The Guide...
Reflecting, Link thought about the Shadowbeast. He heard stories about it, but weren't they just stories? He traveled the Lost Woods more times than he cared to count, but he never encountered the monstrosity. According to legend, it only appeared where 'children of death' were born. 'Children of death' were babies born only through killing the mother. And, supposedly, the only way to counter curse it was to kill the child within 100 feet from the body of its mother, within the hour the child was born. But, of course, that was just a couple of wives' tales, right?
"Listen, Link, I need to get some sleep tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow at the Gerudo training center, after the Hero Games," Sheik said abruptly, getting up to leave.
"Alright, 'night then," Link sighed under his breath as she headed toward the exit. Planning to call it a night too, he stood up, but somebody stood up on the bar and everyone quieted down. The girl was a very pretty blonde with startling green-gray eyes, and he noticed her as the sword dancer from earlier.
"Hello there, and I hope you liked our performance," she paused to the heap of applause she got and then started again when it died down, "as you might know, my name is Luna and this announcement has nothing to do with the bar, so don't panic; we are not closing. It is just that I'm going on a vacation and I need to go to the edge of the Lost Woods so I can get there. I don't know the way, and I need someone to lead me and Tanya there at the end of the Games. So who'd be willing? Please raise your hands and tell me your price."
He saw about an eighth of the crowd raise there hands, he among them. This was the human he was looking for; he knew it. His hand burned when she had started to speak, so if that didn't indicate that she was the one, he didn't know what did.
"Man in the purple vest? Yes, you," Luna said to the man to the far right of the room.
"One hundred-twenty-five rupees" he said.
"You in the red hat"
"One hundred-fifteen rupees"
"You in the blue shirt"
"One hundred"
"You with the flashy sword sheath"
"One kiss"
At this, a whole bunch of people laughed childishly and everyone, except Link, put their hands down.
Link noticed that the girl had looked worried when the man with the flashy sword sheath asked for one kiss, but she smiled when she noticed Link's hand, "You in the dark green tunic, can you offer something better?"
"I'll do it for free," Link yelled as everyone else turned to stare at him.
"Really?" said Luna as she stared too.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Alright then," she said getting off the bar and started walking towards him. In the mean time, the band started playing again, and the people returned to what they were doing. When she reached him, Link noticed a Gerudo was trailing her. Holding out her hand, Luna said, "Hello there, I'm Luna and this is Tanya," she pointed to the girl behind her, "and we'll be the ones asking for your services. You will do it for free, right?"
"I said I would, didn't I?" Link said smirking.
"Right then," Luna turned towards the bartender, "Rita, could you give me a Dying Phoenix," and then seated herself in Sheik's abandoned stool.
"Make it two," Tanya said as she sat in the seat beside Luna.
"Give me a sec," Rita said as she got the stuff for the drink.
Link watched the bartender prepare the drink as he gruffed, "The name's Link."
"Like I said, all we need to do is get to the edge of the forest. You think you can do that?" Luna said sizing him up.
"I don't know Luna, he looks awfully scrawny to be a guide," Tanya said sizing him up as well.
"You shouldn't judge someone on their looks, Tanya. I'm betting that I could take you on in anything, and beat you" Link boasted.
"Oh, really? Then I say you take me on in drinking. I'm the best at it, other than Luna of course," Tanya challenged.
"Here you go," Rita interrupted, passing Luna and Tanya their drink, which was a red liquid that was flaming at the top.
"Don't go anywhere yet. I have a challenge from our guide. He wants to beat me at drinking; you think you could put it on my tab," Tanya said to the bartender, and then took a full swig of the drink.
Link was slightly impressed the girl could drink a flaming drink without blowing it out first, but he said, "I'll beat you first and then Luna."
Luna laughed, but nodded and took a gulp of her drink too. She then spit out fire (a whole bunch people backed away) and said, "This will be fun, but you still gotta be our guide, 'kay?"
"I'd love to. So let's get to it then," and then gestured to the bartender, who brought twenty filled shot glasses to their part of the bar.
"Move Luna, I wanna watch him fall," Tanya said brassily and switched spots with Luna. Noticing that a crowd had gathered around them, he tried to ignore them and took a drink of the beer when the bartender counted to three.
Reflecting, Link thought about the Shadowbeast. He heard stories about it, but weren't they just stories? He traveled the Lost Woods more times than he cared to count, but he never encountered the monstrosity. According to legend, it only appeared where 'children of death' were born. 'Children of death' were babies born only through killing the mother. And, supposedly, the only way to counter curse it was to kill the child within 100 feet from the body of its mother, within the hour the child was born. But, of course, that was just a couple of wives' tales, right?
"Listen, Link, I need to get some sleep tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow at the Gerudo training center, after the Hero Games," Sheik said abruptly, getting up to leave.
"Alright, 'night then," Link sighed under his breath as she headed toward the exit. Planning to call it a night too, he stood up, but somebody stood up on the bar and everyone quieted down. The girl was a very pretty blonde with startling green-gray eyes, and he noticed her as the sword dancer from earlier.
"Hello there, and I hope you liked our performance," she paused to the heap of applause she got and then started again when it died down, "as you might know, my name is Luna and this announcement has nothing to do with the bar, so don't panic; we are not closing. It is just that I'm going on a vacation and I need to go to the edge of the Lost Woods so I can get there. I don't know the way, and I need someone to lead me and Tanya there at the end of the Games. So who'd be willing? Please raise your hands and tell me your price."
He saw about an eighth of the crowd raise there hands, he among them. This was the human he was looking for; he knew it. His hand burned when she had started to speak, so if that didn't indicate that she was the one, he didn't know what did.
"Man in the purple vest? Yes, you," Luna said to the man to the far right of the room.
"One hundred-twenty-five rupees" he said.
"You in the red hat"
"One hundred-fifteen rupees"
"You in the blue shirt"
"One hundred"
"You with the flashy sword sheath"
"One kiss"
At this, a whole bunch of people laughed childishly and everyone, except Link, put their hands down.
Link noticed that the girl had looked worried when the man with the flashy sword sheath asked for one kiss, but she smiled when she noticed Link's hand, "You in the dark green tunic, can you offer something better?"
"I'll do it for free," Link yelled as everyone else turned to stare at him.
"Really?" said Luna as she stared too.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Alright then," she said getting off the bar and started walking towards him. In the mean time, the band started playing again, and the people returned to what they were doing. When she reached him, Link noticed a Gerudo was trailing her. Holding out her hand, Luna said, "Hello there, I'm Luna and this is Tanya," she pointed to the girl behind her, "and we'll be the ones asking for your services. You will do it for free, right?"
"I said I would, didn't I?" Link said smirking.
"Right then," Luna turned towards the bartender, "Rita, could you give me a Dying Phoenix," and then seated herself in Sheik's abandoned stool.
"Make it two," Tanya said as she sat in the seat beside Luna.
"Give me a sec," Rita said as she got the stuff for the drink.
Link watched the bartender prepare the drink as he gruffed, "The name's Link."
"Like I said, all we need to do is get to the edge of the forest. You think you can do that?" Luna said sizing him up.
"I don't know Luna, he looks awfully scrawny to be a guide," Tanya said sizing him up as well.
"You shouldn't judge someone on their looks, Tanya. I'm betting that I could take you on in anything, and beat you" Link boasted.
"Oh, really? Then I say you take me on in drinking. I'm the best at it, other than Luna of course," Tanya challenged.
"Here you go," Rita interrupted, passing Luna and Tanya their drink, which was a red liquid that was flaming at the top.
"Don't go anywhere yet. I have a challenge from our guide. He wants to beat me at drinking; you think you could put it on my tab," Tanya said to the bartender, and then took a full swig of the drink.
Link was slightly impressed the girl could drink a flaming drink without blowing it out first, but he said, "I'll beat you first and then Luna."
Luna laughed, but nodded and took a gulp of her drink too. She then spit out fire (a whole bunch people backed away) and said, "This will be fun, but you still gotta be our guide, 'kay?"
"I'd love to. So let's get to it then," and then gestured to the bartender, who brought twenty filled shot glasses to their part of the bar.
"Move Luna, I wanna watch him fall," Tanya said brassily and switched spots with Luna. Noticing that a crowd had gathered around them, he tried to ignore them and took a drink of the beer when the bartender counted to three.