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[b][color=Aquamarine]wordcount:[/color][/b] 980 (+2) 
[b][color=Aquamarine]Midna: level 2[/color][/b] EXP: [color=Aquamarine]/////////////////////////[/color]///// (25/30)
[b][color=Aquamarine]Location:[/color][/b] Sandswept Sky – Crown of Sand
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[color=Aquamarine]”What perfect timing you two have,”[/color] Midna greeted the two fliers as they descended to meet them. Not that they would have been able to find them before the sandstorm abated, she supposed, and in a sense it was perfect timing in that they were done and now needed a ride out of there. After the new arrivals took advantage of her allies' rather beat up state to friend heart them, removing the liability of Galeem’s touch and allowing them to explain the true nature of the world to them, later, they quickly gathered up the spoils of war.

Prime among them were, of course, the two Flygon spirits but also their young and a pile of odds and ends from inside their tent nest. There were a number of large (delicious looking) eggs plus a few other magical odds and ends, some cubes on legs (that they were quickly relieved of) and a whole pile of bits of bits of paper with pictures of old men in wigs on them that claimed to be legal tender, a claim which she did not find convincing. All of this was piled into a bag made from the tent canvas and then they were ready to set off.

[color=Aquamarine]”You two have a fun flight and try not to fall,”[/color] She told the mercs, before dismissing her wolfos and slipping into the queen’s shadow where she could ride weightlessly up the cliff in cool dark isolation. 

The triumphal hunters and their transport arrived atop the cliff and found that while most of the team had stuck around to wait for them the Thieves had apparently left the group. [color=Aquamarine]”Those kids completely gone or have they just run on ahead?”[/color] The princess asked those that remained in general.

The princess’s levitation and then her summoned mount kept her free of the mana draining sand initially, but sadly it seemed they were not done with sandstorms quite yet as the winds picked up and filled the air above with it, preventing their fliers from simply bypassing what lay between them and the “sphinx” that was their destination. She imagined they would very much have liked to do so, as said path rapidly revealed itself to be a gauntlet of traps and creatures seemingly purpose built to make the platforming a pain in the butt. Bowser would have given it a high score if he saw it. The terrain itself was made up of more ruins, these more tightly packed and made of various different styles and materials, all different to the broken bridges below, all of it jumbled together and left to be worn down by the sand.

Concerned that the wind might shift at any moment and dump magic killing sand all over, Midna stuck mostly to relying on her dexterous and agile Wolfos to see her through. Despite having to take part in platforming like the rest, it meant she wasn't at risk from dropping out of the sky while slowly levitating over gaps, or being dumped out of shadows while she rode or teleported between them. The fused shadow she was more confident in, its own magical reserves dwarfing her own by a significant margin, and both it and her wolfos were on hand to help people who struggled or failed at platforming. The idea of using it to climb, hauling her small body along behind it, or using it as a grappling hook did cross her mind, but again, the same issue of potential failure applied. The woflos was faster, and keeping it in the world of light wasn’t particularly taxing, making it the safest option. Plus it kept her maneuverable, which was convenient when there were Hinox skulls with armored chins flying around at high speeds trying to smash them into bits or into pits.

It was very fortunate that the power that kept her from being killed by the world of light’s, well, light was divine in nature rather than magical. Or that was what she hoped. Unsurprisingly the princess did not make any effort to test whether the sand was straight up lethal to her or not.

The princess led the way for much of the jumping, her and her mount scouting out safe paths and then occasionally helping people over them or taking a turn at carrying the treasure bag. She’d also fish for the sandy octoroc creatures, shoving the  fused arm into their hiding places, digging around and if she found them then dragging them out  of their hiding spot and tossing them at a nearby obstacle. It was a very cathartic moment in the midst of a lot of frustratingly slow and yet also occasionally hair raising progress. 

After what seemed like an age they finally arrived at the ‘sphinx’ temple and were greeted by the flying ship who had been a girl before. Then they were directed inside where they found a goddess blessed little oasis and garden in which the Thieves had set up shop. There was shade, nice furniture, food and cooking equipment and, most importantly, water. Into this the round Tora almost immediately tossed himself.

Midna joined Poppi in rolling her eyes at this [color=Aquamarine]”Have some dignity- woa!”[/color] before she cried in alarm as her mount chased him into it, the sand caked beast leaping into the water, causing a large splash.

[color=Aquamarine]”you mangy mutt you ah!”[/color] she berated it right before the beast rolled over and tipped her into the blessedly cool and cleansing water. 

Silently she floated through the water to the edge of the pool while the beast doggy paddle around, removed her mask, fully exposing her face for the first time, and then draped the garments she’d gotten from fusing with Urbosa’s spirit over the top of it so that they could dry. Then, after giving herself a quick scrub to get the sand out of the worst places, especially her eye, she proceeded to float around in the water, her levitation keeping her at the perfect buoyancy so she could drift with her hands behind her head and one leg crossed over the other while she soaked her dusty and tired body. 

[color=Aquamarine]”Ahhh, now this is more like it”[/color] she sighed contentedly. Food and drink and the acquisition of power could wait. For now, this was all she needed.