Chapter Ten
I'm back in the spring?
Oh hey, it's the grape-vessel thing.
The darkness is fading away. Everything looks so normal now… Hey, I'm not on all fours anymore! I'm human again!
Shh! Master going talk! Listen!
"Aww, but it was so nice here in the twilight… What's so great about a world of light, anyway?
The lack of shadow beasts, the lack of those nasty bugs, being human… Shall I continue?
"Eee hee hee! See you later!"
Okay, ow. That's a bit too bright.
Hey, it's the light ball!
It's a… monkey? Why's the light spirit look like a monkey?
"My name is Faron. I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. By the order of the gods, I protect this forest."
Care to tell me why you look like a monkey?
"O brave youth…"
Guess not.
"In the land covered in twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast…"
Yes, I know that.
"That was a sign…"
Oh boy… Here we go…
"It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you… and that they are awakening."
So I'm the chosen one? Really? Who chose me?
"Look at your awakened form…"
Green tunic… Leather… Boots… Care to explain to me what's going on, monkey-spirit?
"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods… His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you."
Okay…?
"Your name is Link."
No, really? I had no idea!
"You are the hero chosen by the gods."
I kind of figured that out already…
"Brave Link… A dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice… You must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths."
Alrighty then.
"Well, well… You're the chosen hero and all that, huh? So THAT'S why you turned into that beast!"
According to the monkey-spirit, yeah.
"What a shame… I mean, maybe you'd rather just wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity… right?"
But then Master no pick us! No meet Master! Sad!
Will I always hear this voice in my head? Or will it eventually leave me alone?
You know it true! You no want no meet Master! You like be wolf and you like with Master!
"Eee hee hee! So… what do you want to do? Do you want to head to that temple?"
I'd rather go find those kids, but it seems I don't have much of a choice, now do I?
"Well, isn't that convenient! I was about to head there myself."
Master move in light herself? Me think she need us she can move…?
Maybe she's just using us as a cover, so nobody see- wait did I just say 'us'?
"Hey, look… You want to help your friends, right?"
That would be what I'd rather be doing, yeah.
"The way I see it, maybe they're in that temple, waiting for you to rescue them…"
I kind of doubt that. Why would those monsters kidnap them only to bring them about a mile or so away from the village?
"Well, good luck, Mr. Important Hero!"
Okay seriously? You just heard Faron say my name!
"Eee hee hee! See you later!"
I'm beginning to think she can hear my thoughts, which is a bit creepy, to say the least.
Alright, the temple's up this wa- the gate's locked. Welp.
Maybe the guy in the hut knows where the key's at?
"Hunh?!"
What, is there something on my face?
"So… it's the Ordonian!"
This guy's got the memory of a bird, doesn't he…
"You seemed familiar, but then your clothes seemed kinda different, so I got kinda thrown off for a second!"
The clothes of a simple farm boy do not suit a hero, apparently.
"Listen… things have been a little rough around here lately, so you should watch your step, OK, guy?"
Rough… Yeah, let's call it that…
"There are so many monsters now… I got kinda scared and closed off the path to the temple."
And then you hid in your hut and cried about the bugs.
"But… You, guy… You wanna get back there, huh?"
How'd ya guess? Perhaps because I checked the gate then came to talk to you?
"You sure do look geared up for it… So here you go!"
Yikes, you might wanna clean this thing a bit more often. It's getting kind of dirty.
"Oh yeah… the woods on the other side of this cave are covered in really thick fog, so make sure your lantern is full!"
Wait… that was fog?! I think 'thick' is a bit of an understatement, in that case!
"You're definitely going to need to use your lantern a lot in there, so bring all the oil you can!"
I'll keep that in mind…
"And check this out! I have a special, one-time offer of a bottle full of lantern oil for only 100 Rupees! How 'bout it, guy? What a bargain!"
Lemme look in my wallet… Damn, not enough…
"What?! That's not right, guy…"
Indeed, they don't pay us farm hands like they used to.
"But I gave you that lantern for free… Man…"
Hey, it's not my fault that my village doesn't have all that much in terms of job opportunities!
"I also sell oil on its own, so come back when you run out, guy!"
I'll see if I can afford that when I come back.
Wait a minute, sometimes people drop Rupees in the grass and leave them… Maybe, if I cut down some of the grass, I'll see a few… Worth a shot!
Hey, not bad! I've already found a few!
What's a blue Rupee like this doing in the spring? Were people making wishes here or something?
I'm almost back to the village now… How many Rupees do I have…
Yes! I just need a few more…
Cut grass make clear head. Clear head make smart think. Smart think make smart person.
That… actually makes a lot of sense… Wow…
See? You need listen instinct more. Instinct smart.
I guess I should…
There's that spring where I-
No, I'm not going into the village… I can't, they'll be so disappointed in me… I wasn't there to protect the kids and now… Now they're gone… It's all my fault…
Not Link fault! You hit on head! Not Link fault!
I… I'll look for more Rupees…
Not Link fault. Link no bad guy. But Link fight bad guy make kids safe.
You're… you're right… If I defeat this 'king of shadows', the kids won't be in danger anymore…
To help the kids… I have to help Midna first…
Would you look at that… I've got enough Rupees now…
Need buy oil. Fog yucky, make sick. Maybe death…
Yeah, I think that's a good idea. It's getting to be dark, don't want to end up walking right into it.
He's still here? Doesn't he get cold out here, without a fire?
"So, you need oil, guy?"
Even his voice sounds like he's fighting the cold…
"Right now we have a 100-Rupee oil bottle and 20-Rupee refills to choose from!"
A bottle's probably a better idea. It'll last a bit longer.
"Thanks a lot, guy! Here you go!"
This should last me through to the temple… Probably…
"And you can put all kinds of stuff in the bottle once you use all of the oil inside, guy!"
Yep, used to do that all the time with the bugs I'd find by the river. Heh, used to give Ilia quite a scare back then…
Ilia same Master? You like Ilia?
No, Ilia's just a childhood friend of mine.
Oh.
"And hey… Keep using that lantern so you'll come back and buy more oil, OK, guy?"
Will do.
Hm, wonder where this path leads…?
"Hey! Just where do you think you're going?"
Exploring.
Be nice! Master nice for Link, so nice for Master!
"We still have an important errand at the temple deep in the woods."
Fine, fine… But I will find out where this path leads…
Damn, this cave gets really dark after sundown… Good thing I bought that oil…
These bats are starting to get on my nerves… And so are these rats…
Gah, I can smell the fog from here…
This used to be a bridge, didn't it? Shame it's not exactly in good enough shape to use…
"Hmm… even with the light back, this place kind of looks the same."
Maybe shadow no change much? Maybe it normal?
"But hey, what about your lantern? Remember what the oil seller said?"
Yeah, but this is some really thick fog… There's a reason I thought it was water earlier…
"Don't be stingy! It's better to burn oil than to wander in dark fog!"
It's not just dark, hope you realize that, Midna. I'm pretty sure it'd kill me if I fell into that crap.
Whoa!
What's that monkey doing with my lantern?
Swinging it in a circle… makes the fog go away! Of course, it makes sense!
That's the monkey from earlier!
She want you follow. She know to temple.
"Hey, what's this monkey's problem?"
She's trying to help us, Midna, you could be a bit nicer.
"You idiot! While you were staring off into dreamland, your lantern got stolen!"
Not stolen… more like…
Borrow… to show way…
Yeah!
That fog comes back really quickly. I can't waste time looking for Rupees with this fog chasing my tail.
You no have tail… Why say that?
It's an expression, it just means that the fog's getting really close to me.
Oh.
Argh, there's a chest up there… But I don't have any time to try and reach it, the fog's already coming back towards us…
Agh! Where'd that bat come from?!
Damn bats, that one almost made me jump into the fog…
Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for monsters too… Great…
It's one of those plant-things! And it's attacking the monkey!
Monkey scared! Scared mean no make fog gone!
Agh, it's right on the edge of the fog circle… Gonna be cutting it close, heh.
This fog reeks even more up-close… gah…
Got it!
There's the door to the temple!
"Hey! What are you going to do about that monkey?"
I think she should keep it, maybe she could help us cross the fog on the way back.
"She's got your lantern! We need to chase her!"
No we don't, she can keep it. I'll just buy a new one when I see the oil-seller.
Agh, fine, fine…
She seems really pleased with herself…
Aw, the lantern fell off the stick… Oh well, guess we'll have to figure out another way out.
It's completely out of oil… Wow, wouldn't think a trip like that would completely empty it, but I guess so.
Oh great, two more of those things… At least it isn't shadow beasts this time…
Hey, what's that golden thing all the way down there?
It's… a golden wolf…
Wolf! Wolf like me! Me is wolf!
Why's the wolf growling at me? I better get ready to fight…
He's jumping at m-