volink

now i have to actually write more of them uhhhhhhhhhH

Sooga was born to serve; it was all he knew in his blood, a long bloodline that once served the royal family who feared their technology; now he served his clan as their general, their leader, second-in-command to the Top Banana himself.

Whatever Master Kohga wanted, he always got it in the end.

As absurd as some of his requests might have been, Kohga’s wishes were fulfilled in a timely manner. Sooga made sure of it — without question or objection. With any order that came, Sooga would only answer, “If that is what you wish.” Kohga was easy to please as long as his needs were met, and Sooga kept his master as a priority over himself. He was there at Kohga’s beck and call, coming to his master’s aid at precisely the right time—

“Sooga, you’re late!” Kohga thrashed in his corner against the wall of rock. His plans had fallen through the last of its cracks. “I nearly got peeled like a banana!”

The assassin ignored the tantrum from him, kneeling before Kohga to carefully cradle him before hauling him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Kohga’s thrashing ceased almost immediately, his body going limp over his shoulder. It wasn’t the first time Sooga had held the clan’s leader like this.

Sooga craned his neck to stare at the Gerudo Chief and her entourage. “Forget these cowards.” And cowards they were, the four of them against one. Gerudo, two Hylians, a Sheikah — despicable. His free hand reached into the pouch in the backside of his belt — after shooing away Kohga’s wandering fingers. “It’s time to retreat.” He spared no second smashing the bomb into the Gerudo sands, shrouding them in a thick cloud of smoke to make their escape. Urbosa’s curses were drowned out by the sound of Master Kohga’s giddy laughter.

Once they were safe away from any prying eyes in an abandoned outpost beyond the Molduga’s dwellings, Master Kohga finally wiggled his way out of Sooga’s grip, both of his feet sinking into the desert sands.

“I almost died, Sooga!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically before clutching the sides of his face and shaking his head. “Gods, the amount of stress they put me under nearly burst my bubble, I can’t believe they made me use the secret technique! My perfect, perfect plan failed, and if you had showed up even a second later—“

“I apologize, Master.” Sooga’s voice was cool through the heat of Kohga’s anxieties, but even if his master was in the clear, safe from any obvious dangers, there was a pang of guilt that still struck through him. The idea of losing Master Kohga by his own mistakes was not an option. Sooga bowed his head. “I will make sure it does not happen again.”

The desert breeze filled the seconds that passed between them. The gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in: there was an uprising beginning to brew, and the Yiga definitely weren’t up to par like they had imagined.

Kohga let out a long exhale. “I know you won’t, big guy.” He turned his head to study the long, deep crack in the mask that hid Sooga’s true face. Kohga knew that underneath, the assassin’s words held truth; his loyalty was unmatched by any other member of the clan. Sooga was wrapped around his finger. “I know you won’t.

“Even if it did,” he started, bringing a hand up to comically rub at his chin in deep thought, “I think you’re more than over-qualified to take my place. Problem is, you’d gotta take my name. ‘Master Sooga’,” he enunciated with air quotes, “doesn’t have quite a nice ring like ‘Master Kohga’.”

Sooga’s posture stiffened at the idea. It thrilled him to know that Kohga recognized his strength and leadership skills — the consequences, on the other hand…

“... I could never, Master Kohga.”

“Lighten up, will ya?” Kohga barked a laugh as he gave his second-in-command a playful shove to his shoulder. “I ain’t ready to retire yet! With you by my side, I know you won’t let that come to pass, hmm?”

The assassin’s head bowed even lower despite Kohga’s praise. His hands balled into tight fists at his side. No, he could never allow his master to fend for himself alone, putting his life at risk again — he would make sure of it.

“If I may, Master Kohga?”

Kohga nodded and waved his hand nonchalantly. “You may.”

Sooga stood back to his full height and kept his eyes fixed on Kohga. “To guarantee that you are spared from an unforeseen demise where I am not present, I suggest that from this point forward, I shall take your place in orchestrating our efforts to bring Hyrule to its knees. Or, at the very least, you are not alone.”

His master carefully considered his words. Kohga hummed lowly in thought, back to rubbing his chin as he always did. “Not a bad idea, I’d say…” He trailed off to stare off in the distance. He paused too long for Sooga’s liking. “It’s a deal I can’t say no to, but that’s not my choice to make.”

“Understood, Master Kohga. Wherein the circumstances may allow it, I implore you to consider the offer.”

“Good talk.” Kohga clapped his hand on Sooga’s shoulder. “Now get us outta here! The sun’s making me sweat, and we’ve got an audience to entertain.”

“If that is what you wish.”

——

“So, you turned and fled, is that it?”

Astor was seated at the opposite end of the table from where Kohga sat and Sooga stood. Though the curtains were pulled, sealing out the setting Gerudo sun, and the candlelight cast dark shadows over his face, Sooga could see that this so-called “prophet” was not pleased. Kohga didn’t seem to care too much; he sat sideways in his seat, idly humming a tune that didn’t sound like an actual song.

Sooga wondered if Kohga was able to take matters seriously.

“Hm-hmm, hm-hmmm….” Kohga shrugged. “Well, if they hadn’t interrupted me—“

“It seems that, as low as my expectations of you were, I was overly optimistic.”

Both pairs of Yiga eyes fixed onto Astor as he stood from his place. Kohga jumped to attention, insulted that the prophet would see him as anything less than competent; Sooga’s hands were already wrapped around both hilts of his blades, ready to strike if need be.

“Well, no matter.” Their pale guest paid them no mind as he moved around to the middle of the table with the likes of a glowing ancient core in his hands, stopping at the front of the altar where their destiny lay among the piles of bananas.

With the imminent threat gone, Kohga relaxed instantly and threw himself back into his chair, folding his arms behind his head and crossing his legs, humming his little tune. Sooga, on the other hand, was slower to let his guard down, but complied with a wave of his superior’s hand. His glare remained on Astor’s back.

Sooga despised him.

Astor held the core outward as an offering to the guardian that hid among the fruit, idly flashing a strange orange light through its purple smog. “My harbinger,” he cooed, “show me the future!”

The guardian screeched in only a language that Astor seemed to understand, unfazed by the thick clouds of dark magic that spiraled in the room. The Yiga stood mesmerized by it, Kohga left completely awestruck. The core lifted from Astor’s hands to glow its eerie purple energy, bursting forth into a cloud of space, shrouding the three of them in stars and constellations that the Yiga weren’t familiar with.

“Ah, yes…” Through a tear in the clouds, a glimpse of Hyrule Castle falling into darkness could be seen — the Calamity and their destiny achieved. “The future as it will and must be. I will not allow anyone to alter its course.” The clouds slowly dissipated into the air, the ancient core slowly winding down and back into Astor’s hands. The guardian grew silent and still, leaving only the orange glow from its singular eye as a signal that it was still listening. “No one at all, not even you two.

“Now then… there are matters from this point forward that I need to discuss with you, Kohga.” He turned his head to address his underlings. His eyes briefly met with Sooga’s. “Alone.”

Quick to detect foul play, the assassin took a step forward to put himself between Kohga and Astor. “Absolutely not. Whatever you can discuss with Master Kohga, you can discuss with me. I stand by him wholeheartedly.”

Astor’s lips twitched into a snarl. He wasn’t used to being told “no”. “I admire your dedication and nobility, truly, but your time to play your part will come. As I said, these are matters not concerning you.” His eyes narrowed. “I will not repeat myself. Leave.”

Sooga didn’t have much time to even move so much as a muscle before Kohga’s elbow met his midsection.

“Sooga!” He snapped loudly, surprising the both of them. “Leave us alone. We’ll be alright for a little bit, won’t we? No need to worry your pretty little head.” Kohga motioned for him to lean down, pulling him closer by the chin to whisper into his ear. “I’ll fill you in on the details when it’s all said and done.”

The taller Yiga held his doubts, but complied with a curt nod. “If that is what you wish.”

Sooga stood and eyed Astor guardedly, watching his thin lips curl into a smug smile as they traded places, the prophet now skulking to Kohga’s side. Sooga had barely stepped out of the room before his master called out, “Don’t forget to shut the doors behind you!”

He turned to seal the doors behind him, seeing that Kohga had waved him off and leaned ever closer to Astor. Just above a whisper, Kohga asked, “Ain’t he a dandy?”

Astor grimaced. “Indeed.”

The doors shut behind him.

[comradelup]

Hey bruh can we get an epic infodump about that BOTW au, because I am HERE for some self indulgent content, hit this niche Zelda/TAZ fan audience with that tasty au over here

i just woke up so this might not be too legible but :3333 also obviously spoilers for botw for ppl who haven’t played it and don’t wanna be spoiled

(most of it is under the cut though because WOW this got long akdnajfnsjf)

okay so taako is link and lup is zelda. instead of being a princess and knight they’re a king and queen co-ruling faerun. there isn’t really a king rhoam figure in this? like they don’t have a parent/guardian they pops up in the memories, it’s just them ruling the kingdom. when the prophecy came, they knew one of them was the royal with the goddess’ blood in them and the other would be the hero with the darkness sealing weapon. obviously both of them would have the same blood or whatever since they’re twins, but it comes down to who can properly wield the magic. as it turns out, lup is the magic twin and taako is the weapon wielding twin. their enemy, usually ganon, is instead the hunger.

there is still an old civilization of ppl with ancient technology, though i don’t really have a name for them, so i’ll keep calling them sheikah. BUT, there is a modern day group of people dedicating themselves to learning all they can about the sheikah technology in order to prepare for the return of the hunger. they are the institute of past research and exploration, IPRE for short. it is made up by the rest of the seven birds, among a few others.

the champions are davenport, merle, magnus, and barry. lucretia is kinda how she was in TSC canon, just sorta tagging along to write everything down, but that changes once they make the grand relics. speaking of, the light of creation replaces the master sword in this instance. it has the power to fight off the hunger, as well as take the shape of any weapon taako can imagine. that’s how we get the flaming raging poisoning sword of doom and the krebstar. but lup and barry, ever the scientists, are like “is there any way to… break the light into pieces? so more people get super powerful weapons against the apocalypse?” so they do

some of the relics are different, though. the philosopher’s stone doesn’t change things, but it changes itself, keeping that weapon-changing property of the original light. obviously, since it’s a seventh of what it used to be, it isn’t as powerful. but it’s still pretty damn powerful compared to the rest of the weapons in the world. the gaia sash is different too, adding healing on top of the plant magic. the animus bell basically makes undead armies instead of the soul switching magic from canon. basically, the relics’ powers are altered to better fit a combat situation. also they’re the gifts given to taako after the divine beasts (replacing urbosa’s fury/daruk’s protection/etc) so they would need a more combative/practical use. the healing part of the gaia sash is basically this au’s mipha’s grace akfnajfnsj

one relic in particular is interesting, and that’s the phoenix fire gauntlet. with lup’s struggle to unlock her powers, she created the gauntlet as a sort of conductor for magic energy. she’s incredibly proficient in normal magic (esp evocation) but this goddess magic is tricky to unlock, and it’s super frustrating. the other stuff came so easy to her, so why is this hard? unfortunately, the gauntlet didn’t help with that :-(

lucretia and her relic are also interesting in this au. as i mentioned in the ficlet i posted, she intended to use the bulwark staff to protect the champions, and she couldn’t, so she blames herself for everything that happened. obviously, it’s not her fault and i make myself sad thinking about her being sad T_T but as a result of this, plus a bit of good ol paranoia, she uses the bulwark staff to create a big bubble shield around phandalin (this au’s kakariko villiage) the rest of the IPRE live here (basically the BOB, so killian, carey, johann, etc)

i won’t go too into detail for the rest of the story, as it’s fairly similar to botw canon other than that, but some things to note are this: the divine beasts are different, so as to suit the champions better. magnus and merle have a bear and owl, respectively, but idk what’s for barry and davenport (definitely open to suggestions akdnajdns). also, the yiga clan is called the shadow brethren, because i love me a good amnesty reference. it’s leader is kalen, and he’s an actual threat to taako, unlike kogha. i’d imagine the brethren tie to magnus’ divine beast because kalen ties to his storyline. also, the gauntlet basically becomes the bow of light in this au, aka what taako uses to defeat the hunger once and for all

other characters to note are:

kravitz and the raven queen, basically purah and symin in the hateno ancient tech lab. they’re a mother and son duo, with TRQ living through the calamity and kravitz being born afterwards

lucas and maureen are in robbie and jerrin’s place as another mother-son duo in the same position as krav + TRQ; maureen lived through the calamity and lucas was born after

(everyone is basically human in this, or at least has human lifespans, so 100 years is definitely a long time for someone to live through. maureen and TRQ developed magic to prevent them from aging all those years. lucretia was the first volunteer to use this magic, but it kinda failed and instead only slowed down her aging. that’s why she’s her older self when taako wakes up.)

the goddess hylia is instead istus. not much changes there, she’s just the goddess everyone references akdnakdjs

yknow the characters that help link get to the divine beasts in canon? like sidon, riju, etc? they’re replaced by other characters depending on what relic taako is going after, and it correlates to canon. so when he’s going after davenport’s divine beast/the oculus, he meets angus. when going after the owl/gaia sash, he meets hurley and sloane. so on and so forth. though he DEFINITELY meets julia in refuge and she DEFINITELY does NOT have a crush on the hero of legend who piloted the bear divine beast 100 years ago ;)))))

differently from botw canon, taako actually develops a strong relationship with lucretia, who is pretty much impa with a different backstory. as he gets his memories back he realizes he had six incredibly close best friends and now five of them are gone, so he kinda gravitates to her when he’s with her

one more thing to note is that after taako defeats the hunger and lup is free, she combines the relics into the light and uses it to bring the dead champions back because FUCK death separating this family. lup “phantasmal and resplendent” adventurezone would never allow it. if her brother gets brought back from the dead, so do her friends and her husband, thank you very much

and that’s… basically it! i could go more in depth with the taakitz/blupjeans side of things, but this is long enough akfnskfnskfn but if anyone wants to know anything else i’m always open to talking about it :D

[pml1225-blog]

7:characters continued - worldbuilding and NPCs

A few posts ago, I talked about the stories of two characters in Breath of the Wild – Mipha and Zelda, and how their individual story arc played out within the broader story. This time, I want to talk about the characters that aren’t really part of the story – NPCs, or non-player characters.

NPCs in Zelda games have always contributed to the world of the each game. RPGs will always have NPCs, usually populating towns and coming with side quests to give the player, but when done poorly, it really doesn’t add much to the story. A lot of the time, NPCs are either turned into exposition machines or just have a fetch quest for you to complete (like “kill 10 enemies and bring me their remains” LOL). The Legend of Zelda, starting from the 3D era with Ocarina of Time, has really put a lot of detail into folding the NPCs into the environment and themes of the game, and this really contributes to the player’s enjoyment.

Ocarina of Time has some great NPC storytelling, and it fits within the context of the story. As you’ve probably heard dozens of times before, one of the main mechanics of the game is Link travelling time from his time as a kid before Ganon took over to a time 7 years later as an adult when Ganon took over. The game takes great care to show the effects of 7 years of Ganon rule on the world, including the environment and the music (see the last post). To round this all out, the NPCs also change and develop, and it fits the somber events that occurred. Some people move up in the world, some people stay the same, but some people just straight up died. Ocarina of Time really excelled with its consistent storytelling throughout the game, not just the main story, and it set a precedent for future games to come.

(rip graveyard dude)

Breath of the Wild has really taken this to the next logical step, and I think it was done beautifully. Part of this is due to better technology, but mostly, it is just a dedicated attention to detail by the staff. The world feels real and interconnected. Most townspeople still stay within the safety of their homes, but as you travel along the roads, you will encounter people travelling around, and you can follow them to their next destination. Sometimes, you will have to save someone who is being attacked by monsters, and they remember you if have saved them before. There is a clan of evil ninjas, the Yiga clan, that poses as travelers you have spoken to along the road before, only to attack you. There is a traveling reporter who goes around from place to place, spilling gossip about nearby attractions. There is a travelling bird bard, whose goal is to learn songs about the Hyrule of yore that his master was unable to pass onto him before he passed. People move around, but are still wary of exploring too far themselves. As you venture further from roads, you will see fewer and fewer people, which makes the times you do encounter people unexpectedly off the beaten path more interesting. There is a brother-sister duo of treasure hunters that roam around the ruins of old fortresses, hoping to find valuable relics of the society that was destroyed in the past. There is a fishing village that you never have to go to, but has a multitude of people with their own stories for you to delve into. This sort of detail, which would go unnoticed by some people (it took me 60 hours to venture to that corner of the map), is what truly elevates the game. It isn’t just to serve as easter eggs, either; it really paints Hyrule as a civilization struggling to rebuild, but unable to make headway with the threat of Ganon still looming. For example, the people of the fishing village face constant threats to their way of life as monsters set up camp in their fishing areas. You get the sense that they had to stand their ground to maintain their traditions across the years. Even so, the constant threat of the monsters would make anyone feel cornered and helpless. The player doesn’t necessarily need to make the journey to Lurelin village, but it helps contextualize the struggle of Hyrulians throughout the past 100 years.

One of my favorite side quests in the game is one where you literally build a town. Throughout my first playthrough, I met some characters that just stuck out to me. There was a Gerudo woman who just sat in a bazaar, lamenting the fact that she couldn’t find a husband, as her only skill was making clothes. Another Rito boy told me how he didn’t want to work in his mothers shop anymore, and wanted to travel himself. I thought this was weird, because there was nothing for me to do to change their situation. Later in the game, you meet a construction worker who was tasked to build a new town on a small outcropping of uninhabited land. You help him clear out the area, bring building materials, and ultimately, bring these people who you have met before to populate the town. To me, this signified another theme within the game – needing to rebuild. While the people of Lurelin village were trying to maintain their lifestyle against the odds, other people were yearning for something greater. When you beat Ganon, Zelda tells Link of her plans to help the entirety of Hyrule to rebuild and recover its former glory, and you are reminded of the town that you helped build.

(the sidequest ends with a wedding, with all the people you gathered who wanted something else in life. what a great way to tell a human story while also making you chop down 110 bundles of wood to build the damn town.)

This is how games can use NPCs to not only add content to the game and provide a rich world for the player to explore, but to also help tell the story. An immense amount of thought and work went into creating every aspect of Breath of the Wild, and it really incentivizes the player to explore. Many games are working to implement this mode of storytelling through gameplay as a philosophy. Unlike other media like movies or books, the player can choose to get out of the experience what they want, and when a world is well built and populated with characters that feel real within the contexts of the story, it is extremely rewarding to sink hundreds of hours just talking to everyone and seeing everything.

[katedoesfics]

Breath of the Resistance: Chapter 19

It was midday when Link finally arrived at Rito Village. He had driven straight through the morning, watching the cell service from time to time. It only got stronger as he neared the town, and working cell towers loomed in the distance. He was greeted by the Rito Elder, Kaneli, who seemed to be expecting Link’s arrival.

“I could smell that horrible thing from a mile away,” Revali said, making a face at the car.

Link leaned against the hood, his arms crossed. “Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you.”

“Link,” Zelda warned.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over that obnoxious engine. Which I also heard from a mile away.”

“You must hear that a lot considering any vehicle could out drive you in flight.”

Zelda shook her head, her fingers on her temples.

Revali leaned forward, making sure to get in Link’s face. “I don’t need speed when I have deadly accuracy with a weapon.”

“Are you finished?” Zelda muttered, but still, she was not heard.

“You’re all talk,” Link said. “But I have yet to see you backup your claims.”

Revali’s beak turned up in a sly smile. “How about a little wager, then? We’ll settle this once and for all. But, where?” He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he straightened and paced about. His eyes widened as if struck by an idea. “Well, how about up there?” He pointed a wing towards the Divine Beast that perched on top of the mountain. “Atop Vah Medoh. Oh, wait.” He laughed lightly. “How could I forget? You have no way to get up there on your own, now, do you?”

Kaneli was not Revali. He was much older and, in turn, wiser, reserved, polite. Not an arrogant jerk. There were no pictures of Kaneli with horns doodled on his head.

Still. Revali was a strong, brave warrior, loyal to the bone, and a true example of the Rito and their ancestors. There was no doubt in Link’s mind that he didn’t give up Vah Medoh easily. He was stubborn, and he likely fought until his dying breath. And that familiar pain crept into Link’s chest. Another comrade gone.

“My scouts saw you coming,” Kaneli said as he welcomed Link and guided him through town. The Rito, being a bird-like race, preferred to live in a way that was more natural to them, which meant that Rito Village was set in high elevations. Link had driven as far up the mountainside as he could until the path brought him across bridges that wound their way further up and across to other ledges where their homes and businesses resided. Link and Kaneli walked across these bridges, though most of the Ritos flew over the large town to their destinations.

“We’re fortunate to be able to take to the sky, keeping us out of sight of the Guardians,” Kaneli continued. “My scouts have been the only way we have been able to communicate with everyone else in Hyrule. They’ve even been able to restore some of the cell towers in the area. At this rate, they just have the eastern side of the country to restore, which should greatly help us in this war we’ve fallen into.” He pointed a wing to a tall, pillar like structure in the distance. Floating just above it was Vah Medoh, its large head turning this way and that as it inspected the area below.

“Vah Medoh has been keeping close tabs on us,” the Rito Elder said. “As the other Divine Beasts are, it seems. Despite that, they are large and flawed, and it has been easy enough for us to get by unseen, for now.” He turned his gaze on Link and smiled. “I know you were able to reclaim Vah Rudania, so you should have no problem with Vah Medoh.”

Link shrugged and turned his gaze to the Divine Beast. “Sure,” he started. “If I can figure out a way to get up there.”

“Teba can help you,” Kaneli said. “He’s the only one of my soldiers who has been able to get near enough to the Divine Beast. He’s tried to reclaim it himself, but without much luck. It won’t be an easy task; Vah Medoh attacks anything that gets near it.”

“Of course,” Link muttered. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “We’ll figure it out.”

Kaneli let a wing rest on Link’s shoulder. “I know memories evade you, Link,” he said. “I appreciate all you have been doing for us, even before this war started.”

Link hesitated, unsure how to respond to the elder, but to his relief, Kaneli didn’t wait for a response.

“You’ll find Teba at the Flight Range,” he said to Link. “He’ll take you up to Vah Medoh.”

*****

To no surprise, Link found Teba at the Flight Range, just as Kaneli said. And like Kaneli, Teba seemed to have been expecting Link, though he was less than thrilled to see him. He was cleaning his own weapons when Link approached, and he started speaking without so much a greeting.

“I hope you brought your A game,” Teba said without turning around.

“Actually,” Link started. “I left it back in the car.” He threw his thumb back. “Should I grab it?”

Teba was not amused. He peered over his shoulder at Link. “I’m in no mood for your sarcasm, Link.” He straightened and turned to face Link. He looked him up and down quickly. “Is it true, then? You have no memory of anything that has happened?”

“Some of it’s coming back,” Link said. “I remember why I drew devil horns on a picture of Revali.”

Teba couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “You two always did butt heads.”

“I know,” Link said. “I remember that.”

Teba turned back to his weapons and pocketed them in the holsters under his wings.”I don’t know how much help I can be for you,” Teba admitted. “I can get you up there, but Vah Medoh will not hesitate to try to shoot us down.”

Link shifted his weight on his feet and folded his arms across his chest. He raised a brow at Teba. He remembered the Rito; a soldier much more reserved than Revali, but just as loyal and dedicated to his job. And he knew that Teba already had a plan in mind. “So,” Link started. “What’s the plan?”

Teba turned his gaze to Link and his grin returned. “There are four turrets on the outside of Vah Medoh,” he explained. “That’s what it uses to attack us when we get too close. It also has a force field to protect itself. If we can take out the turrets, it will also destroy the force field and we’ll be able to land on top of it.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Link said.

“I didn’t get to the bad part.”

Link rolled his eyes. “Hit me.”

“The turrets act similarly to the Guardians,” Teba said. “Which means that they’ll lock on to a target in its sights before shooting. Once it locks on, you have to act quickly or get caught by its attack. The only way you’ll be able to get a clear shot is if I act as distraction. I can get it to lock on to me and dodge it no problem. That will be your chance to take out the turret.”

“I’m a decent shot,” Link started. “But I don’t think I can keep myself steady while you’re flying through the air and get an accurate hit on those turrets.”

“Of course not,” Teba said as if his plan should have been obvious to Link. “The only way you’ll get a good shot is if you jump off my back and shoot at it.”

Link stared at Teba blankly for a moment. “You’re not kidding,” he finally muttered.

“Don’t worry,” Teba said. “I’ll catch ya.”

Link narrowed his eyes at the Rito. This had to have been the stupidest plan in the history of Hyrule.

“Do you have a better plan?” Teba inquired.

Link looked up at Vah Medoh, still looming above them, and sighed. “So help me, Hylia,” he muttered, turning his gaze back to Teba. “If I go down, I’m bringing you with me.”

*****

It took every ounce of will for Link not to grip Teba’s feathers as they soared through the air. Of all the things he had encountered before - Guardians, Divine Beasts, Yiga Clan soldiers, and even Ganon himself - being so high in the sky without the safety of a wall was the most terrifying thing he had ever endured. He was certain Teba could feel him shaking pathetically as they climbed higher and higher, but if Teba had noticed, the Rito never mentioned it to Link. Instead, he was focused on their task in getting aboard Vah Medoh, and he was busy reviewing the details with Link once more. When he finished speaking, he looked over his shoulder at Link.

“Got this?”

Link sucked in a breath and pulled out his gun. It was already loaded and ready to go. “Yeah,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. “Piece of cake.”

He didn’t have much of a choice because at that moment, Vah Medoh had spotted them, and it roared angrily. Its red shield wrapped around, protecting it, and the turrets came out of its body.

“It’s go time,” Teba said. “Once that target locks on to me, take it out. If you wait too long, you’ll miss your chance.”

Teba swooped down towards Vah Medoh, aiming for the first turret near its beak. He flew by it, he and Link watching carefully as the turret moved around before locking on to its target and following the Rito through the air. That was his cue.

Link threw himself off of Teba before his brain had a chance to talk his body out of it, but the rush from the fall was greater than he had expected and his stomach dropped sickeningly. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the gun with both shaking hands, barely getting off a shot, but it missed his target by an embarrassing distance.

Link felt sharp talons rake at his back and he was jerked back up into the sky. Teba flapped his wings hard as they accelerated away from Vah Medoh.

“Fuck,” Link muttered. That did not go as he had planned. He shimmied angrily under Teba’s grip.

“Get it together,” Teba growled to him.

“I got it,” Link shouted up at him. “Let go of me.”

And to Link’s surprise, Teba did, and he fell once more down towards the Divine Beast. Teba swooped down and around him, taunting Vah Medoh and it locked on to the Rito once more. But this time Link knew what to expect, and he was better prepared for the sensation of the fall. He forced himself to focus on his target, taking aim and pulling the trigger. This time, his shot hit, and the turret exploded.

Link fell against Teba’s back, clinging to his feathers as Teba shot upwards and around the Divine Beast to the next turret.

“Yes,” Teba cheered triumphantly. “That’s it. Three more.”

“Three more,” Link muttered as he readied his next shot.

And the process repeated. Teba swooped in around Vah Medoh until a turret locked on to him and Link leapt into the air, firing two more shots. One of them hit, and the second turret erupted. Once more, Teba caught Link as he fell, circled back around, and aimed for the third turret. It took another two shots, but the third turret was taken out, and with Link’s last shot, the forth turret met the same fate.

Vah Medoh’s roar echoed through the valleys and its red force field dropped, allowing Teba and Link to board the Divine Beast. Teba swooped down, circling for a moment before landing on the tail end. Link slid off Teba’s back and worked quickly to reload his weapons. If it was anything like Vah Rudania, there would be a blight somewhere aboard Vah Medoh, and it wouldn’t hesitate to attack them as soon as it saw them.

Link looked around them quickly, taking in the sights. The back of Vah Medoh was fairly open, but Link could easily pick out the control panel towards the middle of its back. Beyond the control panel, near the Divine Beast’s head, were a circle of tall pillars, and coming through those pillars was the Windblight that occupied Vah Medoh. It shrieked at the sight of Link and Teba and disappeared in a flash.

Link held up his gun, moving erratically around in search for the phantom, and it appeared just inches above his head with another loud scream. But Teba lurched forward, throwing Link to the ground as the Windblight shot at Link with its turret styled weapon. The shot exploded as it hit the ground, just missing them by inches. Teba pulled Link back onto his feet and they broke into a sprint across Vah Medoh.

“Get on,” Teba shouted at Link. “We’ll have a better chance if we can get above it.”

Link didn’t argue, and he leapt onto Teba’s back just as he pushed off into the air, his wings flapping hard as they gained altitude. Below them, the Windblight shrieked and disappeared, and when it appeared again, it was just yards in front of Link and Teba.

Link fired off three rounds quickly before the Windblight could attack. All three of his shots hit their target, ripping through the Windblight just as they had done with the Fireblight. The phantom fell to the ground, crashing against the pillars, and Teba swooped in quickly as Link fired off another set of rounds. Teba pulled up quickly as the Windblight regained itself and Link took the opportunity to reload his gun.

But when the Windblight took to the air once more, it had traded its turret styled weaponry for something much more deadly. Like the Guardians, it locked on to Teba and Link and fired a deadly, laser like blast at them, catching both of them off guard. Teba dove to the side in an attempt to dodge the attack at the last minute, but the force of his maneuver threw Link off his back and plummeting towards the ground.

Link landed on the hard floor, his body skidding across. The force knocked his gun out of his hand and the wind out of his lungs. He fought against his darkening vision and waited for the spinning to cease. But when he was finally able to focus himself, the Windblight was just inches above him, and it had locked on to him.