Mina let out a whoop of excitement as she came around a bend in the canyon. Ahead of her, the road dropped away, leading to another of Hyrule's stable inns, nestled into an alcove in the cliff face to the right of the road to protect it from the elements. The massive horse-head construct on the roof stuck up just high enough to catch glimmers of the late afternoon light, giving the whole head a radiant glow.

There weren't any of the extra buildings Izuku'd said were around the last major stable he'd been to, which made sense. This one was kinda all the way out in the sticks. Not that that seemed to matter. Even from up here at the end of the road, she could hear music drifting down the canyon toward them and see horses in the stables. There were others here, and they totally knew how to party.

Behind her, she heard Link breathe a sigh of… relief? Probably relief. The rest of the trek through the canyon had been pretty tense, even with short breaks so Link could tackle a couple more shrines. They'd had to fight their way through a whole bunch of monsters camping out in the dig sites they'd passed. They'd tried sneaking past, but thanks to a certain someone, they'd had to fight the lot.

Bakugo. Even thinking about him started her seething. Sure, he'd been… well, not nice, but at least less rude after getting his trash handed to him. And that was nice, but it still didn't make up for how he'd treated Izuku. She wasn't mad about his snipe at her—honestly, it'd been a bit weak; she'd expected something more acidic—but the sheer amount of venom in his voice as he'd shouted down Izuku had—it just—

She clenched her fists and forced herself to breathe. In, hold for five seconds, out. In. Out. After a few moments, she relaxed her hands and tried to let the negative energy drain away. Much as she wanted to beat Bakugo into an explosive paste, she knew that wouldn't really solve anything. And, though it pained her to admit it, Link was probably right about their skill levels.

But that was a problem for later. She glanced over at Izuku, who was nursing a bruised arm. They were all a bit banged up after fighting through all the monsters, though thankfully no one had sustained any serious injuries. The cut Bakugo'd taken was probably the worst, and Yaomomo had patched him up.

No, she was more concerned about how quiet he'd been. They'd been on the road for most of the day, and he'd barely said more than a few sentences. Oh, sure, he answered when she poked him, but otherwise had stayed all wrapped up in his head. Well, that needed to change.

She leaned over and gently bumped him with her shoulder. "You're awfully unexcited for someone who gets to sleep in a bed tonight, Izu."

Izuku stumbled as he tried to right his balance. Poor guy. Shoulda been expecting the shoulder bump. "Wh-what?"

Mina snorted. "Super distracted. Here you are, next to the epitome of beauty and grace, and you're all wrapped up in your head." She reached out a hand to help steady him, ignoring the snort from behind her. Sometimes, you had to be a bit cheesy to get through.

"J-just… thinking. There's a lot going on."

'Uh-huh. Yeah, sure.' If he didn't want to talk now, she'd dig more later. She suspected once they had a little more space to themselves, he'd open up. Time for a distraction. "What do you think's making that music?"

Mina fought back the squee that welled up in her chest as Izuku actually cocked his head like a puppy, listening. Seriously, he didn't realize just how cute he could be. His eyes widened after a moment as the music swelled again. "I didn't hear that earlier. It's nice."

"Yeah it is!" She smiled at him, slowly drawing him out of his shell. "Reminds me a bit of the intro to that one movie by that old studio, back before quirks. It opened with this lovely slow lilting trill…"

"You'll have to show me when we get back," Izuku said absently, clearly still listening. After a moment, his eyes brightened. "Is that an accordion?"

"Could be! It sounds like an accordion to me. Shame Jirou's not here; she'd be able to tell us, like, right away. I guess we'll just have to, you know, go find out ourselves."

She held out her hand, and after a moment's hesitation, Izuku took it. Her grin widened, and she took off down the road, tugging him along after her.

Within minutes, the two had reached the stable. In addition to being wedged into an alcove in the cliffs, it also rested in a dip in the road across from a pair of small ponds. Behind the stable, she caught a glimpse of the orange glow of a shrine, which made sense; the ancient Sheikah had scattered the things all over the place, and the Hylians had seemingly managed to build right next to a bunch of them. The air around the stable was noticeably cooler than even the hike through the canyon had been. Maybe from it sitting in a hole? She'd have to ask Midori. Or maybe Yaomomo.

Thoughts about temperatures were pushed from her mind as she and Izuku rounded the stable and came face to face with the source of the music. Or face to beak.

The musician was a muscular bird man who looked like some kind of tropical parrot. At first, she thought he was like Tokoyami, with a bird head and a human body, but after a moment she realized the weird colors she saw under his bandolier of scarves were, in fact, his feathers. Even his fingers were big feathers, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to her, but she wasn't gonna ask questions, especially when he was busy jamming out on his accordion.

And he was good. Now that she was closer, she could hear the tune much more clearly. His feather-fingers danced across the keys and nobs of his instrument, producing a gentle melody that reminded her of riding horses, for some reason. His playing had drawn a small crowd of stable folk and travelers were resting in the area in front of the stable, and Mina could see more inside.

"Man, he's really good," Izuku said, mirroring her thoughts.

"Yeah he is! I wonder if he's gonna play anything else tonight?" she murmured.

Mina thought she'd spoken quietly, but Bird Guy's chuckle told her otherwise. He played a final chord before opening his eyes and looking at her. "I am pleased that you—all of you, hello!—have enjoyed my humble craft. Stablemaster Piaffe has hired my services for the evening, so I fully intend on playing more for you."

A small cheer went up from around them as a few people came forward to talk to the musician. Mina didn't hear what they asked, but the musician smiled and began playing another tune, something a bit faster while still feeling relaxed.

The beginnings of a plan began to form in her mind, and she grinned. "I know what we're doing after dinner tonight."

Izuku gulped, and she laughed. He didn't know it yet, but he was about to have the night of his life.

Before she could tease him anymore, she heard the rest of the group turning up behind them and turned to face them, grin still on her face. "Hey guys! We've got entertainment for the night."

"I can see that," Yaomomo said with a small smile as the two groups merged. The only one missing was Link, who Mina noticed speaking with the stablemaster. "It has been quite a while since I've heard an accordion played so skillfully."

"I can't say that I've heard an accordion before," Todoroki added. "My father had strict guidelines on the kind of music we could play in the house."

Bakugo snorted. "Your dad sucks toes, Icy Hot. Accordion ain't my style, but I ain't gonna keep my damn kids from listening to it. Even if it is played by a bird."

That was such a weird show of comradery. Mina gawked at him, earning a scowl. "What the hell're you looking at, Raccoon Eyes? You met Endeavor? Man's a dumpster fire of insecurities."

"The kettle would like to have a word," Yaomomo murmured as Bakugo turned away.

Mina snorted. Seriously, she had to wonder sometimes if Bakugo had any sense of self awareness. That wasn't something she wanted to pursue right now. She could feel her temper starting to rise again, so she forced herself to turn away.

It was all so dumb. Why couldn't the two just get along?

She huffed to herself and looked around for any kind of distraction. Bird man, doggo, horses—Link. Link would do, and from the look on his face as he walked toward them, he'd made up his mind about something.

"All right," Link said, rejoining the group and pulling the others' attention back to him. "I talked with the stablemaster, and it sounds like the bazaar is only a few hours into the desert. We can make it there tonight and figure out our next move."

Tonight? Mina felt the whine building in the back of her throat even as she opened her mouth. "Does it have to be tonight? We've been walking all day, and those stupid monsters earlier totally wore me out."

"It could be useful to gather information about what to expect before we venture forth," Todoroki added.

Bakugo snorted. "What are you, some kind of damn role player? 'Venture forth' my ass. Might as well get you some of those stupid pants if you wanna cosplay an adventurer."

'I mean, technically we are adventurers. Like, we're on an adventure and everything.' A picture of Todoroki in a pair of renaissance-style baggy shorts flashed through her mind, and she had to stifle a giggle. She couldn't give Bakugo the satisfaction of knowing he was occasionally funny.

As she got her silent giggles under control, she also realized he hadn't actually said anything about continuing on. 'He's probably just as tired as us, but doesn't want to say it because then he'd look "weak".'

Evidently, Link had noticed as well. He held up a hand and quickly shook his head. "I understand, but we can't wait that long. Have any of you traveled through a desert before? No? I have. Temperatures hit extreme highs in the day and extreme lows at night. The only safe times to travel are during the hours just after daybreak and just before dusk, and that's assuming there aren't any monsters on the road."

"Still isn't a problem; we just head out stupid early in the morning," Bakugo said bluntly.

"K-Kacchan's right; we can rest here for the night and get ready for tomorrow," Izuku agreed. Bakugo scowled at him, but otherwise didn't respond. "I kn-know I'd like to spend some time looking around here."

Link hesitated, and Mina could see him debating within himself. Before she could respond, Yaomomo reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. "I understand your urgency," she said gently, "but if monsters are a concern, would it not be better for us to face them well rested? We have made excellent time; a few more hours should not cause undue delay."

That seemed to do it. Link's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "You're right. We'll break here for the night."

Mina grinned. "Sounds like a plan, boss! You want us to go get checked in? That way, you can check out the shrine out back."

The mention of the shrine caught Link's attention, and he spun around to face the direction she indicated. "I completely forgot that was here. Yes, please register us for some beds. I'll go take a look at the shrine."

"You want some help?" Izuku asked.

After another brief hesitation, Link shook his head. "No, I should be fine. If I do need help, I'll let you know, but the old monks have made it pretty clear they made their trials for me and me alone. Getting help with them feels… dishonest."

"That's stupid," Bakugo snorted. "Whatever, have fun getting yourself wrecked, idiot."

Izuku looked down at his hand. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that," he murmured. For the briefest moment, Mina saw a flash of green lightning, and then it was gone. His eyes lost focus the way they did when he was thinking too deep even for mutters.

What would it have been like to be born without a quirk? She'd been surprised when he told her about One for All—well, surprised wasn't quite the right word; not strong enough. Astonished? Not confounded; she'd been pretty vocal the entire time. Anyway, she'd been surprised. Who'd ever heard of a quirk that could be given to others, or one that could take someone else's? He handled his power so well now, much better than he had when they'd first started school.

It was almost inconceivable that he had ever been quirkless. And then there were the moments where she'd see it. He'd do something that One for All could help with, or forget he had it activated and grip a pencil too tightly. Mostly, she saw it in how he interacted with others. For someone with so much power, he was so deeply insecure when it came to... some people.

That insecurity was one of the things that had attracted her to him, if she was being honest. It made him much more gentle than any of the other strong kids she knew. And she had to admit, it was nice to be seen for who she was and not for her quirk.

She gave Izuku's arm a squeeze before directing her attention to Link. "Go for it, dude. We'll see you when you get out."

As Link nodded and left, she turned to Izuku and grinned. Time to put her hastily constructed plan into action. "So Midori, you ever been dancing?"

Link blinked as the blue light of the shrine washed over him. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the light, revealing a small room with two pedestals in the center of the room. A metal orb crackling with energy rested on the left pedestal, and a similar orb was tucked away in the corner of the room. The closed door opposite him was connected to each of the pedestals by a glowing cable, one of which glowed Sheikah blue.

It was nice when the monks were straightforward with what they wanted.

As he stepped off the lift, he heard the ancient monk. In a voice like silk dust, he whispered, "To you who sets foot in this shrine... I am Kay Noh. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. Learn to harness the power of electricity, and the way shall be opened."

Link snorted and set to work. He pulled out the Slate and tapped Magnesis. In an instant, his field of view filled with red lines running to every metal object in the room. Each line's thickness depended on the size of the metal object, and most of them ran down to himself, but two thick lines didn't. Each ran to one of the orbs.

Simple.

He gestured at the orb in the corner. All the other lines disappeared as Magnesis activated, and the orb lurched into the air. With a few deft movements, he maneuvered the orb into its pedestal before stepping back and releasing the rune.

Beerrrow!

Shnk.

The second power line—what else it could be, Link didn't know—turned blue, and the door slid open. He smiled in satisfaction. It was always nice when the shrines were simple.

Actually, no. It was nice when the shrines were easy. He had very clear memories of the first combat trial shrine they'd stumbled upon. A "Minor Test of Strength," the monk had called it. All he'd had to do was destroy a Guardian Scout. Simple? Yes. Easy, however, it had not been.

This test seemed to be both, so he let his mind wander as he crept deeper into the shrine. If only all his problems could be slotted into those two categories. Saving the princess could. It was, in and of itself, a simple task; defeat the Calamity. It wouldn't be easy, but he suspected it would be much more doable with his companions than it might be otherwise.

Saving his princess, however…

He frowned as the thought crossed his mind, idly noting the door to the monk was locked before turning to look for the key. Despite his promise, he didn't know how he was going to restore Mipha. He'd originally thought they could use the Shrine of Resurrection, but, after some more consideration, had discarded that idea. It had taken the shrine a century to heal him, and he'd still had a body. How long would it need to construct one from scratch? He'd happily put it into motion, even if it meant he wouldn't be with her, but he doubted she'd want to continue in a world no longer her own.

He could relate to that. There was something deeply disturbing to seeing places you remembered full of life turned into charred ruins. He wasn't excited about revisiting Castle Town—or about rediscovering whatever memories he'd lost there.

The whirring of gears pulled his attention back to the present. A small Scout had whirred to life at the bottom of the stairs. He quashed the familiar lurch of fear and unsheathed his sword.

FFPew!

Crumpt!

Link sidestepped the bolt of energy and felt time slow around him. With a grim smile, he launched himself at the robot.

Clang! Clang!

Bzzzewwwww…

The Scout crumpled under a few well-placed blows. Satisfied, he salvaged a few of the parts before checking to see what it was defending. Another of the energized orbs had been placed in the back corner of the room. He was willing to bet there was something back up by the door for the orb.

Sure enough, he found another of the power pedestals once he'd retraced his steps. He pulled the orb up with Magnesis and dropped it into place, opening the way forward.

Link barely remembered any of the details of the second half of the shrine. He was brought back to reality to confront another Scout, but otherwise was left to his own thoughts. The electricity pulled a few more hazy memories to surface—conversations with a Sheikah researcher named Robbie about how a theory of his involving bioelectricity, and something about Urbosa.

Still, even his memories couldn't keep his attention for long, and soon, his thoughts returned to the puzzle of bringing the dead back to life. No matter how he turned the question in his head, he couldn't see a way to do it. He was so focused that he barely even registered when the monk surrendered his spirit orb.

Maybe the Sheikah had some other invention that could do it? Or maybe the great fairies? Fairies often took pity on the dying. Could they bring someone long dead back to life? Or did they require a body to work?

He kept turning the question over in his mind as he exited the shrine into the afternoon sunlight. Or what should have been sunlight. The canyon was deep in shadow, though there were still a few vestiges of sunlight peeking over the cliffs. Below, light and music poured from the stable and the nearby bonfire, accompanying the aroma of something hearty and delicious.

How long had he been in the shrine? It couldn't have been that long… could it have? His growling stomach, awakened by the smell and promise of dinner, indicated that it had. Cursing himself for getting distracted, Link hurried down the slope and into the crowd in the courtyard.

In the hours he'd been inside, the stable's patrons had increased quite a bit, though it was far from the largest gathering he'd seen. Most of the travelers were Hylians, though he spotted Yaoyorozu speaking with two equally-tall women who could only be Gerudo. There were more people inside the inn, but the majority of the party was out in the courtyard.

And it was a party. Off to one side, the bird man—Rito, his memory finally supplied—played a quick-paced reel on his accordion, accompanied by a stablehand on a violin and, to his surprise, Bakugo on drums. His surprise deepened when he realized Bakugo was good—and was perhaps the most relaxed Link had ever seen him. 'I wonder how he got roped into all this?'

What drew his attention, however, were the dancers. There were at least a dozen, and in their center were Ashido and Midoriya, both having the time of their lives. The two moved gracefully—or Ashido did; Midoriya was clearly out of his element and just as clearly didn't care—following the steps of the locals in the dance. After a few moments of watching, Link nodded to himself; the song was different, he recognized the dance from when he was younger. It was nice to know it had survived the Calamity.

His stomach growled again, reminding him that he needed to find some of this food before Ashido found him. He made his way through the crowd and into the stable, noting Todoroki talking quietly with a furtive pair of adventurers as he slid up to the counter serving as both bar and check-in counter.

The redhead behind the bar—Piaffe—was taking an order from a shabby-looking traveler and nodded at him before turning his attention back to the customer. Link nodded back and settled in to wait. After a few minutes, Piaffe finished and turned to Link. "Sorry about that, traveler! What can I get for you?"

Link's stomach rumbled in response, and he smiled hungrily. "I'll have some of whatever that smell's coming from."

Piaffe grinned. "That we can do. That'll be a blue and a green. Oi, Fesia! A platter of the chicken for this traveler!"

Link slipped the rupees across the counter, where they swiftly vanished. "Thank you kindly," Piaffe said. "Fesia'll have that for you in a minute or two. Go find a place to sit, and she'll bring it over."

"That's greatly appreciated, thank you." With another nod, Link turned away from the counter and surveyed the room, looking for a table. Maybe with Todoroki? No, a few more travelers had joined him and they were deep in discussion. Most of the other tables were full, too, and he really didn't want to have to insert himself into strangers' conversations this evening.

Just when he was about to give up and go find a spot outside, he noticed a table in the back occupied by two figures, one of whom had a very large, distinctly-shaped bag parked behind him. Not ideal, but he'd take it. He maneuvered through the crowd before coming a stop beside the table. "Evening, Beedle. Is this seat open?"

Beedle looked up at him and grinned, his eyes full of the jerky, frenetic energy that seemed to permeate his entire being. "Oh, hello there! Yes, please sit; Beedle will be with you in a minute."

That suited him just fine. Link lowered himself into the seat closest the wall and took the time to study Beedle's table companion as the two talked. Or companions. The man he was speaking to had a rust-red fox on his lap. The animal looked at Link as he sat down before snorting and resting his head on his master's lap.

His choice in pets aside, the stranger seemed mostly unremarkable. No, his clothes caught Link's attention more. They were sensible choices for the region, but something about the style tickled Link's memory. He'd seen pants like the stranger's sometime since he'd awakened, but he couldn't quite place them. After puzzling it over for a moment he shrugged. None of his business.

A platter of chicken and bread thumped down in front of him, followed by a mug of liquid. "Here you are, traveler. I'd advise eating that with the bread; it'll deaden the heat."

Judging by the spicy scent coming from the chicken, that was probably a wise choice. He fished in his pouch and extracted a couple of green rupees. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the quick service."

The girl smiled, and the rupees vanished almost as soon as he opened his hand. "Sure thing. You need anything, you just holler and I'll be right over."

Almost as quickly as she had appeared, the girl was gone again, leaving him to try his food. Deciding to take a gamble, he took a bite of the chicken. Immediately, sweat broke out across his forehead as the spice flared up through his sinuses. 'She wasn't kidding; this is spicy—and delicious.' The bread was also excellent, somehow both softening the curry's heat while also enhancing its flavor.

As he went back for his second, larger bite, Beedle's companion shook the merchant's hand and stood. His fox, rather than jumping to the floor, scurried up his chest and draped itself around his neck. "It's settled. Thank you for the information, Merchant; this will be very useful for my operation."

"Beedle is happy to be of assistance and thanks you for the specimen." Beedle patted his pack, and Link noticed a clear container with an utterly massive beetle sitting on a leaf.

The man waved his hand idly before turning his head and nodding at Link. "Enjoy your meal, warrior."

Link nodded back as the man left. There was a lull in the music as he walked out of the tent, and Link was almost positive he could hear Ashido gushing over the fox. He snorted; Ashido would be excited about a potentially wild animal. He glanced at Beedle and jerked his head toward where the visitor had vanished. The merchant shrugged. "Outlander. He had questions about the local monsters and where to find some rare parts."

"Well, there's no shortage of monsters here," Link snorted. "I'm sure he'll find what he's looking for."

'At least one of us will.' His dilemma flashed through his mind again, and he shook his head, trying to clear the gloom from his mind. He must have let some of his discontent slip, however, as Beedle peered at him, eyes wide in concern. "You have the look of someone who has just lost a horned colossus beetle."

Link snorted. "I think most Hylians lack your enthusiasm for bugs, Beedle."

"Nonsense! Beedle has seen many Hylian children catching insects. Why, just yesterday, Beedle witnessed one fine specimen—"

"Okay, okay, maybe more people like bugs than I gave credit." He sighed and took another bite of curry. He hadn't really included kids in his original statement, but that's what he got for not being specific. Honestly, who included kids in stuff like this? Kids loved bugs; obviously, he wouldn't include them.

The silence stretched as he used his bread to mop up some excess sauce, and he sighed again. "Specifics aside, I get what you mean, and yeah, I've got some… let's call them quandaries, and I don't know what to do with them."

Beedle arched an eyebrow and leaned across the table. "Maybe Beedle can help."

Link snorted. "I appreciate that, but unless you know how to bring back the dead, I don't think you'll be able to help."

Rather than laughing, Beedle frowned. His brow creased, somehow conveying both anxiety and deep thought at the same time. "Bringing back the dead, is it? Such a thing is difficult to do… but not impossible."

Link froze bid-bite. "What do you mean, 'not impossible'? Have you done it before?"

Beedle shook his head. "No. There are methods though, and Beedle will share them with you… for a price." When Link narrowed his eyes, Beedle smiled anxiously. "Beedle is a merchant, and any good merchant knows the value of his wares."

A tiny scrapping sound caught Link's attention, and he glanced over at the giant beetle hanging from the merchant's bag—Beedle's payment for whatever information he'd given the outlander. He didn't have much money, and he wasn't a bug catcher… but if there was a chance, he had to take it. "What's your price?"

"Just like that?" Beedle raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Beedle is wrong, but that seems like bad business instinct to me."

"And I'd agree with you, normally, but you've got your reputation to keep up, so you wouldn't lie about this… and I can't afford to not check."

Beedle's frown deepened, but he slowly nodded. "I understand. I know of several methods, the most straightforward being to gain Hylia's favor. She has raised the dead in the past, but it has been many years since the last recorded incident. It is also somewhat common knowledge fairies will take pity on dying travelers, so perhaps you may find a sympathetic one could aid you."

Link's feeling of despair reared its head again. "That's what I thought, but wouldn't a fairy need a body to restore life to?"

The merchant shrugged. "Perhaps. You would need to ask them. If that is a concern, there are other options. I have heard rumors, legends so old they may as well be bedtime stories, of a set of golden artifacts that could grant you any wish, but Beedle can neither confirm nor deny their validity."

Ancient artifacts? What good were those? "Is there anything else?" he asked, feeling despair creep into his voice.

Rather than respond immediately, Beedle studied his face. Link looked back in kind, not bothering to hide his feelings. If there was any chance, he had to try.

After what felt like an eternity, Beedle leaned back and sighed to himself. "There is… one other option," he said begrudgingly. "Though Beedle is loathe to share it. There was once a... man... who was a self-proclaimed broker of power and life. In his hands, life force and money were one and the same."

Beedle's face twisted in disgust, and for the first time since he'd met the merchant, Link noticed all traces of anxiety leave his face and voice. In its place was a weariness that spoke with the weight of age. "I don't know the specifics, and I'm happy to be ignorant, for his dealings caught the attention of the Goddess. In Her wisdom, the Goddess decreed that this broker's dealings were corrupt and cursed him, turning him into a statue."

Link sucked in a breath, and Beedle nodded. "Curiously, he retained his awareness after his transformation—and his abilities. Though his statue has moved through the years, there are always those who seek out his services. Last Beedle knew, he was somewhere in Hateno."

Almost without thinking, Link scooped up another bite of curry, idly noting the spoon scraping against the bowl as he did so. Cursed by the Goddess… and apparently unrepentant, if the story was true. What a fate.

The music faded again, only to be replaced with the sounds of excited chatter. Link looked up. "Cursed to be a statue," he mused. "That also sounds like a story you'd tell naughty kids."

"It does, doesn't it? Unfortunately, Beedle swears that it is true."

Now it was Link's turn to study the merchant. The anxiety was back, deeper this time. There was a realness to it that hadn't been present before, almost like Beedle had something to be worried about. Behind it was the same sense of age he'd felt earlier, and again he was struck by the impression that the merchant was far older than he appeared.

And he wasn't lying.

He wasn't lying. Which meant Link had more options than he'd thought. But what good would it be to bring Mipha and the other champions back if it just meant they'd all be cursed by Hylia? Or maybe he'd be the only cursed one? Would Hylia care?

Eventually, he shook his head. "My thanks. I don't know what I'm going to do with that information, but it's more than I had."

"You are most welcome," Beedle chirped, his anxiety seemingly vanishing as he re-adopted his normal, chipper persona. "And now, for Beedle's price.

"Deep in the desert, there is a special kind of beetle that lives on and near cacti. Appropriately, they are called the cactus longhorn beetle. Bring me a mating pair, and I will consider that payment."

'A pair of beetles? That's… not so bad.' Eyes narrowed, Link looked up at him. "That sounds almost too easy. What's the catch?"

"Beedle wondered if you would ask. The beetles are most often found near molduga dens."

Of course they were. Link groaned and rested his head in his hands. Demonic power brokers and moldugas. Calamity, things just kept getting more complicated.