Champions of a Fallen Age

The Calm Before the Storm

The cry of the Divine Beast Vah Naboris echoed across the vast expanse of the Gerudo Desert, reaching Riju and Urbosa where they stood atop a solitary spire of rock that loomed high above the rest of its surroundings. The two observed quietly as they watched Naboris move across the desert under the veil of night, using its long legs to cross the sandy dunes with ease.

The young Gerudo Chieftain spared a glance toward the Champion who towered over her. Lady Urbosa's hair waved calmly in the wind as she stared at Naboris, still as stone except for the fingers that tapped her hip slowly and methodically. Her glowing green eyes cut through the shadows as she studied the Divine Beast impassively.

Even after spending the last few hours with the former chieftain, the young girl still found the warrior to be intimidating.

Though Lady Urbosa hadn't challenged her authority in any way, she couldn't help but feel that she had only maintained her position because the Gerudo Champion allowed it. She couldn't imagine that their sisters within Gerudo Town would oppose their Champion should she try to retake her former position as chief of the tribe. Riju had been supported by her people since she had taken leadership, but she couldn't help but feel that it had been in a patronizing sort of way, almost as though they were just as amused as they were content with her efforts. She knew that couldn't be the case as their patience would have worn out long ago. Unfortunately, the thought did little to bolster her confidence.

Thankfully, Buliara had taken it upon herself to be more than just her personal guard. While she acted the part of a guard when in the presence of others, she played a much more important role. The guard was only willing to accept so much of Riju's doubts. Once her tipping point had been reached, the guard would make it a point to find some task for the young chieftain to handle. While they were often trivial, they required just enough thought to keep her stray thoughts away from her concerns. It was often quite frustrating, however, she had come to be grateful to her guard for the distractions, as menial as they could be.

She took a deep breath before she turned to face the Champion next to her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Urbosa beat her to it. "If you intend to accompany me, then you need to be ready. There will be no room to doubt yourself. Any hesitation, no matter how small, can get you killed." Her dark green eyes drilled into Riju as she continued, "do you understand?"

"I do." The Chieftain had known the risks of accompanying the Gerudo Champion and accepted them as best she could. The vast majority of her forces had left to join Impa, who was busy building a force to storm Hyrule Castle. Unfortunately, the Yiga had taken advantage of the openings that had created in Gerudo Town's defenses to steal the Thunder Helm. Sure, if even what half of Lady Urbosa had described when detailing her infiltration of the Clan's hideout was accurate, then there couldn't be many Yiga left. Even so, the Chieftain was unwilling to be lulled into a sense of safety. There likely were still clan members hidden throughout the desert and Hyrule. As such, Riju was conflicted about bringing even Buliara with her, as every guard they had would be needed even with the Yiga all but gone. They simply could not spare anyone else but her. She had a feeling that her personal guard would object to that statement, but it wouldn't change anything. "It's time."

The Gerudo Champion studied her for a moment before nodding. Without another word she turned away and began her descent to the ground below, leaving Riju to follow after her a few moments later. She felt the small pit of dread in her stomach grow as she climbed down what she felt to be an infinite ladder. With every rung, she felt a little more unsure, something she tried to subdue as she drew close to the ground. All too soon, she and the Gerudo Champion had reached the bottom, where they met Buliara.

"Is it time, my Lady?"

"It is. The Thunder Helm, Lady Urbosa?" she asked politely. With a nod, the Gerudo Champion unhooked the relic from her belt and handed it over to the Chieftain. Riju took the item, looking deep into its reflective surface before turning it over and setting it on her head, taking care to align it correctly. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she raised her hands above her head, reaching towards the heavens. "Ancestors of our -" The ceremonial piece of armor turned out to be far too large for the girl's head, which had the unfortunate effect of cutting her off mid-sentence as it fell from its precarious position and instead came to rest on her head lopsidedly.