"I'm telling you, there's definitely a ruin in those woods!" "L- Look lady, I know you must be frustrated with whatever it is you think you saw, but people have been through that grove hundreds of times and never encountered a.." The map merchant looked down at his notes again for a moment, stammering to find the right line of ink. "Ancient.. Temple?" He responded, sounding almost as confused as he looked when those words left his mouth. Vayrin, an average hylian in both height and build put her arms on her hips with contempt. Her emerald gaze piercing into the merchant's soul as she glared at him. "I was IN those ruins! I was trapped in there for hours! And I'm not the only one, either! I was with a mercenary! A Rito mercenary. Tall, black armor, long beak, wings. He went by the name of Ni'Ran. Surely you know of him, he's been through here multiple times already." Vayrin probed. The merchant sighed and looked back down at his notes. "Ugh! I can't believe these people... And here I was thinking Castle Town would make more sense than Nabooru..." Vayrin muttered to herself as she stormed out of the small inlet map shop. The afternoon sun shone high above the clouds, raining rays of light on the expansive and bustling city of Castle Town. People all around her of multiple different races scurried about on their daily duties. Most were regular hylians like her, but she did notice the odd Zora or Goron wandering about in the streets, and Vayrin swore she saw the little leaf stalk of a Deku Scrub within the crowd not too long ago, but she couldn't be sure. At least this place was a lot more lively than she thought it was, but then again she wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting when she got here. For years the girl had never ventured far from the safety of her hometown Nabooru, so outside of the books and knowledge her father taught her, she knew nothing about the greater lands of Hyrule. She could safely say though that the castle was shock to her. The sheer size of the building was large enough to block out the sun during certain times of the day. Even now it loomed in her peripheral, as if it was taunting her to go take a peek inside its ancient stone walls. She often wondered what lay in those halls... Why would a King need a house that large? Her thoughts however were cut short by the passing of a guard troop. She quickly took a few steps back to let them through and leaned against the wooden building. That's when she was reminded of her entire reason for coming to this town in the first place. Sighing, the hylian pushed herself off the wooden wall as the soldiers passed and continued walking. She needed to find some better gear... As her bloodied clothes and worn out weapon from her previous adventure within that monster infested temple noted...
The bustling streets were cacophonous and assailed the senses. The crowd of dense Hylians concealed the view of the cobbled street. However, the crowd concealed something else as well. The backstreets were rife with stalls and shops, some more hidden than others. A devious atmosphere concealed what was often an assortment of the best deals in Northern Hyrule. Hiding along the beaten path was a special stall, a shop strangely different from the others. A greenish brimmed hat stood out from atop a tall figure. A wide smile beneath a long mustache filled the entire alleyway. It was a Goron decked from head to toe with lengths of rope and survival gear. He had just strolled up, courteously offering passage to the many smaller Hylians just trying to get by. It was a coincidence, or maybe even just dumb luck that this meeting would happen this way. Briggson had heard through the grape vine that an assortment of rare plants he was looking for were somewhere on sale in the Castle Town streets. It was only after he realized that every stall was sold out of the botanicals he was seeking to replant and harvest, that he had chosen to come here. "BROTHERRR! I need everything on this list! Wait. . ." the Goron exclaimed. He looked down into the infamous stall. Its canopy was a dark shade of cyan, casting a shadow over a very strange but common assortment of wares. Everyday items ranging from small crates of cucco eggs to flower pots, fishing poles, and fish(?) lay in a neat array at drastically slashed prices. This stall was going to run everyone out of business with prices like these. Goat Butter for one rupee? The entire practice was insane, but Briggson noticed one glaring thing. At the center of it all was the shopkeep. It was an energetic, hyper little Miniblin wringing his tiny fists. "Doo na na! Do you have the -ｍ ｏ ｎ ｅ ｙ- to complete your order with Pooky? Da na bing, da na boom." the Miniblin interrogated with a gangsterish smile. Briggson scratched his head. There was SO MUCH wrong with this exchange. "You're a monster. How did you get this deep into Castle Town?" Briggson carefully inquired. "Pooky has his ways." he leered. "Well do you have any of these plants or not? No plants, no rupees brother." Briggson palmed his chin with an even more squinted leer. This was ridiculous, and going on for far too long. Pooky blurred in with the scenery, snatching the list up so fast it was imperceptible. He licked his lips as he sneered at the sizable list. He jumbled through a few burlap sacks behind him. He started nervously trembling, this was not what the little scamp expected. "Pooky does not believe he is already out of stock. De ne ne needs to restock somehow! Pooky had all of these yesterday." he remarked slyly. Stores never have the one thing you came for. "Well what does a little suspicious bro have to do to find these plants? I'm in a hurry." Briggson impatiently replied. "Hold that thought." Pooky mischievously interrupted, his weird speech quirk absent. A Hylian in exceptionally bloodied and torn clothes was coming down the street. Pooky's eyes grew three sizes as a wicked smirk tore through his face. Briggson whirled his head around to see what the imp was looking at. "STOP RIGHT IN!" Pooky boomed "DA LOWEST PRICES ON ALL STYLISH OUTERWEAR!" He tooted loudly on his long trumpet. "DOOT DA NAH! PRICES CATERED TO YOUR NEEDS!"
Vayrin lazily strolled through the streets of Castle Town, not paying much mind to those around her. When she had first arrived within the city it was indeed quite the surprise, but thanks to that reluctant map merchant her mood had notably soured. Right now she just walked forwards down one of the busier streets, not really knowing where exactly she was headed just yet. If she was going to be perfectly honest with herself she wasn't entirely sure where to start looking for the answers she seeked. She could've asked one of the guards, but they didn't pay too much mind to her when she claimed she was looking for one of them. For some reason nobody knew her father's name... Which was concerning to say the least. Sighing to herself, the Hylian figured she should take a break from asking strangers questions and find something a little more decent to wear. From her expedition into Skyview Temple her clothes were left tattered and bloody. Thankfully Bokoblins didn't have red blood, otherwise she might've been mistaken for some sort of killer. But monsters weren't people... Right? Vayrin was shook back to reality when a rather loud and unusual tone hit her pointed ears. The girl snapped her head towards one of the alleys which seemed to be overcrowded with suspicious stalls. What really caught her attention however was the call claiming to have "Da lowest prices on all stylish needs". The hylian stopped for a moment, staring down the alley to get a better look at the situation. The sun was shining directly in her face, however, so she was forced to move closer to investigate. With the sound of a trumpet the girl raised an eyebrow and suddenly noticed the large figure of a Goron. "O- Oh. So- Sorry." She stammered, almost running into the much larger being. "I uh... I was just coming to look at what this stall h... ad... in... stock?" She trailed off, looking down at what was a very real, very much alive, Miniblin. Vayrin arched her head back a bit and took a few steps away. "Uhm... what is THAT doing here?!" Vayrin whispered to the Goron. She didn't even have time to take in the fact that Pooky was SELLING stuff. His presence alone was enough to put her on edge. To her knowledge, monsters were never seen within towns, let alone Castle Town. She quickly turned her head to both ends of the alley, seeing nobody. "Uh.. S- Sorry mr.. Miniblin, sir." She gulped. "I have... Uh.. I wasn't aware your kind could speak... Let alone sell things.." She expressed. Well, Vayrin felt 100 times more awkward covered in monster blood now. "It's just... I met some of your kind before and they tried to.. y'know... kill me." Shit. That didn't help at all...
The Goron looked back, sort of confused and bug-eyed. His answer was as good as hers. He warily eyed the Miniblin after the Hylian's response. It was almost immediate, however, the clever scamp replied back. "Pooky KILLS you!" he shouted. He tooted his trumpet again. "Pooky jokes, he kills you with savings. He slashes prices! Da de deals are criminal, take your pick. We have the finest goods in all of Hyrule Field!" he yipped and yammered. Briggson put a large hand over his own mouth. This was getting seriously bad, if one Guard took Pooky's words the wrong way they would have one very dead salesman. Briggson looked up and down the street. They must have been in such a secluded location that nothing like that could happen. Nobody up or down the alleyway looked like a Guard, secretive or otherwise. He couldn't wrap his head around whether this Miniblin was smart or extremely dumb. "Before you go selling clothes to this Hylian. . . where did you say my plants were?" the climber interrupted. Pooky was dancing on an empty space on the low stall table. He was twisting his elbows and really busting a move. He began to turn slowly and clap his paws. He then yanked an overhead length of twine and a cloud of confetti began to rain down over his head. Pooky began to chuckle madly. "Pooky knows where to goes! Somewhere deep in Faron Woods! The most stylish and quality outerwear you will find at the best pocket value of all time! Pooky sells you best colors of product that doesn't stink of his brothers' blood! Khaki and Mauve and Turquoise as well! Pooky has everything!" the little man raved. He began to laugh hysterically. "He's certainly not listening, like a monster." Briggson observed. "But he's not trying to attack us either." he explained to the confused Hylian.
Vayrin honestly had no idea how to react to this situation. This was definitely not on her list of expected situations when she arrived in Castle Town. The hylian shook her head slightly, turning to stare at the Goron for a moment while Pooky danced and turned back to look at him. "Uhh.. R- Right. I'm sure you do...." She responded, looking over his little booth. She wasn't exactly sure what this Miniblin could offer her exactly. She didn't have much experience around shady salesman, but she figured they'd look something similar to this Miniblin. Vayrin looked over to Briggson as he inquired about some plants and said nothing, assuming the Goron had come to do his own business with the odd monster right before she came into the picture. She sighed to herself as they spoke, turning her head slightly to make sure nobody was coming. While she couldn't exactly say she cared for this Miniblin, she knew that there would be certain implications if she was caught conversing with the creature. As a result, Vayrin shifted somewhat anxiously and was about to silently leave the conversation... That was until a very familiar name hit her pointed ears. "Faron woods? Is that what you said?" She turned to face Pooky directly, stepping a little closer to the booth. Her previous attitude had seemed to change completely. A look of attentiveness replaced that of worry, and it was quite evident it replaced her thoughts as well. It turns out that Vayrin had heard of Faron Woods before. She heard of something in that forest. An old ruin of some sort mentioned in her father's notes. Apparently he found this ruin and went in searching for something... But what she wasn't exactly sure. However she was met with just hysteric laughter and the Goron pointed out the obvious. Vayrin looked at him for a moment before opening her mouth. "I guess so..." She agreed with him. While Pooky was too busy in his own rave of laughter she nodded to the Goron, a small look of hope in her eyes that had replaced the doubt beforehand. "My name's Vayrin by the way. What plants were you looking for anyway? Just curious is all.." She said truthfully. If this Goron was planning a trek into that forest, perhaps they could work together is some fashion? Vayrin wasn't exactly sure what that would mean, but figured having a Goron with you could never hurt when traveling into a wild forest with unknown dangers.
"OH!" the Goron yelped. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to shout. Is the place you're looking for in Faron Woods too? This cheeky shop monster was lucky to mention it in front of both of us. How suspicious. " Briggson seemed to trail off, and he was eyeing the rest of the stall for supplies while he was talking. This was the one day he came to Castle Town to shop that he didn't find any of the hiking supplies he was looking for. The Goron's sudden silence, however, was a window for the Miniblin to start yammering again. "Pooky cuts the normal price (half off) in half!" he squealed. "We'll throw in this useful trinket and the deadly Hylian only pays a quarter of the price!" Pooky rummaged through his wares. His tiny hands dredged up something twinkling and smooth. It was a sort of frying pan with lots of square indents in it, with a second one folded in half on top of it. Briggson had never seen anything like it. Apparently this weird object was free along with the purchase of a set of clothing. The Goron didn't like the monster interrupting him, and he assumed neither did the Hylian. It seemed the Goron was also forgetting something. He knew he would have to ask this Miniblin for more detailed directions. "Oh, so sorry. My name is Briggson, of the Gor Briggs clan! As you may have heard, I work with plants. Not a ton of Gorons are into botany, but it's very important for our environment. There's also a bunch of great health applications. . ." he announced, but stopped himself before he could drone on. "Goron isn't buying anything!" Pooky yelled. "We can bring you to those plants! Pooky has to resupply his stock anyway. No charge!" he emphasized the last thing. "What are you on about, little man? Vayrin, these plants are important, but it's hard to specify. Take a look at my list." the Goron produced his shopping list parchment once more. A bizarre list of plants appeared, many of their names sounding alien. A lot of things came up frequently though, including Deku Nuts and similar staples of woods further South. It seemed this Goron didn't travel far from the Northern Mountains often. Something of note was mention of parts from something called a 'Deku-Like,' and it seemed Briggson was incredibly serious about finding everything on the list. "Pooky can show you a way out of here, straight to these things." the scamp added. Did the little twerp have a secret route out of Castle Town? It was probably how he avoided the Guards.
With the girl's focus now shifted to a more serious note, it didn't take her much effort to drown out the Miniblin's incessant chattering and focus more on the Goron who seemed to be making a lot more sense than the little monster anyways. "Aye, I had multiple mentions of that forest in passing and there's something there that I uh.. Need to find." She replied, somewhat truthfully. If Vayrin was going to be honest with herself, she wasn't really sure WHAT she was looking for in those woods aside from an ancient ruin of some sort. What she hoped to discover inside still remained a mystery to her, but she hoped that the clues would reveal themselves to her when she eventually made her way there. Now that the Goron had mentioned it, Vayrin did find it indeed a little odd that Pooky just so happened to mention the place that they were BOTH apparently looking for. She wasn't normally a very suspicious person, but this did indeed raise some flags. The monster was far from being trustworthy, for Vayrin anyways. Than again the Hylian wasn't exactly sure what he could do to a battle trained Hylian and a well built Goron. The Goron did introduce himself as Briggson and she nodded in response. He explained that he was a botanist. That was very strange to Vayrin, so much so that it managed to crack a little smile in her otherwise serious look. As Briggs confirmed not many Gorons really took up the profession. Vayrin had certainly never heard of a Goron botanist in her time anyways... The thought was somewhat humorous. "Yeah, I can imagine so." She nodded as he listed the benefits of botany. She herself had never much interest in the job, but Vayrin couldn't deny its uses. Her thoughts were interrupted however when the Miniblin announced himself again to the pair. "Oh? Do you make frequent trips to the woods?" Vayrin asked with an arched eyebrow and a hand on her hip, not making any effort to hide her suspicion. Briggson handed her a list of the plants he was looking for and she looked it over carefully. Most of the names she had recognized, but a few were foreign to her. "Hmmm... Yeah you would definitely know more about these things than I would." She admitted, giving the list back to the Goron. "I'm not really an expert on plants or their applications." She chuckled again at his seriousness. Her laugh could've easily been mistaken for Vayrin making fun of the Goron, even if that wasn't the case. "Wait, you want to lead us into the forest yourself?" She asked the little Miniblin, her tone matching her unsure expression. The girl turned to the Goron to see his opinion on this matter before making any final decisions, but she knew that this Miniblin was obviously in it for himself, despite whatever he may say to persuade them otherwise...
Briggson eyed the Miniblin nervously, his eyes almost popping out of his face. Despite the creature's insistence on doing civil tasks and not technically threatening any violence, neither could be sure the little thing wouldn't snap at a moment's notice. "Pooky insists!" he shouted. "Follow Pooky down this exit." The Miniblin cleared some of his product out of the way. A number of Hylians appeared to begin packing his stock onto a large carriage. What appeared behind the goods was a small passageway, smaller than the alley they were occupying. There was a brown metal hatch, very old and clearly made for the sewer. His 'secret exit' was just the sewer system. He slammed open the hatch. It was large enough for even a Goron to fit through. "It's okay I think." Briggson mentioned. "I've done investigations in these stone sewers before." Was Briggson a detective once? It was highly unlikely and probably unrelated. Almost certain this Miniblin knew the way through the forest, they begrudgingly followed him. It was as anyone expected, there were a lot of rats down there. The smell wasn't too bad, however. Briggson didn't want to ask why. His best guess was that the rich little monster had some sort of expressway built. The route through the sewer was actually pretty straight, with no major detours. After a torturous waltz through the dark, they came upon a circular source of light that grew larger. They came out of a huge stone archway. The sight of the clear and natural field was a relief. "Pooky leaves this to you." he commented. "What do you mean, little man?" Briggson asked, surprised. "Field is dangerous. Pooky cannot defend you." he added. "What should we do, Vayrin?" Briggson asked the Hylian.
Vayrin may not have that much adventuring experience, but the last time she delved into a dark hole leading into parts unknown, she was almost killed on several occasions. However, with the assurance coming from the Goron she felt a little more at ease. She definitely didn't trust the Miniblin, not just because he was a monster, but the way he spoke and chittered about told the Hylian he had some sort of ulterior motive. That was at least her gut feeling, and so far her gut hadn't led her astray. She thought back to her time in that old temple with Ni'Ran. What did he say? "Can you sense anything down there?" This situation seemed to be reminiscent of those words. However, Vayrin still had a mission of her own. If she was going to get to Faron woods and find that temple, she would need some sort of guide. She couldn't be sure that an opportunity like this would come by any time soon, so she reluctantly accepted, using the Goron's confidence as her own. "A- Alright..." She murmured, obviously nervous as she followed Pooky down. Luckily for them the sewer didn't stink of sewage which was surprising, but she didn't pay too much mind to it, just keeping a close eye on the small creature in front of her. She couldn't help but wonder in the silence what his story was. Not just any monster could make it into Castle Town, let alone want to. Up until now she thought the monsters of Hyrule were all just mindless creatures of malice that were meant to serve Ganon... Had she been wrong? Eventually the trio made it out into the light, and to her relief it wasn't some sort of trap. At least not yet anyways. She breathed in the fresh air of Hyrule field and looked out into the green landscape. Despite how dangerous it actually was, the fields were quite beautiful. Her thoughts were snapped back to reality however when Pooky mentioned that this part was now up to her. She turned to face him, but soon Briggson looked to her for guidance as well. Foolish of her to assume that just because the Goron was well.. A Goron... That he'd have combat experience. Vayrin sighed somewhat slightly and turned to face the field. "Well, if our guide is kind enough to point us in the right direction, I'll keep my guard up in case any of his friends decide to give us any trouble." She said truthfully, patting the pommel of her blade as it rested on her hip.
Had she spoken up about Pooky being a mindless follower of Ganon, the poor Goron would have probably agreed. They started to follow the little scamp out into the treacherous nowhere that was the rest of Hyrule Field. It would suit them to get into the thick of things before nightfall. "Mmm, Pooky shows you-" he clapped. clap clap "where to go to!" Briggson wiped his whole hand across his face. If every interaction with this little monster was going to be a coordinated cheer routine he really didn't want to shoulder this entire journey. "We know you're showing us where to go, little brotherrr. Save your energy for this hike." he derided. There was little resistance with the group, for the time being. The unlikely trio found themselves circling some jagged-looking boulders. Were it by himself, Briggson would have enjoyed the challenge of climbing over the boulders. They were the closest thing to a sheer mountainside they had at the moment. There were some Tektites on the other side. Pooky leered at the Tektites. The crowd of bug-things was a bit too far off to even be a threat. They made their way down the next trail. The sky started to become orangey-purple, signifying a changing of hours. It was becoming the evening, although nothing frightening had begun to appear. Briggson got a chill down his spine, expecting the worst. For all he knew they would be stopped by a Poe blockade. He was used to rugged and rough terrain, where not many- monster or otherwise -bothered to tread. He'd seen Poes on his adventures, but he never had the guff to fight them. A survivalist doesn't pick unnecessary fights he thought to himself. The sky turned a deep purple. It became clear that a troop of Stalkoblins and Stalchildren were out and quickly approaching. Not as bad as the Goron was expecting but not necessarily safe either. Briggson looked around his shoulder. The skeevy, skeezy little Miniblin had shrunk out of view with his Gnat Hat. Briggson gulped as a Stalkoblin charged him. Nervous, he deftly snatched its spear as it poked at him. He swung the skeleton, spear and all, like a club. He knocked another two rattlers out of his way, then launched his haul like a caber out of sight. At a glance, he looked like a capable combatant. It might have been a fluke, since these enemies were so much smaller than him. "Vayrin? We might be fighting until daybreak at this rate." he mentioned anxiously. Although there might have been a place to set up camp, it was uncertain whether staying still would help much.
