Chapter 6
In a hazy state of unconsciousness, I hear strange voices above my head. "Picco. Pic… piccoro occo pic, corri oc icco pic poc pocco iccori cor corri…" The language itself is gibberish, though I can suddenly understand why people started calling them "Piccouri".
Barely, I manage to slide my eyes open. I still can't see though. The venom coursing through my system must still be blinding me. Hopefully, that's temporary.
"Link," Elzo says, sounding relieved.
I try to reply, but I don't seem to have a voice either. Instead, strange gasping noises come out, making me sound like a fish out of water.
"Don't try to move or talk. You've been through quite an ordeal. Using the magic to grow yourself wreaked havoc on your system, and then you were injured by the spider, and used even more magic… All things considered, you're very lucky to be alive," he says, like he's scolding me.
I would give some sort of response, but I can't. My body is in enough pain that moving is out of the question, my voice doesn't seem to work and I can't even see to roll my eyes. Instead, I simply close them.
"Thank you," Elzo says, after a moment. "That's the second time you've saved my life."
Quickly, I figure out a pain free way to move- smiling.
"Don't get too cocky, though. You only killed a spider. I'll bet that's something you did on a daily basis when you were human."
I instinctually try to laugh, but only air comes out.
"Pic occi or!" I hear a female voice shout.
"Occo pi ic piccor," Elzo replies, sounding a bit regretful. Then, in english, he says, "The nice lady tells me you need to sleep. They're going to use magic to remove the venom, so that you can start to heal." As he speaks, I can feel the soft light of magic come down on me. And I can feel the energy of the person using it. It seems so small, and inadequate.
Frowning, I access my own light, and try to send it to the other magician. But it gets shoved back into me. "Nic pic occo ori," A gentle female says.
"She said 'thank you, but save your energy'," Elzo translates. Without any real course of action, I try to make myself a bit more comfortable, and I let the tiredness and pain take over again.
After floating around for a while, I slowly come to. Hesitantly, I open my eyes, but they still aren't working.
"You really don't understand this whole 'sleep' concept, do you?" Elzo asks, laughing.
I groan gently, and abruptly realize that I have a voice again. "Hello," I whisper, just so that I can hear it. Sure, it's still the voice of a child, but it's far better than no voice at all.
"Don't exert yourself," Elzo instructs.
"I know. I just… wanted to hear myself talk," I mumble. My voice sounds croaky, and I can't manage much volume at all. "I… I still can't see Elzo. Am I blind now?"
"No, no. They'll be able to fix your eyes up. Don't worry about it," He says comfortingly.
"What does it look like here?" I ask, trying to cut through the perpetual darkness filling my vision.
"It's a very warm place. There's a little fire burning, over in the corner, and there are beds lined out, covered with white sheets and white blankets. The floor is hard, polished wood, with a nice design on it. The walls are large logs of wood, with little glass windows. They hang flower petals from the ceiling, to make the room smell nice." I sniff, but there's no sensory input tied to the action. I guess I don't have a sense of smell right now either.
"Will they… will they fix my nose too?" I ask childishly.
"Don't worry Link. They'll get you back to yourself in no time," He assures me.
"Still my child self though," I mumble.
"Yes. Unlike you, they can't even touch Vaati's curse."
I smile to myself at the reminder that I was able to beat the curse, if only just a little bit. Maybe, with some practice, I can do that a few more times. I'd only need to get into my twenties to become an adult again. And then I'd feel no guilt at returning to my family.
With those happy thoughts roaming through my head, I close my eyes again, and let the sleep return.
The next time I wake up, I feel much, much better. I can tell that the broken bones are fixed, and, when I open my eyes, I can see once more. I almost start crying at how wonderful it is to have sight once more. Especially here, in this calm, warm room. It's exactly as Elzo described, down to the flower petals, some of which are bigger than me. I breathe in through my nose, and I can smell their wonderful scent. While i'm still incredibly sore and tired, I feel like I can actually function now.
"Welcome back Link," Elzo says, smiling.
"Good to be back," I reply. My voice sounds rough still, but it's a lot stronger. "How long have I been in this room?"
"About a week. Give or take a day," Elzo replies nonchalantly.
I can't help but shudder a bit at the knowledge. I know that most of that sleep came because of my wounds, and the spider's venom. But a part of that must have been overexerting myself by using magic. From now on, I must be more careful with my new power.
The door opens, and a strange… thing comes walking in. It's shaped vaguely like a human, and it's wearing clothes, at least, though the clothes themselves are shaped like leaves that gently fall across its body, not unlike a dress. But its features are completely alien. It has light tan fur all across its body, and its face is too round. There's a distinctive animal feel, though it has very human eyes, that are green, just like mine. And, oddly enough, there are two large red dots across its face, one on each cheek, and it wears a tall, pointed red hat, shaped much like Elzo.
"Ic corri," The thing says gently. From its dress and its voice, I take it to be female.
"Err, hi," I reply.
She looks at me quizzically, and asks "Cor picc piccouri?"
"Pi," Elzo says gently, shaking his head back and forth.
The woman nods, and walks away. After a few moments, she returns, holding a strange, brown object. It's shaped vaguely like a nut, with a tiny little leaf coming out the top. But it has strange holes in the side, and it seems to be… moving. Smiling, the furry woman hands me the nut. I look at it, feeling the strange, squishy texture.
"You need to eat that, Link," Elzo says gently. "It'll taste disgusting, and it will feel like fire going through your whole body. But you can't spit it out. You have to eat the whole thing, and keep it down."
I nod, and, even though the churning surface of of the nut feels sickening, I pop it into my mouth.
I can't even begin to describe just how bad it tastes. I wouldn't put it on the same level as the worst foods I've ever eaten. I wouldn't put it on the level of any food period. I wouldn't even put it on the level of innanimate objects that no human in their right mind should ever put into their mouths. It's like the nut was designed to taste as terrible as possible, with a revulting texture that makes it so hard not to simply spit it out. But I chomp it in half a few times and, locking my teeth in place, I swallow it.
The second it hits my throat, it turns into fire. Straight fire that makes me want to open my mouth and spew it out. I have to physically grab my mouth and hold it shut with my hands in order to keep it down.
"Pic picco occor icciri poki disgusting that most people spit the first one out." Midway through the woman's sentence, her words start to translate into english in my brain. "He's quite the little trouper."
The fire calms, and, after a few moments, the horrible taste in my mouth fades.
"Link, can you understand this?" Elzo asks, in the other language. I can tell that it's a new language that I've never spoken before. I acknowledge the fact that the words he said are something to the effect of "ic opci pic occor". But somehow, my brain instantly turns the words into english.
"Yes," I reply.
"Good. Try talking like that."
Hesitantly, I try to focus on making my words come out in the other language. "Is this right?" I ask. I can tell by the words that my lips naturally form that I'm definitely not speaking english. But my brain still makes it seem like my native language. It's remarkable.
"Yes. Congratulations, you now speak Piccouri, the language of the Minish," Elzo laughs.
"How?" I ask, a bit amazed.
"You just ate what's called a jabber nut. They are magical things that allow you to learn new languages instantly. Though they taste just gross," he explains, shuddering.
"How are you feeling, dear?" The woman asks gently. I carefully look myself over, and abruptly realize that I'm almost entirely naked. I'm only wearing a small pair of undershorts, and it shows off just how many bruises, burns and scratches run across my skin, both from my fight with the spider and from my long, hard journey through the realm of the minish. Worse, I feel a sense of embarrassment. I've always been comfortable in my body. But this much exposed skin makes me feel immodest. And the body that I look down at isn't my body, but rather, the body of a child.
"Here," The lady says gently, throwing a blanket over me. It makes me feel a lot better, to cover up my body.
"Thank you," I mumble. Sighing in comfort, I roll over to my side, and close my eyes. Despite the fact that I apparently just slept for a week, I'm still completely exhausted, and sleep seems like a good idea. So, after a few moments of silence, I slip quietly into unconsciousness.
I awaken to the sound of gentle voices, speaking in Piccouri. "So you pulled this boy out of the human world?" The woman whispers, sounding a bit incredulous.
"Yes. He saved me from a few black eyed Octoroks, and then proceeded to tell me that he'd been turned into a child by Vaati. Coincidences like that don't happen. And after seeing him fight, I figured that he would be a good traveling companion, and so far, he hasn't disappointed me." Elzo's words make me smile ever so slightly. He's always pushing me to do better. It's nice to know that he actually thinks I'm okay.
"But he's clearly not human," The woman says. "He could be minish. The castle minish look much like humans. But his ears…"
"I know, I know," Elzo replies, sounding frustrated. "But he's still the best chance I have at stopping Vaati. He's tough. And he's very… kind. You know i've never been good at controlling my tongue, and holding back my anger. But he has this incredible self control. I've only seen it crack once, when I first met him. It wasn't pretty…" I can audibly hear him shudder.
"How are you doing, El?" The lady asks kindly.
"I've been better," He replies simply. "The curse has rendered me almost useless. I couldn't even muster up enough energy to use the portal."
"That boy helped you, didn't he? Even when I was healing him, he tried to share his energy with me," She interrupts him, laughing.
"Like I said, he's very kind. Like the perfect knight; noble, with a touch of gentleness. I truly wish that he wasn't dragged into this mess. But at the same time, there's something special about him. He can do things with magic I've never seen before. When he was battling the spider, he burned magic to make himself move faster and stronger. And, save Vaati, I've never seen anyone release as much magic as he did. But it goes beyond magic. Even before he knew magic, he defeated a horde of Dharkin singlehandedly. I don't have to explain to you how significant that is. I just worry that my influence will hurt him…"
"You're far too hard on yourself, El. The kid's lucky to be traveling with you. I think you'll end up helping him."
"Like I 'helped' my last apprentice?" Elzo asks miserably.
"No, like you helped me," She replies warmly.
Elzo laughs. "I've missed you Ellie."
"I've missed you too, El. The house feels so empty…"
"I know. But this village needs you. You're the only magician who can do more than make pretty lights with their power.."
"You trained me well. Just as you'll train that kid."
Elzo laughs once more. "Please don't call him a kid. It's so hard for me to avoid calling him that. But it really gets to him."
Quietly, the woman asks, "What do you want to bet he's eavesdropping right now?"
"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised. He's a frustratingly light sleeper. And he's far too polite to interrupt our conversation. Here, I'll just resolve the issue for him." Elzo hops over to my bed, and pecks me in the head. Hard.
Gasping, I sit upright. I'm still a bit out of it, but his considerate peck makes my head throb.
"So, were you eavesdropping then?" Elzo asks brusquely. I simply nod.
"Well don't expect me to be all mushy with you in the future. Ellie brings that out of me."
I nod once more, and wrap the blanket around myself. I feel wrong in leaving my skin exposed, especially in the presence of a woman.
"Oh, here, I had our seamstress make some new clothes for you. Your old ones couldn't be saved. Too many rips, and the venom ate through almost the entire shirt. She tried to make them like your old ones, but we we don't have as nice materials…" Rambling a bit, she opens the closet and pulls out some clothing. It's made of thick, coarse threads, and the color of green is much calmer. And rather than leggings, there's a simple set of brown pants. She even had some hard boots made up for me.
"I told her to make them sturdy, for your journey. Sorry that they're not as nice as your other ones," She says, handing them to me.
"Thank you," I say sincerely, pulling them on. These clothes feel less like a silly child's garment and more like worker's attire. They remind me of my old clothes that I wore underneath my armor, though I had a shirt, rather than a tunic. The familiarity is nice. And, even though it's petty, I like the fact that they make me look older.
"Are they too rough?" The woman, who I take to be Ellie, asks.
"No, they're perfect. I can't tell you what a relief it is to wear real clothing once more. I've missed having boots, and pants," I say happily.
She smiles, and asks, "Would you like me to bring you some food?"
"I'd rather get it for myself, if that's okay. I've put you through enough trouble already. And I'm rested enough that I should resume our journey," I reply. Carefully, I rise to my feet, and find them much steadier than they've been for a long while. Hesitantly, I ask, "Would you like me to leave you here, Elzo?"
"No, we need to continue. Your whole 'almost dying' thing really put us behind." He replies. Laughing, I gently pick Elzo up and place him on my head. "Goodbye Ellie. I promise that when this is all over, I'll come see you. Even if I have to force Link to carry me here."
Ellie laughs. "Farewell Elzo. It was nice to meet you, Link. Do take care of Elzo for me. And don't let him get to you. He really does think very highly of you."
"Farewell, Ellie. Thank you, for all you've done for me. I promise, I will do everything I can to break Elzo's curse. Perhaps next time we meet, I won't have to carry your brother to you on my head." She laughs, and nods. I bow gently, and I walk out of the building and into the streets of the Minish Village.
The sight takes my breath away. Miles and miles above us, the trees form a thick, dark canopy that almost completely blocks all light. The little bit of luminosity that does sneak through is tinted green. In order to cut through the darkness, spheres of pure magical light hang above the town, making me feel like I'm constantly surrounded by magic. The town itself is nice, in a strange way. The streets are simply dirt, unlike the cobblestones of the castle. And the houses are all completely different from eachother. Some look like normal wooden cottages, though they're built out of pieces of wood, rather than large planks. Others are plants, like bushes and flowers, with leaves and petals sewn together to create an enclosed space, or mushrooms that are hollowed out. And some are just random objects from the human world that are large enough to live in. I see a shoe, and a small flower pot with doors and windows attached to them
"So why'd you peg ellie as my sister?" Elzo asks, drawing my attention away from the village.
"There was clearly affection between you, but not the romantic type. You have some of the same little mannerisms, and your voices are similar. And you're named 'Elzo' and 'Ellie'. It wasn't a difficult deduction," I say, quoting him.
"I guess so. You're right, by the way. Ellie is my little sister. I didn't think I was really so transparent," He says, sighing.
"In truth, I didn't really deduce anything. I felt your magic when I gave you mine, and I felt hers in the same way. And… I don't know how, but I could tell that you two were related. Your magic came from the same bloodline," I say, feeling a bit ridiculous.
"Incredible," Elzo says, laughing.
I smile, and gently pat him on the rim, and continue moving through the village. Despite the fact that it feels like a small community, the town itself is huge, with hundreds and hundreds of houses, shops, stores, smiths, everything. At the northernmost end of the town, there lies a house made almost entirely of gold-leafed wood. The level of wealth takes me off guard, though I guess it makes sense. As a minish, it would only take a few gold coins to cover this whole house. When you're a hundred times smaller, every resource is a hundred times easier to find.
Hesitantly, I knock on the door. After a few moments, a very old minish opens it. His face contains the strange combination of both fur and wrinkles, and he's as short as I am. Still, his bright green eyes look sharp, and he waddles around at a surprisingly fast pace.
"Hello. I take it you're the stranger I've heard so much about," The man says, shaking my hand. I quickly recognize that this person must be a figure of some authority, and I perform an instinctual bow.
"Oh, you're human," He says, sounding surprised.
My eyes widen in shock. "Minish don't bow," he explains, laughing.
I nod, and, hesitantly, I say, "I did come from the human world, though I've been told that I'm not human."
"Yes, I can see that in your features. Here, have a seat, young one," He says gently, offering me a chair. I suppress my annoyance, and take the chair.
"So what brings you to my humble abode?" He asks.
"I… it's a long story," I mumble.
"I do love a good story. Care to share it?"
I think for a few moments, then nod. I've come here to ask the minish for help. I cannot do so while keeping secrets. So I tell this strange minish everything, from Vaati's curse, to my strange, magical abilities, to my journey into the realm of the minish. He's a good listener, always keeping eye contact, never interrupting. And when I've finished, he gently places his hand on my shoulder.
"You're very brave, to bear all of this silently. What can I do to help?" He asks warmly.
"I believe that were I to reforge the Blade of Salvation, I could defeat Vaati. I know that it may not break his magic, but he is a threat to the kingdom that must be removed," I explain.
"Agreed. His dark magic threatens the minish realm as well. None of us have been able to leave, for there is a large spider that circles the town, attacking those who move beyond our borders. I believe it is related to Vaati," The man says, frowning.
"I, uhm, killed that spider on my way in here," I say awkwardly.
"You killed Gohma? Very impressive," He says, patting me on the back. "It's a huge relief that we can leave the town. Our food supplies were growing scarce. You have my thanks, Link."
"So would you be able to help in reforging the Blade of Salvation?" I ask hesitantly.
The man simply shakes his head. "Anyone can reforge it. Take it to a simple blacksmith and they can connect the pieces together. Reforging it won't be enough. In the last war, the sword did bring humanity out of oppression, but in doing so, it released most of its power. The sword must now be reinfused with energy in order to serve its purpose. Otherwise, it is simply an ordinary, all be it beautiful sword."
"How do you add more energy? Is it like adding energy to a person?" I ask hopefully. If all it needs is a bit of my magic, then I could finish this whole ordeal quickly and easily.
"No. I'm afraid imbuing it with energy will take some incredibly potent substances, known as the Elemental Essences. They are scattered throughout the world and are guarded by the fiercest of creatures."
I sigh gently. Of course it has to be some big long quest that will probably result in me being killed. That's just the kind of luck I've had over the past few weeks.
"Could you tell me where I might find these essences?"
"I'll have a map drawn up for you. But Link… you don't have to do this. There are others, in either the human world or the minish world, who would gladly embark on this quest. You have already done your part. As the elder of the village, I would ask that you let us take care of you. You've been through more than any being should have to endure," He says gently.
"I'm sorry, but I do not belong to your village, and I do not have to follow your council. These are not my people. You are not my king," I answer firmly.
The elder nods, and looks at me for a few moments. Then, quietly, he says, "Just don't forget, neither are the humans. And for all you know, you could be minish."
"I know. That possibility scares me more than you can imagine," I whisper.