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You took in the familiar sights and smells of the Trapper’s pelts.
But something was different.
The once friendly man now beheld you with a steely gaze.
“This is what you get for only taking the free pelts I offered you!”
“I never even wanted those pelts!” you replied.
“They only weighed me down,” you thought to add.
A shocked, saddened expression crossed the Trapper’s face.
It rapidly turned into one of anger.
“I’m going to enjoy skinning you," he spat.
The battle was pitched, but you managed to defeat the man’s strange frogs.
You trusty wolf dealt him a blow that would have ordinarily been deadly.
Instead, his head rotated, flipping entirely upside down.
It was now the Trader that faced you.
“Let’s trade.”
Her menagerie appeared - eight snarling, powerful creatures.
You gave your pelts to the woman, bringing those closest to you to your side.
“I still don’t understand,” you said aloud.
“What’s that?”
“First, I have to buy pelts. Then, I trade the pelts for creatures. Why can’t I buy the creatures, without the extra step?”
The woman glared at you as though this was the most absurd question she’d heard in her life.
“Both of us must be kept satiated. That is how balance is maintained.”
Seeing that she would not give you a straight answer, you gave the word.
Your creatures struck, swift and strong.
And now, with the enigmatic Trapper and Trader bleeding out into the snow, you persisted.
You thought about how confusing your journey was.
You thought about how many mysteries that hadn’t been solved yet.
And you thought about how annoying it was that you couldn’t refuse the free pelt.