The next shrine is due south from the abbey. I cross a large open field to get there, finding some bugs and lizards along the way. For the hell of it, I try to shoot a squirrel and am rewarded with an acorn. Not sure that makes sense but okay.
As I get further south, I spot a couple of bokoblins around a campfire. I also notice a beehive in a nearby tree. I remember seeing in some of the trailers that beehives were something you could use to distract your enemy, so I notch an arrow and knock it from the tree. The bees come out with a fury and the bokoblins immediately lose their shit. Literally running away from the campfire without their weapons or a shield. While the bees get in a few licks, I run up and finish them both off. I take their weapons and some Courser Bee Honey as a reward.
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| Beeeeeeeeeees! *Oprah hands* |
While I’m here, I run over to a nearby wall to do some exploring (something I should really be doing more of) and find a chest with some Bomb Arrows! I guess special arrows aren’t that uncommon this time around. I turn back towards the shrine and I see a cabin. Not sure how I missed that. It’s on the way, so I decide to check it out.
Woodcutter's House
I find some green, stamina healing mushrooms, Stamella Shrooms, around the outskirts. As I get to the front, I see the Old Man not too far away, chopping down a tree. He gives me some lumberjack tips - apparently, it’s all in the hips. That's what she said? I think he’s hitting on me. And also want’s me to cut down a few trees for him. I mean, I was headed that way anyways but sure.Actually, I feel like I should be much closer to the shrine by now. I open my map to take a look, and it should be right in front of me.
And it is. Kinda. I have to actually move back towards the cabin a bit, so I can look up through my scope. Waaaaaay up. Forgot that the other two were both up pretty high, in the mountains. I don’t see an easy way up there either. There’s a chasm I can cross with a tree, I guess, but I’m not seeing much in the way of climbing up. Stamina has its limits. I pull out the Woodcutter’s Axe the Old Man lent me earlier and find me a nice tree. I position myself as instructed (*cough*), and swing the axe. After a few chops, it comes down neatly on the other side. I cross, but all I find on the other side are a couple bokoblins, a tree full of apples, and a chest with some more fire arrows. Boo.
I head back towards the cabin and talk to the Old Man. He gives me a few tips on cooking, and invites me to use his fire and cooking pot to practice. This is supposed to be a pretty big part of the game, so why not. I don’t exactly have a lot, but I grab a few apples and mushroom from my inventory and throw them in, making a Fruit and Mushroom Mix, a nice vegetarian dish I would never, ever eat if given the option in real life. Also, turns out that “critters” + monster parts = elixirs.
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| Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. |
I check the inside the cabin and find a journal belonging to the Old Man. He really seems to like cooking. And also is very forgetful. His favorite dish is spicy meat and seafood fry, but he can’t remember how to make it. Specifically, he knows there’s meat, a spicy pepper, but not what else.
It’s fish dude. It’s fish. Seafood is in the damn title. Come on.
He’ll also give his warm doublet to the person who helps him remember the recipe, so I make a mental note to return once I have all the required ingredients. I find some Spicy Peppers on the table, so that’s one down. Not sure what it does exactly but I bed that warm doublet is probably gonna come in handy.
I explore the outside of the cabin a bit. There’s some weak weapons and a pot lid for a shield, and also a giant wooden barrel that I can hide under Solid Snake style when I stop moving. Heh. I spot a bokoblin camp nearby. Might as well kill a few things while I’m here.
A few moments later, I’m slowly inching my way towards the bokoblins underneath a barrel, waiting for the lookout to turn around and moving forward. I am 100% sure this is taking more time than I need to, but who cares – this is fun. I wonder if all these dummies are like this, or if the AI will get smarter as the game gets harder.
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| *hums the mission impossible theme* |
I can see the telltale white of snow on the ground as I run through the archway, and a warning flashes on my screen. It’s too cold. Poor Link is freezing. I run back before I start to take damage. Fuck. Clearly I need to find some way of surviving the cold long enough to get through the snow. If only there were someone who had a piece of clothing that probably specifically does that very thing.
I look back at the snow one more time, and then I notice something...odd. A column of light. I try to drop a pin on it, but it doesn’t seem to be solid. I try and mark it on my map, placing it somewhere west of the last Shrine.
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| What is that? |
I pop open the map - there’s a lake just north of here. It’s the lake I passed as I left the Shrine of Resurrection, just behind the Old Man’s cave. Lakes have fish, right?
There’s another small bokoblin camp, this time with everyone fast asleep. I use the lack of a lookout to my advantage, and sneak up and finish all of them off before they can even wake up. I’ll have to remember to take advantage of that. There’s nothing too fancy, lots of ingredients though. More peppers, a decent amount of mushrooms, and some Sunset Fireflies I might be able to make some stealth potions with. I go ahead and use the campfire to wait until morning. Avoid the skeletons while I can.
Come morning, I take a look at the lake below. There’s an island in the middle with a s word sticking out of a rock. New weapon! There’s also a weird ring of lilypads right below a cliff. Looks like I’m learning how to dive. I circle around the edge of the lake, back to the path I took when I woke. I climb the small hill overlooking the ring of lilypads. I can see fish jumping in the water, the reason I came here. I really hope Link can swim…
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| Getting tired of shit like this jumping out at me. Even when it's cute. |
After our chat, I swim towards the center of the lake and pull myself up. Womp-womp, it’s just a Rusty Broadsword. I swap it out for one of my weaker weapons - I don’t think I’m gonna have any trouble finding more if I’m already full.
On the edge of the lake, I see what looks like bombable rocks again. I dive back in and swim over, planting a square one, and revealing a small cave with a chest containing some Opal. this is neither a critter, monster part, nor food, so I’m not sure what it does, but it goes to the same inventory slot. Guess I’ll find out later.
I turn back towards the lake and try and spot some fish. Doesn’t much matter, because everytime I get close enough, they swim away. It takes me a few minutes, but I eventually manage to corner a couple of fish - Hyrule Bass - and nab them. Okay, maybe it took me more than a few minutes. You can’t really be stealthy and swim at the same time. I hope these are the right kind of fish, because they seem to be the only kind I see floating around other than the a couple of frogs.
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| ...Hopefully they're friendly? |
As I walk out of the temple ruins and towards the forest, I see a smokestack in the distance - someone else must be in the forest.
I hope they have meat.
Heart Containers: 3
Koroks Found: 1
Shrines Completed: 2
Meals Cooked: 1
Balls Frozen: 2
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