Chapter 14

Frivolous Tasks

I felt sick to my stomach thinking about the real trial ahead of me. If I die, Gannon will take the other Triforce and rule the kingdom, and will probably kill the princess too. I have to not only fight, but also successfully defeat him! I tried not to think about it in that time and instead looked up in the afternoon sky. I sent a small prayer before warping to the witch's hut.

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The old lady was already standing outside, and when she saw me, she went in a rampage! She quickly darted in, out, and around her house, muttering all the while. It was like she was looking for something. "Um, excuse me?" She stopped and pointed her finger at me, "Give me a minute! You are so impatient!"

I just shrugged and said nothing, she continued with her storming rampage, but I waited for her and she gave up after a while, but that didn't calm her mood… "Can I help you somehow?" I quietly asked, but she shook her head and glared at me.

"I have nothing for you, now be gone!"

"But… I need this potion! Please, I have the money!"

"And I don't have the proper ingredients! Sorry, come back another time." She stomped to her house and sat at a desk. I turned to leave, and then, a thought struck me, instead of leaving her behind, perhaps I can convince the stubborn old woman to tell me what she needs. I turned again and walked by her side. "What ingredients do you need?"

But she was still unhappy…

"You can't get them for me, lad. Some of these are rare and I would have to inspect their condition."

"Just let me help you. I will bring them and if they're wrong, then what harm did that do?" She stayed silent, and finally nodded. She shuffled in her dusty desk and brought out a ruffled pen, and wrote a list on the paper in front of her. The witch slowly handed it to me, the paper was brown and stained, I was expecting for it to just shrivel away.

"Five slightly soggy pumpkins,

Salt,

Seven rare and beautiful beige and speckled white mushrooms found on logs,

Five white stalks of Figory, a type of herb that colors shallow zoran waters green until the plant losses its hue,"

Surprisingly, the old lady became silent again; maybe she didn't think I can do this? Pumpkins would be the easiest to find, but what about the other three? Perhaps I can find some salt in a shop? I used the whistle to bring me back home.

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After the gust dropped me off in Rauru, I strolled into the nearest shop. It was small, but the lines of shelves carried a lot of helpful supplies. "Can I help you?" The shopkeeper asked. "Maybe you can, I'm looking for salt."

"I can see if I have any, but that is a rare request." He left the wooden counter and into the small back room. I waited as he jumbled around in some bags and boxes. He lifted a large and heavy bag on each shoulder like this was normal to him. "Salt," He announced as he dropped them on the counter. "How much do you want? We actually have quite a bit back there!"

"That should be enough, how much do you want for it?" He pondered for a minute before coming to the solution. "Does eighty sound fair?" That would leave me thirty, and I didn't want to pay that much, but it was a pretty fair deal…

"Sure, and I have one more you can help me with, I'm also on the hunt for pumpkins." He shook his head, "Sorry, I sold the last one an hour ago…"

I sighed, I guess I have to find them somewhere else, but at least I found something on the list. I gave the shopkeeper the rupees and tried to lift the bags from the stand, but it fell to the floor and I almost went down with it! A hearty laugh came from the shopkeeper. "Need help?"

"No, I think I can manage, thanks though!" I said through gritted teeth as I nearly dropped it again. "Hey, I think you'll be able to find some pumpkins in Ruto!" I hoisted the salt on my shoulder as I tried to do the same with the other one. I nodded a quick thanks to the suggestion, and hobbled out the door. They were really heavy, and yet, the shopkeeper carried them like they were nothing!

I brought them to the edge of town and dropped them so I could use the whistle with the last breath I could muster. I lifted the bags again and the white gust whisked me back to the hut. Heavy luggage is a lot lighter when you're floating in air. I swirled in the gust until I felt like I was being lowered to the ground, and when I was left sitting before the witch's hut, I stood up and raised the stacks over to the house. "Just a few more steps…" I said out loud to myself.

I entered the door and let them slip from my shoulders to the floor. They fell with a loud clatter, which caught the old lady's attention. "Here's one item on your list, I just brought it here because it will slow me down otherwise."

"Good job," She exclaimed as she hugged one of the bags up to the air and carried it to a shelf near the corner of the room. She struggled for a minute trying to open the top, and when it finally ripped, she came back for the next one. "This is more than I would ever need!" She said with a slight smile on her face.

Satisfied, I left the house to warp to Ruto for the pumpkins.

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The welcome sign greeted me as the gust vanished. People casually went about the structured stone road as I joined them. I was walking to see if I could find a shop, and I soon found one. It was bigger than the shop back home, and as I approached the door, comforting warmth seeped out even before I entered. A sign creaked quietly beside me that said, "Hiker's"

There were already a few people shopping when I came in. A young lady greeted me from behind the counter. "Hello, and welcome to Hiker's!" I nodded a greeting back and blended in with the shoppers. Near the back where items were so nicely organized I found the orange pumpkins sitting on the floor. I knelt down to examine them. I need them "slightly soggy" I rotated them and looked carefully at the skin. They were recently harvested, and they still had a bit of green on them too. They all were like that…

I must have been looking for a while, because the girl approached me. "Is everything all right?" She asked. "I came here for some pumpkins, but all of these are too fresh." She looked at me with confusion on her face, but it then dissipated as she knelt down beside me. Her light brown dress brushed the floor. "Do you have any older ones?" I asked. "No, those are all the pumpkins we have. I'm sorry." I don't know what to do about it now… "But we do stock up on them right here in Ruto from the farmlands." She pulled her long braided brown hair in front of her.

We both realized then that a line was forming at the counter. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, people!" She stood back up and ran to gather the payments. I stood up as well and came up closer to the line. "Do you run this by yourself?"

"Thank goodness, no. My mom runs it. She just ran out to find some more supplies for the shelves, and she needed me to work while she's gone." She spoke while handling the rupees. "I'm Eva Hiker." Her green eyes darted back and forth between me and the money. "Link," I replied. "When do you think your mom will be back?"

"She will probably come back in an hour or so. She just left."

"Well then, I will come here again if I haven't found any pumpkins."

"Good luck." Eva said with a sincere smile. I went back outside to the streets in search of farmland. I walked to the edge where the roads end, and I caught sight on a little house with my target growing in the back. Well, that was easy!

I walked up to the door and gave a knock on it, and waited patiently. A man's voice came from inside saying he'll be there in a minute, and it was followed by a high-pitched bark. He opened the door and quickly shut it behind him. "No, Captain, you cannot come outside!" I could tell he was a farmer; the sun stained his skin dark, and he had strong muscles from working in the field. He rocked an infant in his arms as he spoke to me. "Yes, what is it?"

"I'm so sorry, you look really busy, but can I take some of the pumpkins? Not for free, of course." I suddenly felt really bad as the baby woke up and began to cry, but the man only smiled politely. "All right, I'll meet you in the back." He calmly went in and the barking started up again. I strolled to the backyard, where crops were organized in rows from herbs to vegetables. But I realized I had the same problem; the pumpkins were too young…

"Sorry about that!" The farmer walked up to me. "You said you wanted some of the pumpkins? I sold some to Hiker's a few days ago."

"Yes, I looked at them, but I need older ones, and these are the same case…"

"I do have more in the house, I kept them and now they're too old to sell. I thought we could cook them, but there's plenty. How much did you want?"

"I need five, if you have that much." He went back inside and drug them out quickly. "Are these old enough?" He waited quietly as I bent low to find they were mushy in some spots. "This is perfect! Will you sell them to me?"

"I will, let's see… I sold pumpkins to the shop for ten rupees each, but since these are older, I'll cut the price in half. That would mean the total is twenty-five rupees, how about it?"

"You bet!" I brought my wallet out and gave him the rest of my money, save for a single blue rupee… "Thank so much for taking some of your time to help me." I held my hand in front of me, and he took the hand shake firmly. "Pleasure doing business with you, have a good day!" He turned and went back in the house. Another item has been found, now I just need to find the figory and the mushrooms.

Figory grows in zoran water, and I have encountered the creatures before. Where was I going? …Ah, I was seeking the Eagle when I was attacked by a zora. First, I need to give these pumpkins to the old lady. I centered myself in between the squashes and used the whistle. When the white gust came, I then became worried that the landing may crack the pumpkins, and I can't have that happening!

As I felt the wind being lowered, I stacked the orange squashes above me. The full weight of the five of them crashed onto me as we met the land… This may not have been the smartest idea, but the pumpkins were safe… I couldn't move for a few moments, and when I pushed them off of me, I tried to recover my breath.

I stood up and left them behind as I went to tell the lady of the news. "I have your pumpkins!" I retorted in the doorway. "Let me see." She replied. I lead her to the piece of ground where the orange lumps sat unevenly. She placed her hands on them, one by one, making sure I didn't screw this up. "Well done! Maybe you can be trusted after all!" She chuckled. That confirmed my suspicions, and I couldn't help but feel my face blush.