Goodbye, Memories

Waking of Sunday, November 26, 2017 ~ 5

Goodbye, Memories

I WISHED ALL THESE MYSTICAL ENTITIES WOULD STOP CURSING MY ELECTRONICS.

I turned the TV back on.

But Embry the stablehand didn’t have anything else to say anyway.

Well shoot.

Well....

On to the Wetland Stable, then. That was where I’d first heard tell of this beast between my legs. Quince. That was the man’s name.

I would have to go see Quince....

We plunged on ahead through the night, the Lord of the Mountain and I. I had not dared spur him above a normal gallop, but I did then, to dodge past a whirling Keese flock. And he hearted at me after I soothed him then.

We weren’t stopping for anything.

I hoped the rain would let up....

We made it to the Riverside Stable, but I couldn’t stop there, and still we pressed on toward the Wetland Stable. And Quince....

I spurred him again and was shocked and flummoxed to notice that HIS SPEED CAME BACK IMMEDIATELY.

I KNEW HE WAS POWERFUL FOR THE FIVE WHIPCRACKS HE DISPLAYED BUT I COULDN’T PRESS THEM FAST ENOUGH BEFORE THE FIRST ONE JUST REPLENISHED ITSELF.

I SOOTHED HIM AND HE LOVED ME AGAIN.

WHAT EVEN WAS THIS BLUE SHADOWFAX CREATURE THAT COULD SPRINT FOREVER?

We passed Doctor Spoone between Horwell and Eagus Bridges. Interestingly enough he had nothing to say of my four-eyed alien mount, but he did educate me that Naydra’s scale could cure any illness—the only problem was that Lanayru Mountain, where Naydra dwelt, was just so cold....

Well, thanks, Doc! I had to be on my way.

We passed more people—Tye and Sorelia’s camp was blessedly at peace—

And THERE WAS THE WETLAND STABLE.

However Lawdon, the resident stablehand, gave me much the same reaction as Embry had.

Hmph. ò.O

Where was Quince?

Probably sleeping. It was about 3:00 am when I got there.

I waited for him to wake up.

And looked at my clock....

And watched the time tick slowly by....

And swiveled the camera....

And studied the Lord of the Mountain....

And looked at the stable and all its satellite structures....

And glanced at the sky....

And peered about the landscape....

And peeked inside the stable from the Lord of the Mountain’s back and could see the slumbering masses on the beds in there I NEEDED TO TALK TO QUINCE—WAKE UP ALREADY, QUINCE!

I trotted around, admiring how the sun-colored hooves lit up the grass.

And what was that tinkling sound like tiny metal chimes?

Hanging on by only a hank of ethereal, light blue hair along the spine.

So precarious.

And the sun had risen, and people were moving.

Which one was Quince?

He would pair up with the dog, and they would stand near the woods to gaze at Satori Mountain....

And they DID—I moved in. Got close enough....!

TARGET.

A.

“I wonder what’ll happen today...” Quince said.

WAT—okay despite my immensely deep appreciation at seeing that sentence written with the proper punctuation—no no no no Quince, can’t you see I’m riding your great Blue Beast? Ah, perhaps it’s because he’s on the move, I thought.

And I waited for him to come to a standstill.

And when I spoke to him again....

“What the—seriously? Another guy?” he said. And he went on to lament that there were no girls around here. Just guys. “And when we finally were visited by a Zora, turned out it was just some manly prince guy who’s a dude,” he finished.

I.... admitted a snicker at the funny old line but QUINCE DON’T GIMME THAT I CAUGHT YOUR FRIGGIN’ BEAST WHY WON’T THE STABLES LET ME—

HHHHUUHHHHHHHH.

Wait.

Maybe if I let him tell me about his dog. Like he did before.

And I prompted him to speak at length about how he had gone to the mountain to hunt, and how he’d met Satty (Ah, yes, Satty, not Natty; and Satty was a boy....), and how Satty had protected him from the Blue Beast, and how they’d made their getaway—

“Someday I’d like to go back there and give that glowing beast a piece of my mind!” he asserted. Or something like it.

He said this to me as I sat on the back of said glowing beast.

Uh. -_-

Well, there was nothing for it then but to zip over to the Home menu and upload the ridiculous screenshot to Miiverse.

And I was saddened to discover that Miiverse . . . . had gone.

All the pictures I’d taken.

Well honestly I hadn’t taken very many. Less than twenty I’d say.

But....

They were memories.

I berated myself for not having downloaded them when I had the chance.

For I’d even thought about including them in this log.

Perhaps not those few from Twilight Princess HD –

– That first magnetic wall-walk. “I’d forgotten just how much fun this game is!” Or some such words.

– The somber, masked trio of ghostly Zora, sick with worry as they searched for their prince. “They care so much for their prince. ;.;” Or some such words. And emoticons.

– The most beautiful picture of all of Kakariko, taken from that high bend in the road where you could see the whole village.... I don’t remember what I may have said about it.

But from Breath of the Wild –

– In the dread, dark rain, on Fort Hateno’s high turrets, overlooking the Valley of Terror—and swearing the lightning was flashing me back, those great lumps still crawling, still glowing, as the water slicked over cloak and skin. Hand to my face and sigh at the thought.

– The IKEA houses of Hateno Village that perked me up that weary, weary night.

– Capturing the lightning strike as I weathered the storm beneath the shelter of that first wetland shrine.

– The beautiful dawn above the empty reaches of Zorana, as the music slithered out of the bare rock to run a chill up my spine.

– Sunset warming the red rocks and lying bright on the pond as I left the Shrine of Mirro Shaz triumphant.

– A rainbow away over green hills and against a brooding sky.

– A drippy sky afire from the top of the Woodland Tower.

– The ledge at the end of the world lit by a Thunderblade.

And others I am sure.

Just.... memories.

They were nothing really earth-shattering I suppose. Just sights. Gorgeous vistas that caught my fancy. It’s too bad I won’t be able to look at them again. They were pretty.

I came back to the game, and realized I did at least still have a pictobox on me.

Well that was something.

....

One for the album, then: I was going to take a self-portrait with the beast.

I.... dismounted.

The Lord of the Mountain.... stayed where he was.

Hooooo. ‘Kay. o__o;

That was good.

And I took out my pictobox and put it up to my face.

But I had left it too zoomed in—a blur of distant greenery, leaves and grass.... I’d need to pull back, turn a bit, zoom out to find the blue beast—

Only as soon as my eyes were off it, the instant it had escaped the frame.... there was a snort, and a whirlwind of hooves.... and then....

The Lord of the Mountain was gone.

Well that just iced my 糟糕。

Guess it was like a leprechaun—you look away and they vanish.

.... I woulda called him Lucky.

I putter-putter-puttered in the dismal loss of Miiverse and the loosing of my fine wild Janus Owl Moth Horse.

How could I waste more time.... -_-

No, but I needed to be responsible. I had a full week ahead of me after all.

But I didn’t want to end on such an abysmal note....

....

I knew—I would just try to find that silver Bokoblin again.

I’d seen him on my mad dash over here, between the Outskirt and Riverside Stables, at a T-junction in the plain.

But rare sight though he was, I hadn’t been stopping for anything, remember?

Not even a Silver Bokoblin.

But I went to find him now.

It wasn’t far; I got there quickly even on foot, and found him capering happily before his campfire, quite alone.

I remembered: on my last pass through here the blue beast and I had mowed down his sole red companion.

Guess he wasn’t all that broken up about it.

Concealed by distance and long grass, I tried the beehive first. One arrow brought it down, and sent the swarm buzzing after the silver Bokoblin in an angry cloud.

He outran them, though.

Next I put on my Bokoblin Mask to approach, and he started at my presence before coming over and proceeding to strike up what seemed to be an engaging conversation with me.

I couldn’t tell; I don’t speak Bokoblin.

He wouldn’t stay put when I tried to take a pictograph—they do that, the baddies, when they see you disguised as one of their own. They like to come in real close and just.... look at you.  O_O  And maybe chat a bit.

The fidgets notwithstanding I was able to get a couple of decent pictographs, and my Compendium outlined what this particular breed might drop upon dispatch—

Ore.

Lots of it, and in the rarest varieties.

....

As I could think of no further way to sport with the creature, I laid him out flat with my Flameblade. Just a regular Flameblade, and it took a lot of damage before I was through—the silver Bokoblin had something like seven hundred and fifty hit points. That was more than many Moblins I’d slain.

But I was not disappointed with the spoils: rubies, topaz, sapphires—I think there may even have been a diamond in there.

And with the camp cleared, the treasure chest on top of the tower unlocked with the familiar boxing-match bell—it always makes David and I laugh—

I couldn’t claim the sword within, however; my inventory was full.

.... Hhhhh ....

It was.... a nice little camp. Not too big. And the field was green and lovely....

But.... it was getting late. In the game and on the couch.

Sometimes the days just blow out with a murmur, and you still feel lost and unfulfilled.

I sat by the fire until morning, saved, and quit, and got ready for the week.

Oasis in the Water

Waking of Friday, April 14, 2017 ~ 3

Oasis in the Water

Well.... I did feel somewhat silly for passing over this entire little settlement for.... gosh I dunno how many Blood Moons.

But from here on out, it looked like visiting Tye and Sorelia was going to become a whole lot easier.

This was the Wetland Stable, and it seemed a laid-back, easy-going place. An older kid named Yorelo was playing swords against a dummy—except he was using a torch. “The Master Torch!” he called it, “Burning away evil with its flames of justice!” or something along those lines. It wasn’t even lit....

Well that was.... cute. Wished I could’ve pat that kid on the head, even tall as he was, close to my own height. Oh, you dear sweet child. XD

Yorelo’s younger brother Ami had somehow been resigned to assist visitors like myself, and he was bored out of his skull for it. He only let me ask of the compass directions, and gave me the barebones directions of what was nearby. East?

“Zora’s Domain. That’s it.”

North?

“Death Mountain. Duh.”

West?

“Well Mr. Perceptive, that would be Hyrule Castle.”

Or some such words from this kid. Really, this place was just charming. XD Wish I’d found the middle-brother; Ami said they had one....

When I asked him what was to the south, he said I’d just have to go there and ask at the Riverside Stable to find out.

Huh, so it seems there are more stables about than I’d realized.

I had seen disconnected snatches of roads on my map, but so far I had only been keeping to the veins whose entire lengths I could see. I didn’t go trying to make connections between the pathways—and what if I’d just kept following whatever road I came across? I’d had business I was about, and roads have a tendency to keep going. I might very well have been swept right off my feet and away.

Maybe that was why I’d never come upon this Wetland Stable. Or the “Riverside Stable”.

Just trying to stay focused.

Hm. Though now I’m wondering about how I shall approach Akkala.... I’d been thinking about just paragliding down from Toto Lake in the Upland Zorana, but.... come to think of it, I think there was a road that must have gone that way.... yes, if I go downstream from Inogo Bridge and hang a sharp right.... yeeaahh.... And I think I saw another stable through my scope along that way, too....

Well, there were a few more people about the Wetland Stable. A man named Kazul rode his horse along the road; I think he might have warned me about the dangers of the lands so close to the castle....

There was a Doctor Spoone, whose name made me smile. Seemed he was one to travel around instead of holding down a practice in one location. Seemed like a nice man.

Beedle was there again, and as we perused each other’s goods he flipped out at the sight of my . . . . well I can’t remember the name but it’s some kind of golden rhino beetle with special properties, and it’s apparently quite rare....

It’s not the first time he’s asked after it, offering to trade me elixirs and other things.

I haven’t given it to him though. Not least of all because I’d hate to trade away the only one I have of anything in my inventory. We’ll see what the future will bring.

Inside the stable, on a tabletop, was an open book belonging to one Staysi, who seemed to produce these Rumor Mills (this was volume five)—and this one made just one claim, based, from what I gathered, on some hearsay from young children: DRAGONS ARE REAL.

(David has asked me more than once if I’ve seen any dragons. Huge, HUUUGE dragons, he says. And I just keep telling him, No, no I haven’t. Has he seen any rock-monsters? Like.... Gorignak-style rock-monsters? He keeps saying No.... no he hasn’t.)

And then there was QUINCE.

Quince was standing a little away from the stable, in the company of a shepherd-dog, both of them gazing intently into some distant hills.

When I approached him, he started, “What the—seriously? Another guy?” And he lamented to me that that was all there were around here. Just guys.

And I raised my eyebrows as I recalled—he was right; I hadn’t seen any women. I guess we were quite close to Hyrule Castle. Womenfolk probably wouldn’t want to come out here....

“And when we finally were visited by a Zora,” Quince continued, “turned out it was just some manly prince guy who’s a dude.”

Oh, so Prince Sidon had come all the way out here, too....

I asked Quince about the Zora.

“The Zora? They’re like.... slippery fish people,” he so eloquently explained.

Hm, seemed I may have been meant to come to this stable some time much earlier.

But no worries.

Quince also told me about his dog. Natty, I think, was its name [it was Satty]. He asked me if I wanted to know how they met; it sounded like it was an involved story....

But I told him I’d listen.

There was a mountain, he said, Satori Mountain I think he said it was called. At certain times on Satori Mountain, animals of all kinds would appear, and so Quince had gone there to go hunting for game.

He asked me if I was bored. I told him to keep going.

Did he say the animals all disappeared at one point? Or could he just not find them to begin with? I don’t remember. He said at some point there were no animals, but there appeared before him a large, glowing beast.

“And then?” I prompted him when he paused.

He ran for it, and this glowing beast chased him through the mountain I gather, until at some point he was cornered. The beast loomed over him....

“And then?”

All of a sudden this tiny little pup comes out of nowhere, jumps between him and the beast, and starts yapping and growling, and the beast, ten times its size, pulls up short, startled.

“AND THEN??”

In that split-second when the beast took pause, Quince gets up, grabs the pup, and bolts down the mountain and he made it away to safety.

PHEWF.

And that was where his Natty came from, and they’d been together ever since.

Heh, Quince was quite a good storyteller.

....

I’ve seen a strange mountain sometimes when I scan the horizons with my scope. It’s quite plain and dun, a little lumpy but otherwise fairly conical. Something.... glows at its crest. I wonder if that’s the same mountain....

Perhaps an excursion for another day.

Kass had been the first person I had spoken to at the stable, in another life, in another save. (I’d quit the game under some intrusive buzzkill. It was only a little deviation....)

Now he was the last person I spoke to.

Because he did what he did before, and asked if I’d like to hear another song of his.

And I said Yes.

It was longer, this one, and it told the tale of the Hero of ten thousand years ago, same as Impa had told me. How the land of Hyrule had been prosperous, and advanced, and protected.... and how they had prepared against Calamity Ganon by building the Guardians, and the Divine Beasts.... and how the Champions who piloted the Divine Beasts had aided the Hero, and how the Guardians had protected the Hero, and how the Hero had struck Ganon down, and how the Princess with Goddess’ blood had sealed Calamity Ganon away with her holy powers....

Very nice song.

Seemed the Wetland Stable was just full of good storytellers.

Kass returned to his counterpoint (which I’m pretty sure included sections of Epona’s Song) as I parted ways with him.

I’d had a fine time familiarizing myself with some of the stable people, but I really did need to do that shrine. It’d be nice to have another warpable here off the wetlands.