'Thinking'
"Talking"
"Other language not understood"
Jake P.O.V.
My vision was clouded and my head was a spinning top. Even thinking came with the cargo of pain. I thought that something was wrong with my mind, maybe just drunk or something was in that chinese I had for lunch. It sure felt like it. But, I was completely off. It didn't matter at the time of what did this. It mattered along the lines of…
"Ugh… the heck… What happened?" I uttered out of my twitching mouth. I strained my muscles to move. No use. It seems whatever had happened had rendered my body limp and beaten. My skin was crawling with a weird feeling. Was it pain? No, it felt like it hurt a ton, but it had almost that feeling of… wetness? I strained my eyelids to recede back over to the tops of my eyes and stay there. At first, my retinas were stricken by the oncoming light protruding from the strong blue of sky.
When I mustered enough strength to get my neck to move and move the rest of my body a little bit, I screened my head up to scan over my body. My vision was still blurry and blotchy, but it still could make out my clothes, that had somehow changed!? I attempted to study myself harder, as my sight cleared it made it much easier to find that I wasn't wearing the same clothes I was wearing at Garrett's home.
Suddenly, shapes were flowing into view from my chest and waist. A brown leather strap was splotched across my chest and a similar part of the strap was also evident around my lower mid-section like a belt. Instead of my orange t-shirt I had worn, a blue older-style shirt was fitted on me. It felt very snug, like it was met for my body and mine alone. The shirt presented white markings and symbols all across the tunic splaying brightly into mind. On my right hand was a strong leather glove, with a long back section extending across my wrist. The glove looked like it was for sword fighting.
I sat myself upright as I studied my lower half. Brown cotton pants blanketed my legs, with a smooth and hugging texture. My shoes were now boot-like and sturdy, like strengthened tennis shoes but for many more uses. From what I could see I didn't have a scratch, but on the contrary it felt as if all the muscles in me were on strike. I had not been cut, but was bruised badly, like I had fell or something. 'Taking a nap won't help me see where I am. Exploring would be my best move right now…'
With that thought in mind, I got on one knee, stabilizing myself as I steadily made my way into what place I was in. A lush forest surround me with deer and squirrels quarreling in their' everyday activities. Birds chirped with glee and freedom. It seemed too be very serene, with the exception of a cricket chirping. "Beautiful…" I uttered.
The serenity of it was short lived, for 2 red skinned goblin-like monsters sprang through a bush, one holding a club and the other holding a spear-like lanky stick. They were barren of clothes, except for a loincloth on their torsos. They had the snout of a pig but the ears were pointed and long at the ends. Unfortunately the monsters did not seem to be docile.
I was caught off guard, and before I could do anything, the monster with the spear jabbed at my stomach, making a direct blow. I bent over in pain, for the monster did not hold anything back. While I was bent over, the 1st monstrosity jumped up and slammed the club on the back of my head, knocking me out cold for the 2nd time in one day.
Garrett's P.O.V.
"Crap, where is he?! He would never miss a chance to play a brand new game!" I exclaimed. Jake was nowhere in sight and things were beginning to get crazy. I tried to calm down and decided to start the Switch back up. I reached back for the gamepad and controllers and felt it. It was still warm, which meant it had been used. When I opened it up to the main screen it said that the battery was at 20%. 'What? This thing was just at 100 when I we had began playing! How is this possible? Did the power shock the controller and make it think that the battery was down? No, that's not right it was on the couch. Then… how?'
I frantically whipped out my phone and began texting Jake's messenger. It said that he wasn't on and he was offline. The dude had his data on, so how? Nothing was working and it was freaking me out. What happened to my bro? Where is he?
Jake P.O.V.
The sun didn't falter from its brightness above the atmosphere. As I opened my eyes a multitude of images bounced around me. The ground jumped up and down infront of me with its bleak and darkness giving it a tint of darkness anywhere my eyes wandered too. I was immobilized at the spot, the last hit of the monster rendering me motionless. I wasn't able to focus on anything either due to the surging pain in my cranium. I felt like a ragdoll being slung upon a stance that I didn't put myself in.
With each step the animal took I flopped almost lifelessly among it's shoulder. My feet dragged along the ground behind the monster bringing a tad bit of friction onto my weight and my head slung across its front and my hair dripping down their' chest. Suddenly, the monster swing its body around frantically like it heard something distraught. My body flopped in different directions differentiating from it's body movements.
The monster then did a full 180 degree turn to face whatever had startled it. In less than a moment, the monster had been slashed across the chest and face, sending it ungracefully flying to the left, dropping me onto the ground and allowing me to give a slight roll. I was still seeing splotches in my eyes and still unable to move. One figure approached me, although it didn't look like the monsters. It seemed to be friendly at first, but from what had happened so far, I had my doubts. They sheathed their weapon, got on one knee and placed a hand on my chest to check if I was okay.
"Oh… poor sap. He was gotten good by those Bokos. He didn't even have anything on em'. He seems to be beaten to pulp, but still conscious." The figure said. My vision began clearing as my head cleared and made out the person. It was a man in a tan tunic and pants, common brown boots and a few straps across his front with a small patch on his waist. Their' hands were gloved, with a sword sheath near the bottom of their back in traditional style and a sturdy wooden shield strapped to their' back. Their face had a slight beard, almost a goatee along with reddish-brown, shaggy hair and no hat. He looked completely human, except for his rounded but kinda pointy ears. The man seemed to have noticed that I was regaining my bearings and called for (what it seemed to be) their' friend or acquaintance.
"Hey, are you alright? Those Bokos did a number on you." The man said. I strained myself to talk.
"Y-yeah… I think so… what were those things?" I mumbled, the words almost falling out of my mouth. The man gave me an odd look like I had been expected to know what those… things were. Another man came to the side of the first, with the first man over me turning to the other.
"He seems to have forgotten what a Bokoblin was. Must have been conked pretty hard." The other man over him said. My thoughts ran like wild. 'Bokoblins? That's what those crazy beasts were? This place is really dangerous…' The 1st man turned back to me.
"Boy, are you sure you are alright? If you could forget something so easy then I don't think so. What's yer name?" He asked.
"My name is Jake, and I'm sure that my thoughts are incheck. What's yours?" I answered.
"I'm Lono. Behind me is my friend, Branek. Let's get you on your feet." Lono replied, while putting an arm behind me. Branek gave a small wave and joined in on the effort. I left my arms limp as Lono and Branek lifted me off the grassy dirt and set off to the east. My head was heavy with headache from where the Boko hit me, and my head was spinning. I had never heard of the Boko species before, more less thought that monsters like that were real.
About 20 minutes passed until upon a hill we spotted a weird tent structure with the head of horse on the top and a few other things scattered close to the building. I couldn't make it out yet, but Lono and Branek seemed to know where we were, so I decided it was safe there. As we approached the place, I made out the features a bit better. In front of the place to the left was a large pot with a small stack of sticks made for a bonfire along with a few well-made log seats surrounding the pot. A few boxes covered by a cotton sheet could be seen not far away from the pot, with about 2 or 3 apples on top of one of the boxes. On the right side there was a wooden structure protruding from the side of the tent. Inside it were horses of different colors and sizes eating from metal buckets and a station worker was out and filling up one of the buckets, from what I could tell.
We passed a man with an incredibly large pack that was held onto him by only 2 measly straps on his front. The pack was colored many different ways and looked as if it were multiple packs together. He had a red nose, like he always had a cold but he didn't act like he had one. There was also a flag coming out the top right side of the bag showing his face, except frowning. He must have been a merchant, because he was seeming to try to attract people to buy his wares. He came up to us, surprise in his eyes.
"Wow! I haven't see you around here before! I think that I've seen that shirt before. Is this another friend of yours, Lono?" He said when we came past him. Enthusiastic definitely suited him. I was barely able to walk, even with my thighs and calves screaming in tension so I still had one arm on Branek's shoulder.
"We just found him beaten not too far from here by some red Bokoblins. I'm not sure he wants to buy your wares Beedle. He doesn't seem to have anything on him when we found em'." Lono said. Beedle seemed to have lost a bit of his excitement, but it was replaced by recognition. "We gotta get Jake a bed here at the stable, he's not doing too well."
Beedle nodded with agreement and admiration. "Wow, thats really nice of you! I'm sure that he's lucky to have come across you guys!" Beedle complimented as we continued to the inside of the stable. We rounded the corner to meet the man behind the desk. He was wearing the (what I thought or was guessed as) the normal stable worker attire. He had a welcoming smile on his face.
"Welcome to the stable, a normal bed is 20 rupees, and a special soft bed is 40 rupees." The worker said, then looking over to me.
"Huh, your friend doesn't look too good. Hyrule just isn't how it was said to be like before." He said after steadily looking me over. All my thoughts and pains vanished for a moment. 'Rupees? That's not the currency we use. I've heard of those before, but I didn't know it was a way of payment. Wait a minute… did he say… HYRULE!?'
I stumbled back like I had been punched in the gut. I couldn't believe that I wasn't dreaming. No, it was impossible. There was NO WAY. It was fictional. Earth is real, Hyrule is just a place made up by Nintendo! I began breathing fast and heavy. Lono and Branek were confused and startled at my sudden move, trying to think of what to do.
"No no no no no no no no no no no no no NO! This can't be HAPPENING!" I shouted into the air, hands curling into fists. I fell to my knees, stricken realization plastered to my expression. My head hung low in a broken stare. "I don't believe this… it-it's just a game…" I murmured. Lono began slowly walking forward towards me.
"Jake, calm down. Whatever it is, just tell us. We can work it out if you just tell us." Lono soothed. It didn't work at all on me, I was already panicking and in denial of the one plain fact in my face.
"You don't understand… I'm not supposed to be here, I'm not from this dimension!" I yelled. Lono and Branek stared at me in shock, their mouths hanging open. The man behind the counter had heard everything and was watching, but didn't seem to be very surprised. In fact, he seemed to be even thinking deeply about something. Then, he snapped his fingers as if he had thought of something and spoke up.
"Ah, it seems something surely magnificent has come to us. Yes, this surely is special. Jake, was it? You are wrong. You are supposed to be here." He said. I looked up to him in confusion, along with Lono and Branek. I didn't understand what he meant, even I didn't know why I was there or my purpose. The worker gave a slight laugh.
"I can tell even without looking at your face that you do not believe me. No, earlier in th day it was storming terribly for quite some time. But, unlike normal storms, these were more harsh to be made by the skies alone. It seemed like the goddesses were attempting to blow everything down. For 16 hard hours we waited for the raging skies to recede back, but with no luck. We thought it would last for days, weeks possibly. Then, a great flash struck the wide area, along with the ground giving a small rumble. The flash blinding, but once it cleared we noticed that everything was back to normal. Billowing clouds gone, rain subsided, everything was fine. This didn't seem natural at all, but it definitely wasn't ordinary. Now, I see why that happened."
I had listened for the last part of his story, but it never came. My face was left in desperation. Even I didn't know why I was in Hyrule, more or less how. So, if thats was right, how could this guy figure it out and not me!? I'm the one that was sent here, not him!
"Well why did it happen? Tell us!" I urged. The man shook his head and smiled at me like I was a rambling kid and he was the parent pretending to listen to what I was saying but really didn't believe anything that I said.
"There is no need for me to explain it. This is your question, not a question for me." He responded, his face relaxed. I sighed. I could tell that he wasn't going to tell me what I wanted to know, no matter how much I asked or begged. Then I remembered how exhausted I was from everything that happened. The floor seemed so comfy and inviting that I just had to lay down…
Later.
As I was waking from my sleep, I noticed that the inside of the stable was empty and that I wasn't on the floor anymore, but in a bed. Along with this, there was no one in the stable, not even the worker from before. My bruises still hurt, and my head still stung from last time, but the injuries weren't as severe. I sat up in my bed, looking around for any sign of human interaction. From what I could see there was nothing, which peaked my interest. I swung my legs off to the left of the bed and pushed off onto the floor. Before I left the inside of the stable I noticed that either Lono or Branek had left their' sword and it's sheath inside of the stable, so I strapped it to my own back like how I had seen my grandfather wear it. Once I had stretched out and fully woken myself up, I walked back outside. There many not have been anyone inside the stable, but everyone was outside.
Everyone, including the stable attendants and workers were infront of the stable in a line infront of the stable entrance, seeming like they were statues. I walked through a small gap between Beedle and a worker to see what was going on, and frankly, it was quite odd. In front of the crowd stood Lono and Branek in a fighting position and ready to defend. In front of them were 3 strangely dressed… men I guessed wearing mostly red and black clothes. The legs were covered mostly in red with one black red band on his right leg (their right, my left) and darker red sandal-like shoes on the bottoms of their' feet. They were thin and well-conditioned, with a few metal fixtures on their chest that went around their shoulders too. They wore spiked or bladed gloves, and had an incredibly sharp one-handed scythe. They were bent down like spiders and on their faces they wore an odd mask. The mask was completely white except for the symbol that resembled a eye letting loose a tear upside down. Along with this, their (what I could only suspect was hair) in a concentrated style with the end of it puffing out like an explosion. They seemed to be VERY hostile.
"Give him to us! We know he is here!" one of them said. 'They're looking for someone? Why would they come here?'
"The person you are looking for isn't here! We have been telling you the truth! No one here is what you described them to be!" Branek yelled back.
"Now we know you're lying! We saw you two bring him here! So if you don't bring him out right now, then you are all going to be waiting at hell's gate!" Threatened another of the odd people. They began walking forward slowly and intimidatingly, causing Branek to draw his sword and Lono to draw a knife from his pocket. The front figure began to look around the crowd, and stopped on me.
"THERE! That's the person he needed! If you had just shown us Link earlier then it would have been MUCH easier! Now Yiga, prepare for attack!" Exclaimed the leader Yiga. I held up my hands in defense.
"No no! I'm not Link, you got the wrong guy! My name is Jake!" I said in a hurried manner. The leader didn't seem to care.
"He's right, there isn't anyone here named Link!" Lono agreed. The Yiga kept coming despite our efforts. I took out Lono's sword and walked up to Lono. He stared at the advancing Yiga, standing his ground.
"Do you know how to use a sword Jake?" He asked me quickly. I took my eyes off of him and looked to the advancing Yiga members. I wasn't sure of myself at all, but I had handled a sword in the past, though never fought with one. But for battle I may as well use what I know already about sword fighting to my advantage and try not to die.
"Kinda, I'll try not to get killed I guess." I replied, uncertainty sliding into my voice. I positioned myself like Lono and Branek, preparing myself. The Yiga suddenly stopped and stood up while swinging their scythes in a synchronization into a firm grasp in their hand, with the sharpened end facing to their backs. Then, all of them put their middle and index finger together on both hands and clasped their fingers together. Right after they did that they all disappeared into a red circle with their' mask symbol inside the red circle for a very short amount of time before it disappeared with some falling from the circle also. Inside the circle were also some odd symbols as it quickly dissipated. I was dumbfounded. 'WHAT!? How is this possible? Teleportation isn't real!'
"They're using their teleportation technique! Look around the area for them and get back to back!" Branek told us. We began to slowly back together into a triangle, each of us scanning the area over and back again for one of the Yiga. In an instant all three of the attackers reappeared infront of each of us, one Yiga infront of the one of us. The one infront of me ran forward at me at an amazing rate, his weapon pulled back into a swiping stance. He let out a sinister laugh that could frighten almost anyone. I readied my sword to parry the blow, fear slipping from my mind. When the Yiga was about to swipe I caught his scythe with my sword and deflected it off before coming back around and slashing at his mask. The blade smacked his mask with vitality, making his body catapult to the left and drop to the ground.
The strike only seemed to merely stun the Yiga for a brief moment, which he then got back up and teleported off again. I waited for him to reappear into my line of vision, but after a but a second or 2 he didn't come. I carefully walked out of the circle and looked around for the Yiga to show up, leaving the Lono and Branek open from the back.
Suddenly, the Yiga struck down into the ground behind me, making a bit of a shockwave on the ground that barely missed my companions. I shot back at him, slicing at him 2 more times with one and the chest and the other hitting the arm holding the scythe, knocking it out of his hand. I picked up the scythe at my foot and smiled smugly at the Yiga, who just gotten back up and saw that I had his only weapon. The Yiga teleported away, leaving quite a number of rupees and… a bunch of bananas?
"Weirdo…" I muttered to myself as I hastily picked up the items he dropped and stuffed them into my bag I had around my waist. I sheathed Lono's sword to use the new scythe I got and rushed to the aid of Lono and Branek. I made the quick decision to help Lono first defeat his foe because all he had was a small knife against a 1-handed scythe, which wasn't very fair to me. I raced over to him, then skidding to stop to see how the fight was going. It seemed like the Yiga had only taken a few minor slashes to the shoulder and chest, and Lono been nicked on the face with a tiny dribble of blood along with a long slash on the right forearm. I could easily see it was a one-sided battle, so when the Yiga was dashing at Lono and was about to make a wide slash at him, I lunged at the Yiga and dealt a great blow onto their back with the scythe I picked up, causing the Yiga to falter and then jump back before anymore hits could be executed. Lono looked surprised for a moment, but it quickly faded. The Yiga realized he was outnumbered by twice his power, but attempted to deal one more blow anyway.
He teleported once more, with Lono being ready this time for the Yiga. Once the Yiga touched down onto the ground again, Lono kicked him in his mask making the Yiga fall onto his back and eventually teleport away leaving behind more rupees and another bunch of bananas. Lono picked up the items and turned to me with a thankful smile.
"Thanks Jake, you really saved my hide back there. I'm surprised that you beat off that Yiga Clan member so easily. I smiled back and shrugged. Behind us Branek had fought off the leader quite well, with minimal injuries taken. Lono and I faced the finishing fight, as Branek dealt the last blow onto the Yiga. They stumbled back and faltered for a moment, before positioning himself back into his normal spider-like stance. They seemed to be very annoyed.
"Aagghh! This isn't the last you're gonna hear from us!" He said before he too teleported away and left behind the rupees and some bananas. Branek picked up the rupees, and gave the bananas to Lono. Branek seemed to be satisfied with himself with his results and turned to meet us once more.
"Those Yiga really are something to be reckoned with, huh?" Branek said while giving a small sigh. I nodded and gave a quick "yep". Some of the crowd had gone back into the shelter, while the rest had stayed outside to watch the battle. The people who were outside cheered for us for defending them. They even said that we were allowed to stay for tonight, free of charge! Once we headed inside, we sat down at the table to the right and began counting how many rupees the Yiga clan members dropped. I had picked up 103, Branek had gotten 78, and Lono got 85. I decided to give some to Lono and Branek for letting me rest in the bed before the fight.
"Oh yeah Lono, I still have your sword. I almost forgot to give it back." I said, handing the weapon and it's sheath back to Lono. I put my new scythe down on the table, trying to figure out how I was gonna put it up instead of holding it all the time. Lono took his sword back from me almost gladly, and also slid an oddly shaped holding-thing or what I guess was a sheath back to me. It had a hole inside that has been rounded to have something put inside of it. The bottom came down in a thinner way with the symbol that of the Yiga we had fought wore painted on it. The strange object seemed to have a similar or the same color scheme of the scythe, and it had a piece where it could be hooked onto a weapon strap or belt. Before I could ask Lono what it was, Branek answered my question for me.
"That is the holder for your new weapon. Its pretty much a sword sheath, but you may have to be more careful with it. Those things are pretty sharp, and can do some serious damage to a person or animal. I can teach you how to use it correctly if you want, or you can just do some trial and error. Either way, I think the holder will be a great help." Branek explained. He got up to show me the proper way to fasten it on my back and correctly put up the weapon and take it out. Lono just watched, dreariness splotched in his gaze. I think he may not have slept at all last night. After I had gotten the movements down, Lono walked over to us and convinced us that since we were gonna be on the road for a while later, that we should get some shut eye. Branek agreed wholeheartedly, but I had already gotten my sleep for the day until night fall. My companions accepted my response and hit the hay. I decided to look around the stable, maybe pick up a thing or two about this new world, since it's doesn't seem to have many machines in this time.
I walked over around the back of the building to see what was behind there, hoping something special or cool was back there. What I saw were a few more boxes, a wooden bow with metal fixtures that seemed to be that of almost a hunting bow, and a female station worker that looked to be in their early 20's or even possibly younger. They had slightly long, smooth amber hair, light blue eyes, and light but tanned skin. She was thin and fit from what I could tell, and almost had an hourglass body shape. They also had (from what I suspected) smooth skin and a bit of a glow to them. She turned around to see me studying the bow, and approached me with a friendly smile on her face.
"That was very brave of you to fight those Yiga idiots. I'm not sure what they would want with you anyway, but that's in the past. I can tell you're really eyeing that bow there. It's a really nice one, and it used to be in the possession of the soldiers of Hyrule Castle. Normally they aren't easy to come by, but there are a few here and there. Also, since you really save our skins, maybe I can give you some lessons? That being said if you didn't already know how to use one…" She said enthusiastically.
"Sure, I haven't used many of these so a refresher would be nice." I replied. The woman clapped with glee and picked up the bow to show me to parts of it. First, the demonstration went with the ins and outs of the knock on the bow, then how to align the sight, and the then stringing.
"If your string ever breaks and you are in the middle of hunting or a fight, you can quickly redo it with a new one if you take cover in the right places. All you have to do is…" The woman explained, going through the steps of re-stringing a bow. I did it easily, and so my instructor praised me for it. "Good! That's perfect! Oh my, I almost forgot to ask for your name! What am I doing?" She blushed with an embarrassed smile taking over the old one.
"It's alright, my name is Jake and it's nice to meet you. What's yours?" I asked back. The lady look away, slightly sheepish and my openness.
"My name? My name is Ranna. I've worked here for a long while, and I really want to go out of this stable and go explore with a companion or friend. I was planning on going sometime soon, since I'm just about the age to go, which I've been told I was too young to go until I turned 19, which I'm almost 20." Ranna said. I listened intently, I was almost staring at her in expectancy to continue talking but quickly stopped. Inside I was incredibly surprised that she was this young, if anything my age.
"Wow really? You're the same age as me! Honestly I think that going adventuring is great a dream, and maybe you can come with me!" I offered. Ranna instantly perked up out of her shyness and her eyes glittered with joy. She had a look of amazement and disbelief which rapidly turned to hope.
"Are you serious? You're willing to have me come with you? Thank you thank you thank you so much!" Ranna said, taking me aback by hugging me in response. I didn't know what to do for a second, but without thinking I put my arm around her back in response and gave an assuring pat. Ranna broke way slowly with admiration and thanks showing bright. Then, as if she had an exclamation mark above her head, her expression shifted to remembrance. "Wait, when are you leaving the stable? I need to get my things ready to go! We can continue the lessons on the way, I promise!" She asked quickly.
"Lono, Branek, and I are leaving tomorrow in the morning at 8:00. We're planning to go on the route that splits off to two different places, which we will decide which route we are going to take when we get the fork." I said. Ranna calmed down a bit when I mentioned "morning" and she seemed very happy at my answer.
"Thank you again Jake, and I will see you later when I have my things ready to set off!" Ranna said as we bid each other goodbye for the time being and split back up. Ranna headed back off in the other direction from where I came, and I went back around the stable and inside to check on my comrades. Branek had woken back up and was sitting down at the table chatting with one of the other visitors. Unlike him, Lono was still fast asleep in his bed and he didn't seem to be planning on waking up anytime soon. He must not have slept well last night, maybe not even at all which made me worry a little about him. But still, we had a big day ahead of us anyway, and we were going to need all the strength for the trip that lay in wait for us.
Tomorrow…
I sat in my bed still contemplating on whether or not I should get up and out of my bed to start the day since my eyes refused to open from there relaxation. I gave a slight mumble then yawn as I positioned myself upwards and then hopped out of my bed before giving a slight bend listening as my back let out a crack (lol rhymes) of awakening itself, then I stretched out a bit more so I wouldn't be very sore after walking for so far. I put on my shoes and looked around to see if my friends were up. Branek and Lono were still asleep, but it seemed to be that Ranna was waiting for me the whole time, sitting near the fire outside sorting through everything. I walked over to her to greet her and then ask what time it was. She must not have heard me approach, because she jumped when I said "Good morning Ranna". Ranna zipped up her pack and faced me bright-eyed and full of energy.
"Morning Jake! Ready to head out?" She asked, obviously excited for the trip planned out before her. I couldn't help but laugh a bit at her willingness and excitement. Even though she did have a slightest knowing as to which we were going, she was still happy to even leave the place. That almost surprised me as much as her attitude.
"I'm not ready just yet, because I'm not leaving alone of course. Lono and Branek don't even know that you want to come yet, so when they get up we'll ask 'em if you can come along. But knowing them, I think it will be a yes." I said. I was exactly sure what my friends really would say, but I wanted to keep Ranna happy and bright-eyed for the road since the mood may help all of us. We waited for Lono and Branek to wake in which we used the passing time to go over more about the handling of a bow and how to correctly use it. For the first half hour we picked up from where we left off, and afterwards I started to be able to knock arrows onto it and then practice pulling back the string. Ranna congratulated me every time I did it correctly, and once I accidently let the string go after I had knocked an arrow. The arrow whizzed past us and straight into a hole in a tree and gives out a sharp "thwick!" as it sets part of it's head into the bark of the tree. I gave an embarrassed smile at Ranna who burst out laughing at my blunder.
Ranna stopped laughing after a while and then retrieved the arrow from the tree and took the bow back and put it across her back. Ranna smiled at me in a mix of humor and friendliness.
"Jake, you are full of surprises and funny stuff. You sure know how to make someone have a good time!" She said. If Garrett was here and had heard what Ranna said, he would have slapped me on the back and told me to go for it as a joke. I said a simple but genuine "thanks" and then came back around to the front of the stable. Sure enough, Lono and Branek were inside, packing all of their things to get ready to leave. I walked back with Ranna close behind me while I entered the large tent-like building. Lono looked up at me expectantly to give a "good to go" sign, but then noticed my companion trailing behind. Before he could ask, I spoke up.
"I was talking to my friend Ranna here, and she said that she wanted to help with our little trip, and maybe wanted to tag along. She's really good with a bow, and knows a lot about bows and arrows. Would it be okay if she could come along?" I asked hopefully. Branek didn't even look up at us, but seemed alright with the idea. Lono smiled at me thoughtfully.
"It's good to see that you've already made a friend Jake, it shows nice charisma. If she can provide for herself and can add something to the group, then that's fine by me." He said. Ranna started to bounce a bit with glee at his answer.
"Thank you so much! I won't disappoint you guys, I promise!" Ranna exclaimed. Branek and Lono laughed. Once we were all ready and packed for the road, we set out and left Dueling Peaks Stable behind us. I noticed that we had gotten out about an hour late, but it didn't seem to bother anyone else so I cast it aside in my thoughts. After the first few days of me being in Hyrule, I had already made 3 new friends and began to set off on my new objective. Things were already starting to look up!