...and glided into the small shelter that was the entrance to the Keep. As Shade landed, Link surveyed the interior of the building. The storm snapped through the windows, but also through gaping holes in the walls. Fortunately, there were only a few of those on this story.
Zelda asked, "Those weren't always there?"
"No. It seems the storm is renovating," Sagi answered.
"I'm afraid I can go no further," Shade turning his head to Link. "These halls are too narrow for me to fly through. I will be nearby if you need me. Or if you fall. Try not to though."
As Sagi and Taka paced the entrance, surveying the damage, Link set his hand on Zelda's shoulder. "We're going to have to walk."
She looked nervously at the ground, then back at Link. "Where there is a floor. This place seems to be falling apart at the seams." Zelda swung herself out of Shade's saddle before taking an uneasy pace through the room. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed.
Link swung out of the saddle as Taka and Sagi stopped pacing. Sagi gave the room one more once over, stating, "We know that this room is secure, but the structure of the Keep is collapsing."
"Hopefully the main armory is still intact," Taka added into his wing. The idea of weapons raining from the skies certainly made Link nervous. With the storm blocking the ground below, he had no idea where they would land if the Keep decided to bottom out.
"The Keep is in much worse condition than the last time we were here," Sagi went on. "It's difficult to say how much of the building is still sound. It shouldn't lose its enchantments though."
"So it should still be in the air?" Zelda asked. When both Rito nodded, she let out a little sigh. "Well, that's good. It may not be connected, but at least the floor isn't going to fall out on us completely. I mean, in a manner of speaking, but it won't just go crashing down to the surface."
"That's a small consolation," Link replied, nodding. "Do you know where the Light Medallion is? Or where it might have been stored? That will be the main target of Ganondorf's minions."
Both Rito exchanged a look before falling into thought. Taka rubbed his wing behind his head. "That's a good question, isn't it? Maybe in the armory?"
Sagi shook his head. "That doesn't seem right. There was no shrine in there."
"There doesn't have to be a shrine," Zelda replied. "It can just be a big open space. The whole temple is sacred, so anywhere would work as long as it would keep the medallion safe.."
Link nodded his agreement. "I don't think any of the temples I've been to had a real shrine, not like the ones to the Goddesses. An armory seems as good a place as any to hide something sacred though. Secured vaults keep weapons and relics in the same. What's been attacking the Keep like this though?"
"That storm," Taka answered, gesturing towards the entrance. "It's alive."
"Or something in it is alive," Sagi confirmed. "It's sent minions on us, but there's no doubt that it's the storm itself that's targeting the Keep. We're at the heart of the storm itself right now."
That was a target Link didn't know how to fight. How do you fight a storm? He would have said weather it until it passes, but this cloud seemed to be persistent. If the storm was alive though, it had to come from somewhere, or someone had to be conjuring it nearby.
"Is there anyway we could cause a disturbance in the storm?" Link muttered as he wandered in thought.
"What, like shoot at it?" Taka asked.
Link looked up as he realized he had been thinking aloud. "Oh, sorry. I mean, in a way, I guess. If the storm sent minions to attack you, then it's worried about you attacking it, right? Maybe if we could launch something big enough at the storm, whoever or whatever is making it would have to stop."
"That's a ridiculous idea," Sagi stated.
"Well, you're not wrong," Link answered, rubbing the back of his neck. It sounded pretty stupid.
Zelda took a step forward. "But it may work. Crazier things have happened in this quest of ours. Giant fish, rock demons, time travel. But what would we even be able to launch at it? I don't think cannon balls would work, and arrows aren't big enough."
"There's the weather training equipment," Taka suggested. "If the equipment's not broken, we could make our own storm in the Keep's courtyard and direct it upwards."
"Attack a storm with another storm?" Sagi looked confused, and a little frustrated. "Isn't that like fighting fire with fire?"
Taka gestured both wings towards Link. "It's the Hero. I think he knows what he's doing. If he thinks it'll work, we might as well try."
Link raised a hand to correct the Rito but as Taka already had his back to the Hylian, Link doubted Taka would listen. Link leaned sideways so Sagi could see him properly. "If you think of a better plan, feel free to share. This one is pretty out there."
"No, if Taka wants to trust you with this plan, then I trust you too," Sagi answered. "You have more experience dealing with these kinds of issues than either of us."
"Then let's get started," Zelda said, clapping her hands together. "Where is this equipment?"
"They're situated around the Keep so we can simulate different weather patterns for combat training," Sagi explained. "There should be one to activate the winds at the top of this structure."
"And where is this main armory?" Link asked. He was still concerned about it falling towards the ground, or at least, its contents falling.
"Beneath the courtyard," Taka stated. "It'll make more sense when you see the whole building."
"Let's get going then." Link felt for his whip and clawshot. He wanting both weapons ready in case he fell, and with the way the ground shifted beneath his feet, he wouldn't be surprised if that happened some time soon.
With Taka and Sagi leading, the three climbed to the next story of the Keep. The room was near identical, though two doors exited to the left and right. Above them, Link could see the fourth floor through the third. The staircase was broken apart, with only shards of the floor limping along in the air.
As they watched, a tendril of lightning snapped through the space in the walls. It couldn't find them on the second floor, but it blackened the walls of the third before fading back out.
"How do we get past that?" Link asked, covering his eyes for a moment as the light forced his pupils to dilate rapidly.
Almost as soon as he asked, the storm snapped another tendril of lightning through the space, and so the flashes continued at regular intervals. There was long enough pauses that made Link think that passage was possible, but certainly not for him or Zelda. Maybe for their avian companions or someone who could teleport. However, he wasn't attempting that rush at the moment.
Taka shook his head. "I'm not getting roasted for that."
"We could try to cover the Keep with the mist equipment," Sagi suggested. "Perhaps a few clouds of our own would keep the storm from being able to see tiny gaps like these and we'll be able to slip through."
"I like your thinking, Sagi." Taka slapped one of his wings over Sagi's back. "Let's be quick then, before it sees us."
"What do you mean, sees us?" Zelda asked as the two Rito approached the right door.
Sagi turned back as Taka swung the door open. Rain and wind swept into the room. "We don't have much cover, so hurry."
Link and Zelda ran behind the two Rito as they exited onto a long metal grate spanning from the building they had entered to a building of similar structure about fifty yards away. A series of arches had been build overhead, but elements had begun to tear away the small bit of cover overhead. Wind and rain poured sideways against them from the sides. It was a nauseating run, with nothing beneath Link's feet beside this metal grate, and the clouds spanning out belong them.
As they neared the far end, the storm began to explode with light. Just as the door swung shut behind them, Link heard thunder clapping down on the bridge, shaking the whole structure. There was another explosion of lights followed by more thunder, leaving the party winded from their run and a little wide eyed at the narrow escape from the pursuing storm.
While they began to catch their breath, Link heard something moving above them. He looked up, expecting to see more lightning, but instead he saw a robed figure hovering overhead. It cocked its masked head before vanishing.
Link reached for his sword, drawing the weapon out from his sheath as he scanned the room for the imp to reappear. Zelda lowered her hand from her chest as she glanced around as well. "What's wrong?"
"Wizrobe."
Zelda had an arrow notched in seconds, her fingers curved around her bow string. Both Rito drew their own bows at Link's comment. When the monster didn't reappear, Link made his way over to the stairs up. He craned his head up to see around the corner, but the ceiling cut off his view of the floor above. He could only see the far wall of the next story. Going any further up would leave him exposed.
"It has to be around here somewhere," Link thought aloud, climbing up another stair. It would likely teleport before he got to it, but if he could at least see it, that was better than this sneaking.
Two steps from the next floor, Link felt the static of lightning approaching him. He hurled himself up and sideways into the center of the room. The wizrobe flitted around the room with traces of magic lingering around where it hovered. What it didn't expect was an arrow to come up the stairs to snipe it when it paused to attack again.
Zelda's head popped up from the stairwell. "Did I get it?"
His sword still at the ready, Link answered, "Yeah. Let's hope it was just the one."
"Knowing Ganon, I doubt it will be." Zelda walked over to Link's side. "But these guys aren't too difficult."
"They sure can dance though," Link said as the magic began to dissipate from the room. "That's the fastest wizrobe I've encountered."
"Lightning does that," Sagi stated as he and Taka joined them on the second story. "Chus are the worst for it."
"Eck, those slimes can hop island when they get hit by it," Taka added, his feathers ruffling at the thought. "Nothing worse than waking up to an island full of chu. Stuff never comes out."
They found nothing else as they continued to the fourth floor. Link began to notice how empty these rooms where. It was odd to have such a tall building with nothing in it. When he asked Taka and Sagi about it, they just shrugged.
"Never really thought about that," Taka admitted. "We mostly just used the space for the courtyard."
"Whatever the Keep was originally built for, that hasn't been its purpose for years," Sagi agreed. "We built the training equipment on top of the building when we found it, but with the poor shape the Keep was in already, there wasn't much we could do in means of repurposing it. But like he said, the Rito were mostly interested in the Keep for its courtyard and its namesake."
"The Sage is supposed to live in this space though," Link said. "Is there even a residence?"
"We gotta live here?" Taka asked, exchanging a glance with Sagi. "We're going to need to remodel when all this is over."
At the center of the fourth story was a large contraption with a wide glass tank reaching up to the sky. Over the tank was a metal grate, and Link could see the storm above them. Taka explained, "It collects and heats rain water to make mist. Normally, we would need to use it sparingly, but with this storm, I don't think we'll run out of our water supply."
"How do we turn it on?" Zelda asked.
Taka pointed to a large wooden lever. "Pull that."
Link walked over to the switch, wrapping his hand around it. "That simple?"
"Security hasn't been a major issue for the Rito," Sagi stated. "Being the only true flying race in Hyrule has allowed us that luxury."
Hopefully this series of events would prevent the Rito from allowing the Keep to fall again, but it wasn't Link's job to lecture. So he pulled the lever...