Hey, guys. Man, I've had a trying week. I had a DVD ordered that was sent on Saturday, but instead arrived today, on a Thursday. This wouldn't bother me, except that it was sent via First Class, and should have arrived on Wednesday at the latest. This isn't the first time a package of mine was delayed for a few days, but the first time was understandable- large snowstorms had hit the country. This time, there's really no excuse for the delay, especially since I ordered this DVD about three years ago from a Kickstarter page. Sigh... I guess this means I shouldn't expect anything I order north of Tennessee to be on time.
On the bright side, tickets for RTX 2015 are on sale now! In case you don't know, I'm a big fan of the company called RoosterTeeth. They pretty much make a living by posting videos on the internet. They've made lots of great series, like the famous Halo parody, Red Vs. Blue, and an original American-made anime called RWBY. RTX is a convention hosted by RoosterTeeth that celebrates the internet and gaming. I went last year, and I had an amazing time. I will definitely see about going again this year.
I don't own Legend of Zelda or The Minish Cap. Enjoy!
Minish Woods
After the strange encounter with the even stranger Ezlo (now perched on his head), Link gathered his bearings and backtracked to where he was stuck before. However, when the two reached the stump that the boy had passed earlier, Ezlo spoke up.
"Hold on for a moment, my boy! We've stumbled across something important!"
"What, the stump?" Link asked, then made to move past it. "There's nothing important about… that… what?"
The innocuous stump started to glow when the boy approached, leaving him dumbfounded. "I could have sworn that thing wasn't doing that earlier."
"And I believe you," said Ezlo. "However, that isn't important right now. As you already know, the Minish are very small, and you won't be able to see them as you are now."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out," stammered Link in confusion. "What are the Minish? I thought we were looking for the Picori!"
"Ah, yes, allow me to explain," the hat began, pleased to divulge his impressive knowledge to the boy. "You humans call them Picori, but they refer to themselves as the Minish! Strange how, in the world of humans, only this forest has kept that name…" Ezlo trailed off in thought. He came to senses and continued. "Anyhow, deep in the forest they built a tiny village, where many now live."
"Really?!" asked Link, relieved that the search for the Minish -'Great Din, this'll take some getting used to,' he thought- might not be as taxing as he thought.
The hat nodded. "However, we're going to have to make you a touch smaller first. Now, that there seems like a normal stump in all respects, yes?"
"Aside from the glowing it wasn't doing earlier, that's right," said Link, still a bit freaked at the change.
"No!" Ezlo shouted, startling Link. "That stump is a portal used by people long ago to adjust their size! With my help, you can use it to shrink down to Minish size!"
Link looked at the stump, still pretty apprehensive about the whole thing. "Okay, that's great and all, but how do we use it?"
"Just stand on the stump, and watch the magic!" Ezlo directed.
Feeling like he was walking into a trap, Link did as he was told. Ezlo then started jumping on Link's head, chanting in a strange language. Quite suddenly, Link's size was reduced very quickly, and he fell into a hole in the stump, bouncing on some giant mushrooms. 'Wait… those aren't giant...' he thought. He quickly ran out of the stump through a hole off to the side, and it was like he stepped into a new world.
Link was spellbound by what he was seeing. The stump that was only waist-high to him earlier was now a mountain. Grass beds were now impassible forests. Small puddles were huge lakes.
"Welcome to the world through the eyes of the Minish," said Ezlo. His head lowered into Link's eye level. "Now aren't you glad you saved me? No need to thank me, though!"
"This is… incredible…" Link breathed. He picked up a granule of dirt. Normally, it would be like something that could be caught under Link's fingernails, and yet the one he was holding was the size of his hands.
"Portals come in all shapes and sizes, and not all are immediately obvious. However, being Minish-sized isn't all it's cracked up to be," Ezlo warned. "Mere puddles in your normal size are endless swamps in this state. And as your companion, if anything bad happened to you, it happens to me, too! So proceed with caution, my lad! If not for your sake, then for my own!"
Link's expression changed from wonder to sadness. "What's wrong, boy?"
The young Hylian sighed. "I just don't want to mess this up. I've already failed Princess Zelda, and as strange as it seems, I don't want to fail you, either, even though I just met you."
"Oh, snap out of those dark thoughts," Ezlo chastised Link. "I have a feeling you won't disappoint me. Your goal is to reforge the broken Picori Blade, and moping about your failures won't change anything. Trust me, I know all too well about failures…"
Ezlo whispered that last part to himself, but Link heard it anyway. He was about to ask, but Ezlo said, "Alright, enough chitchat. We've got a village to find!"
As Link walked towards a fallen log, he made a note to himself to ask Ezlo for more details on the curse of Vaati's he was trying to break.
After walking through the log and moving to a nearby shore via lilypads, the two came across a small clover patch. They passed a few clover-themed arches, and once again, Link couldn't believe what he saw. It was a village, but nothing like Hyrule Castle Town. The beings that lived here seemed to incorporate nature into their designs. All in all, it was a very peaceful atmosphere.
"Hmmm… It appears we've found the Minish village," Ezlo intoned.
"But where is everyone?" Link wondered.
On cue, a strange being peeked out from the clovers. It was the same type of creature that Link saw right before he passed out when Vaati attacked, but it was a different experience seeing them up close. It was Link's height, and had a mole-like face with large ears topped off with a red stocking cap. A red and white feather trailed behind its leafy skirt. "Pico Picori!" it shouted, causing more creatures to come out of hiding.
"Are these… Minish?" asked Link.
Ezlo smiled. "Indeed they are, m'boy!"
The Minish gathered around him, speaking their strange language. "Well, I guess I can understand why we decided to call them the Picori after a while. That's all they seem to say," observed Link.
"Ripi ripico picori!"
"Picoco pico ripico!"
Ezlo looked at the surrounding crowd. "I gather it's been quite some time since they last saw a human."
"Are they going to hurt us?" Link asked nervously. "What are they saying?"
"Of course not," Ezlo laughed. "One of the main lifestyles of the Minish is making humans happy while staying out of sight! It's how they survive, and they do enjoy it. As for what they're saying… It's a little different from the dialect I'm most familiar with. I'm afraid I didn't quite catch most of what they said myself."
"Great. What do we do now, then?"
"I'm sure there's someone here who understands your language. We just have to find them. Let's look around," Ezlo suggested.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before an older-looking Minish appeared, drawn by the commotion. He wore long robes and a tall hat, and he looked at the newcomers through a pair of glasses. "I've never seen an outfit like yours before. Forgive me, but are you… human?" he asked curiously.
"Y-yeah," stammered Link, not prepared for a Minish talking in his language. "Who are you, and more importantly, how can you speak Hylian?"
"My name is Festari," the Minish said, bowing. "I'm the watcher for the shrine to the north. I find humans fascinating, so that's why I know your language. You… seem to have trouble with ours, don't you?"
"That's right," Ezlo chimed in. "I am more familiar with your kind than the boy, but even I am having trouble understanding you. And yes, I am aware that I am a talking hat."
"You could use a Jabber Nut," said Festari. "It will allow you to understand our tongue. Allow me to guide you there."
Link and Ezlo followed the Minish, looking in wonder at the structures the small creatures used as houses. Most were made out of mushrooms, while the larger ones used man-made objects. One Minish used an old pot half-buried in the ground, while another was made out of a right shoe. The biggest one made use of a barrel, which is the one Festari led them to.
The interior was something of a surprise to Link, who had never seen a greenhouse before. "We use this place to create new types of plants to further the happiness of humans," Festari commented, pointing at a few glowing plants. He spoke briefly to another Minish, who then ran off deeper into the makeshift greenhouse. He returned with two strange-looking nuts. "These are Jabber Nuts. Please, eat them, so we may destroy this language barrier that's keeping you from understanding most of us."
Link and Ezlo obliged, and after they ate them, the bespectacled Minish asked, "Can you understand me?"
"Nayru be praised, yes I can!" said Link in relief.
"Wonderful!" Festari shouted. "Now we can get down to business. Why are you here, young Hylian?"
"It's a long story, but I need to reforge the Picori Blade," Link said, taking the broken sword out of his pack.
"Hm… I'm sorry, but I know little about swords," Festari said apologetically. "Go see the Elder, I'm sure that he can help."
Thanks to the assistance of another Minish, Link and Ezlo found the village elder. As one would expect from the name, this Minish was older than the rest of the village inhabitants. He had a red cap, long robes, an impressive mustache, and used a sewing needle as a staff. When he saw the two walk in, the elder's eyes grew comically large before he addressed them, recovering from his surprise at seeing a human wearing a talking hat.
"Oh! You speak our language! It's been quite a while since we've heard outsiders speak our tongue! My name is Gentari We have little to offer you in these woods, but please, enjoy your stay," he said warmly.
"I wish my coming here was for traveling, but I'm afraid that I need your help," the young Hylian said. "My name is Link, and the bird-hat I'm wearing is Ezlo."
"Hey!"
Link ignored Ezlo's outburst and continued. "We need to break a curse placed on Zelda, the princess of Hyrule. However," he said, displaying the broken sword, "the Picori Blade has been broken, and we need to reforge it."
"Hmm…" Gentari pondered Link's request. "Well, if the blade needs to be reforged, you'll need four mystic elements. These elements are the crystalline forms of the energies that make up this world: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. A new blade can be forged only with these energies. Allow me to point out the last known locations of the elements."
Gentari placed Link's map on a table and pointed out four locations: Mt. Crenel, Lake Hylia, the Wind Ruins, and the Minish Woods. "Wait, there's an element in these woods?" asked Ezlo.
"Indeed. The Earth Element can be found in the shrine to the north of Festari's abbey. Speak with him, and he'll show you the path to the shrine. However, go with caution. Evil creatures have lately made their home in our shrine."
"Not entirely unexpected, since the breaking of the Picori Blade released a horde of monsters into the world," said Ezlo.
"Is it okay with you if I leave the sword here? I think it might slow me down," said Link.
Gentari agreed to the request, and the Hylian made his way to the abbey, where Festari was waiting.
"You wish to go to the shrine?" asked Festari. Link nodded.
The Minish pointed the way. "Be careful, traveler. You're our first guest in many years. It would be a great shame if you perished in there."
Link smiled. "I appreciate the concern, but I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I've got too much to live for."
Festari bowed. "Very well. Good luck to you, and may the goddesses watch over you."
As Link and Ezlo walked the path to the Deepwood Shrine, Ezlo couldn't help but say, "You're awfully calm. Aren't you afraid of the monsters that will appear in the dungeon?"
Link looked up at Ezlo, smiling. "I am a little scared. However that's doesn't compare to the question I've constantly been asking myself since this whole thing started."
"And what's that?" asked Ezlo, curious.
"I keep asking myself, what the hell am I doing?! I mean, think about it. I'm barely eleven years of age, yet I'm about to go into a dungeon filled with monsters while I'm the size of marble in order to reforge a sword to save Princess Zelda from becoming a permanent garden statue. And I'm doing this while wearing a talking hat, to boot!" Link finished.
Ezlo chuckled at his outburst. "I agree, this situation of ours is quite odd. Know that I'm asking myself that, too."
Link sighed with relief. "Oh good, I thought I was all alone here."
The two stopped as they saw the entrance to the Deepwood Shrine. It certainly looked like it had once been a place of sanctuary for the Minish, judging by the ornately carved pillars. However, it now bore an aura of evil.
Link steeled himself. "Well, that element won't collect itself. Let's go, Ezlo."
"I'm with you, lad."
The young Hylian walked into the shrine, confident he could conquer this dungeon.
However, he was unaware of a pair of large yellow eyes staring at him from a distance...
Dun dun DUUUNNN!
I think that my favorite animation sequence of the sprites in Minish Cap is when you talk to Gentari and his eyes get huge. Makes me laugh every time. XD
Alright, for Deepwood Shrine, I'm probably gonna write it so it's sorta like a walkthrough. It'll be an interesting challenge, that's for sure.
Anyways, if you like it, please leave a review! See you guys next time!