Chapter Nineteen:
The moon shone brightly on Hyrule field as Navi and Loraefin waited patiently, or rather impatiently, in the underbrush. The summer air was warm against the face and the long grass swayed in the breeze. It was about midnight and the two were out trying to catch their last ingredient, a Poe. These ghost creatures were getting to be very scarce in the open field, or anywhere for that matter, but Navi thought it best to stick it out here and Loraefin, with no experience at Poe hunting whatsoever followed her advice.
"How long do we have to wait?" Loraefin asked for about the fifth time.
"As long as it takes, hopefully not to much longer…"
"Good, I'm getting cramps in my legs from sitting in this position."
Crouching in the grass they waited for their prey, like a lioness in wait. After another half-hour though Loraefin gave up at the crouching thing and sat down. She started to busy herself with the long meadow grass, twining them and even occasionally chewing on a few to pass the time. But patients is a virtue and virtues are rewarded. With a cackle and a whirl of dust a Poe appeared in the clearing in front of them.
"Loraefin get up!" Navi alerted her, "it's a Poe!"
"I see it…strange."
Loraefin did her best to try and sneak up on it, but on accident she stepped on a twig that snapped under her weight. The Poe twirled around and shot a flame out of its lantern. The flame, as if it was alive, started to come toward Navi and Loraefin. They ducked out of the way and Loraefin took up a defensive stance that Link had shown her.
"OK Loraefin, you got to be careful about the flames he throws," Navi informed her. "Take any swing you can get on him!"
"Got it."
The Poe started to circle them, dropping the flames all around them. They hovered in the air a few moments and then started to come after the girl and her fairy companion. The Poe floated about them, sniggering in a taunting tone, always out of reach of Loraefin's blade.
"Hey get back here!" She yelled at it hopelessly. Loraefin swung at least a dozen times at it already, but it always eluded it's almost certain death. This game of 'cat and mouse' went on for some time, driving Loraefin to the breaking point. In frustration she picked up a stone and hurled it at the Poe. "Take that you jat kantes!" She yelled, being very unprofessional. The stone struck the Poe without warning and it shriveled away into thin air, only it's glowing flame stayed behind.
"Quick grab it!" Navi shouted. Loraefin took out a small glass jar and placed the defeated Poe inside for the journey back.
***
Navi and Loraefin were already at the arranged meeting spot when Link arrived on the scene. They were casually sitting on the steps of Kakariko; hands on chin and staring blankly at the sky with dazed looks on their faces.
"Halloo!" Link greeted from atop Epona as he came riding closer. "I take it we did well?"
"You better believe it!" Navi said cheerfully fluttering over to him. "We got everything you told us," Link smiled at her.
"Good work. I got my stuff plus I picked up the water from the Fairy Fountain along the way. We're good to go."
"That's a relief," Loraefin said. "Now we can go get the antidote."
Link dismounts and starts to follow Navi and Loraefin up the steps to Kakariko. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he could feel the sudden urge to vomit. He groaned and steadied himself against the wall. When he looked up everything became blurry for a moment and then came back into focus. Guess my bath didn't solve everything he thought.
"Link are you OK?" Navi flew to his side. "What's the matter?!"
"Do we need to get you to a doctor?" Loraefin asked.
"No, no, I'll be fine…It's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Link forces out a smile. "Come on, let's get going."
With some effort Link manages to pull himself together and starts to walk again, but now Navi was suspicious about the well being of her friend and she stayed close to him. Link never remembered the steps up to Kakariko being to long, or so steep; every step was harder to make. Somehow he forces himself to keep walking, despite his physical discomfort he was experiencing and the sudden urges to vomit.
"Link are you sure your OK?" Navi flew close to whisper in his ear, "you can tell me."
"Yea yea I'm fine really," he said bluffing, a game he was quite good at.
"Are you telling me the truth?"
Link didn't answer the last question he just kept his eyes forward in an attempt to walk straight between the spells of dizziness and blurred vision.
It seemed like forever before they made it back to the old hag's potion shop and Link seemed to just barely make it in without running into a wall. The old hag was waiting behind her desk, stroking her cat and flipping through an aged and tattered book, she didn't look up when the entered.
"Excuse me," Loraefin said as politely as she could, the old woman still did not respond. "Uh…We gathered all of the necessary materials you need to make the antidote," still no response. "Um…hello?" At this point Link was having a hard time just standing up straight, he quivered where he stood and tried to concentrate on what was happening. "Ma'am?" Loraefin continued.
"It appears that your friend there has contracted a disease caused by a very rare black spell," the old woman said not even raising her head from her book. "He will be dead in a matter of days if you don't get him an antidote."
"Link?" Loraefin turns to face him. Sweat started to form on Link's forehead and his skin had lost almost all color completely; Loraefin goes to his side to help support him on his weak legs. "Why didn't you tell us something was wrong you idiot!?" She demanded and then scolded herself. "I should have known something wasn't right when you almost fell over on the steps! I can't believe myself!"
"We need the antidote for the Zora," Link said faintly. "We have the ingredients you need to make the cure. Please hurry…the Zora need it, Hyrule needs it," Link motions Loraefin to take his bag and place it on the counter in front of the old woman; she does and places her bag next to it. The hag looks up from her book and briefly glances inside the two bags.
"Hm…It seems you have collected all of the materials needed to make the antidote…" She glares at them cunningly. "But why have you brought them here?"
"Because you told us to!" Navi intervened. "Don't you remember!?"
"I might…"
Loraefin shrugs with impatience and Link was getting worse by the minute.
"Seven thousand!" Link shouts out.
"Ten," the old hag smiles. Link was becoming short tempered at the arrogance of this woman putting profit before suffering people for her own gain.
"DONE!" He half yells half gasps. The old woman smiles sinisterly and takes the bags into the back room.
"Link are you going to be able to hold on?" Loraefin said letting him sit down on the floor. "You can hold on I know it."
"Just the thing to happen right?" Link smiled with some effort. "Getting sick at the last moment and---"
"The burn marks!" Navi gasps. "Look at them! On his neck!" Loraefin pushes Link's hair out of the way to reveal the wounds on his neck.
"We need to get that antidote Navi," Loraefin said with concern in her voice, "this is getting worse by the minute."
Fretful and impatiently they waited in the front room of the little shop for the woman's return. Clanging and other noises can be heard from behind the red satin curtain with the occasional flash of light and other such things, but after a long and nerve racking wait the old woman reappeared into the front room carrying a large leather flask.
"Here," she said handing it to Loraefin. "Make a broth and pour this into it, those infected should recover within a week or so," graciously Loraefin takes the flask and holds it to her chest.
"Thank you," she says in a way that shows you truly appreciate it.
"I expect my money by the day after tomorrow," the old hag says without emotion and then returns back to the other room. Loraefin walks over to Link and kneels down beside him still clutching the flask.
"We got it," she smiles with a sigh of relief. "Det elreth ti".
The moon shone brightly on Hyrule field as Navi and Loraefin waited patiently, or rather impatiently, in the underbrush. The summer air was warm against the face and the long grass swayed in the breeze. It was about midnight and the two were out trying to catch their last ingredient, a Poe. These ghost creatures were getting to be very scarce in the open field, or anywhere for that matter, but Navi thought it best to stick it out here and Loraefin, with no experience at Poe hunting whatsoever followed her advice.
"How long do we have to wait?" Loraefin asked for about the fifth time.
"As long as it takes, hopefully not to much longer…"
"Good, I'm getting cramps in my legs from sitting in this position."
Crouching in the grass they waited for their prey, like a lioness in wait. After another half-hour though Loraefin gave up at the crouching thing and sat down. She started to busy herself with the long meadow grass, twining them and even occasionally chewing on a few to pass the time. But patients is a virtue and virtues are rewarded. With a cackle and a whirl of dust a Poe appeared in the clearing in front of them.
"Loraefin get up!" Navi alerted her, "it's a Poe!"
"I see it…strange."
Loraefin did her best to try and sneak up on it, but on accident she stepped on a twig that snapped under her weight. The Poe twirled around and shot a flame out of its lantern. The flame, as if it was alive, started to come toward Navi and Loraefin. They ducked out of the way and Loraefin took up a defensive stance that Link had shown her.
"OK Loraefin, you got to be careful about the flames he throws," Navi informed her. "Take any swing you can get on him!"
"Got it."
The Poe started to circle them, dropping the flames all around them. They hovered in the air a few moments and then started to come after the girl and her fairy companion. The Poe floated about them, sniggering in a taunting tone, always out of reach of Loraefin's blade.
"Hey get back here!" She yelled at it hopelessly. Loraefin swung at least a dozen times at it already, but it always eluded it's almost certain death. This game of 'cat and mouse' went on for some time, driving Loraefin to the breaking point. In frustration she picked up a stone and hurled it at the Poe. "Take that you jat kantes!" She yelled, being very unprofessional. The stone struck the Poe without warning and it shriveled away into thin air, only it's glowing flame stayed behind.
"Quick grab it!" Navi shouted. Loraefin took out a small glass jar and placed the defeated Poe inside for the journey back.
***
Navi and Loraefin were already at the arranged meeting spot when Link arrived on the scene. They were casually sitting on the steps of Kakariko; hands on chin and staring blankly at the sky with dazed looks on their faces.
"Halloo!" Link greeted from atop Epona as he came riding closer. "I take it we did well?"
"You better believe it!" Navi said cheerfully fluttering over to him. "We got everything you told us," Link smiled at her.
"Good work. I got my stuff plus I picked up the water from the Fairy Fountain along the way. We're good to go."
"That's a relief," Loraefin said. "Now we can go get the antidote."
Link dismounts and starts to follow Navi and Loraefin up the steps to Kakariko. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he could feel the sudden urge to vomit. He groaned and steadied himself against the wall. When he looked up everything became blurry for a moment and then came back into focus. Guess my bath didn't solve everything he thought.
"Link are you OK?" Navi flew to his side. "What's the matter?!"
"Do we need to get you to a doctor?" Loraefin asked.
"No, no, I'll be fine…It's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Link forces out a smile. "Come on, let's get going."
With some effort Link manages to pull himself together and starts to walk again, but now Navi was suspicious about the well being of her friend and she stayed close to him. Link never remembered the steps up to Kakariko being to long, or so steep; every step was harder to make. Somehow he forces himself to keep walking, despite his physical discomfort he was experiencing and the sudden urges to vomit.
"Link are you sure your OK?" Navi flew close to whisper in his ear, "you can tell me."
"Yea yea I'm fine really," he said bluffing, a game he was quite good at.
"Are you telling me the truth?"
Link didn't answer the last question he just kept his eyes forward in an attempt to walk straight between the spells of dizziness and blurred vision.
It seemed like forever before they made it back to the old hag's potion shop and Link seemed to just barely make it in without running into a wall. The old hag was waiting behind her desk, stroking her cat and flipping through an aged and tattered book, she didn't look up when the entered.
"Excuse me," Loraefin said as politely as she could, the old woman still did not respond. "Uh…We gathered all of the necessary materials you need to make the antidote," still no response. "Um…hello?" At this point Link was having a hard time just standing up straight, he quivered where he stood and tried to concentrate on what was happening. "Ma'am?" Loraefin continued.
"It appears that your friend there has contracted a disease caused by a very rare black spell," the old woman said not even raising her head from her book. "He will be dead in a matter of days if you don't get him an antidote."
"Link?" Loraefin turns to face him. Sweat started to form on Link's forehead and his skin had lost almost all color completely; Loraefin goes to his side to help support him on his weak legs. "Why didn't you tell us something was wrong you idiot!?" She demanded and then scolded herself. "I should have known something wasn't right when you almost fell over on the steps! I can't believe myself!"
"We need the antidote for the Zora," Link said faintly. "We have the ingredients you need to make the cure. Please hurry…the Zora need it, Hyrule needs it," Link motions Loraefin to take his bag and place it on the counter in front of the old woman; she does and places her bag next to it. The hag looks up from her book and briefly glances inside the two bags.
"Hm…It seems you have collected all of the materials needed to make the antidote…" She glares at them cunningly. "But why have you brought them here?"
"Because you told us to!" Navi intervened. "Don't you remember!?"
"I might…"
Loraefin shrugs with impatience and Link was getting worse by the minute.
"Seven thousand!" Link shouts out.
"Ten," the old hag smiles. Link was becoming short tempered at the arrogance of this woman putting profit before suffering people for her own gain.
"DONE!" He half yells half gasps. The old woman smiles sinisterly and takes the bags into the back room.
"Link are you going to be able to hold on?" Loraefin said letting him sit down on the floor. "You can hold on I know it."
"Just the thing to happen right?" Link smiled with some effort. "Getting sick at the last moment and---"
"The burn marks!" Navi gasps. "Look at them! On his neck!" Loraefin pushes Link's hair out of the way to reveal the wounds on his neck.
"We need to get that antidote Navi," Loraefin said with concern in her voice, "this is getting worse by the minute."
Fretful and impatiently they waited in the front room of the little shop for the woman's return. Clanging and other noises can be heard from behind the red satin curtain with the occasional flash of light and other such things, but after a long and nerve racking wait the old woman reappeared into the front room carrying a large leather flask.
"Here," she said handing it to Loraefin. "Make a broth and pour this into it, those infected should recover within a week or so," graciously Loraefin takes the flask and holds it to her chest.
"Thank you," she says in a way that shows you truly appreciate it.
"I expect my money by the day after tomorrow," the old hag says without emotion and then returns back to the other room. Loraefin walks over to Link and kneels down beside him still clutching the flask.
"We got it," she smiles with a sigh of relief. "Det elreth ti".