Ͳhҽ Ꝉìցhէղìղց Cհìҽƒ ×~° ʗⲏⲁⲣⲧⲉꞅ 7 ⋆ـﮩ٨ـﮩᨒﮩ٨ــᨒﮩ٨ـ Gusts of merciless wind swirled around Riju as she ventured further into the desert, sand stretching as far as the eye could see. She could just make out the outline of a ruined stone structure in the distance - her destination. Pushing harder against the wind, Riju sped up, determined to finish her journey before dawn. Looking longingly up at the wind channels towering high above the shroud, she wished for the hundredth time she had a paraglider like Link; it would be so much easier that way. After what seemed like an age of desperately slow progress, the North Gerudo Ruins towered in front of her, abandoned and looking like something from a horror movie. *＊✿❀ ❀✿＊* Ducking behind a crumbling pillar, Riju avoided the gibdos that wandered around aimlessly near the ruins; despite the problem largely being the amount of gibdos, rather than navigation, Riju hadn't the faintest clue how to defeat them - although she suspected her lightning could help. She hardened her resolve; this was why she was here. To master her powers and save Gerudo Town. The chief found a secluded spot, resting her bag against the dusty stone, while sand blew wildly around her, clouding her vision. Gritting her teeth, she took out her scimitars, a dummy made from spare resources at the shelter, and positioned everything - ready to practice. She sighed; this was going to be a long night. *＊✿❀ ❀✿＊* Priming her lightning, aiming it at the targets and striking with accuracy proved to be much harder than Riju had anticipated. She spent minutes charging her lightning, hours aiming, and what felt like days repeating the annoyingly slow process. As dawn punctured the inky sky on the third day, the moon shrouded by unnatural sand, Riju grew irritated. Whether with hunger, lack of sleep, or general frustration, she didn't - and didn't want to - know. "ARGH!" She cried, abandoning her scimitars and slumping down on the warm sand. "What is WRONG with me?!" The gerudo had been having a particularly excruciating morning, her stomach begging her for food and her mind exhausted by the constant effort. Grudgingly, she produced a ham sandwich from her bag, having nicked it from the shelter. She munched on it contently, hardly caring that the sand shroud was blowing grains into her perfectly constructed meal. She polished it off in less than a minute, gulping the last bite down and licking her lips - food had never tasted so good. 'Ⲓⲧ ⲱⲟuldⲛ'ⲧ ⲏuꞅⲧ,' she thought sneakily, 'Ⲧⲟ ⲏⲁvⲉ jusⲧ ⲁ ⲂⲒⲦ ⲙⲟꞅⲉ fⲟⲟd. Ⲓ'ⲙ ⲣꞅⲁⲥⲧⲓⲥⲁllⲩ sⲧⲁꞅvⲓⲛg ⲙⲩsⲉlf, ⲁⲛd fⲟꞅ ⲱⲏⲁⲧ? Ⲛⲟ ⲱⲁꞅꞅⲓⲟꞅ ⲥⲁⲛ fⲓgⲏⲧ ⲟⲛ ⲁⲛ ⲉⲙⲣⲧⲩ sⲧⲟⲙⲁⲥⲏ - Lⲓⲛⲕ ⲧⲁugⲏⲧ ⲙⲉ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ!' And that was how, within three days, half the contents of her bag disappeared into her ravenous stomach. *＊✿❀ ❀✿＊* Riju burped, giggling to herself despite her dire situation. Standing up, she waddled over to the dummies; she wanted to try something. She retraced her steps back to the camp - aka her bag - and pulled out two more dummies, in a much better condition than her previous one. She discarded it in the sand. Replacing it with the new targets, she placed a carefully wrapped-up meal behind the dummies, positioning everything as though the targets were guarding the food. Riju grinned mischievously, standing in her practice spot with a fresh mind. This would cost her precious time - she had limited food - but if this method worked, it would be worth it. She let anger surge through her, thinking of the gibdos she wanted to DESTROY, thinking of the dummies who were keeping hostage her food. And she used that anger to charge her attack, carefully pointing her aiming scimitar at a rock jutting out between the two targets, and let out a cry of rage. She brought her scimitars down so sharply that they almost touched the ground, as lightning hit the ground further ahead - Riju whooped, punching the air in triumph. Her lightning had hit one target! One wasn't two, of course, but it was a whole lot better than the none she'd managed before. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned sharply around. "Link!" ⣿⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣿⡆ ⠉⠹⣿⣷⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣶⡤⠀⢤⣴⡶⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⣿⠟⠉⠁ ⠀⠀⠈⠻⣿⣦⣄⠀⢀⣼⡟⠓⠀⠘⠛⣷⣄⠀⢀⣴⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣿⣶⣿⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⣷⣿⡿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⢀⡀⢀⣠⡾⠿⡹⢆⠠⡀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠔⣡⠞⡹⢷⡄⡀⢀⡀⠀⠀ ⠀⠸⡯⣿⠛⠁⠀⠀⢈⠲⣌⠢⡀⡠⣡⠞⡡⠊⠀⠀⠛⣿⢿⡛⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠑⢌⡱⢊⡴⢃⠌⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠜⠔⢋⢔⠑⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡐⡡⢂⠔⠉⠢⡙⢌⠢⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡠⠊⠈⡠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠢⡁⠌⢆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠔⠀⡠⠊⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠢⡀⠑⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⡠⠀⡠⠊⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠠⡈⢢⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⣔⡠⠊⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠢⡡⡀⠀⠀ ⠀⠈⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠀⠀ Chapter 8:
