"That still wasn't fair, Skull Kid!" Tael whined with a funny little pout.
"Hey, I need to find the two of you, so I sent another copy," Skull Kid reasoned as he walked back to the stump, his fairy friends flying next to him.
"Well, I have to agree with Tael," Tatl said with a frown, "It would be nice if you'd told us that little bit of info. You didn't tell us you could also send copies of yourselves along with your other tricks!"
"Well...sorry," Skull Kid said a little sheepishly, "I was gonna tell you that sooner or later. It was just getting kind of long, and I have to finish up the game so we can meet up with Saria."
Tatl blinked at him and then started to smirk, "Oooh, so you cheated because you wanted to see Saria."
"Hey, I didn't cheat!" defended Skull Kid. He froze and blushed as he realized what she said, "A-And...well, it was getting that time...a-and you guys liked her and her Fairy friend as well!"
"Well, yes, we did. And I think Tael like Saria's Fairy friend Lola a lot more-"
"Hey, no I don't! I mean...she was pretty, but..." Tael's statement died off there.
Tatl snickered and continued saying to Skull Kid, "But, you're the one who's been going to these little get-togethers in middle of the week, so that says something."
Skull Kid reached the stump and sat on it, "Well...she was the only one that was really nice to me when I came here..." the Imp sat there in silence, as he seemed to recall something, his eyes looking downcast.
Tael noticed this and frowned, "Skull Kid?"
Tatl looked at her friend in curiosity, wondering why he had that expression on his face.
Skull Kid was still silent for a moment, but soon he spoke, "Did I ever tell you guys about my home?"
The Fairies both blinked at the question. They glanced at each other in a query and back at Skull Kid, with Tatl saying, "Uh...no, actually. We just found you in a fallen hollowed out tree trunk while it was raining. You said you're from a faraway land, right? That you were sent away by some mean people?"
"...Yeah..." Skull Kid softly replied, slumping a bit.
Tael noticed his friend's posture and decided to ask him, "Do you miss your home?"
Skull Kid turned his gaze to Tael, his face looking neutral, not showing as much emotion from that question. "...At times," he said looking away from him.
"Well...do you ever want to go back there?" Tael asked innocently.
Skull Kid looked at the ground, "...I don't know."
"You don't know? You mean because of the people who...um, sent you away?" Tatl asked, cautious on how she would word it.
Skull Kid shifted in his seat on the stump. "...Yeah, kind of. But...it's just that...even now, I don't know if they'll let me come back."
"The people that were mean to you?" Tael asked in curiosity.
"Hey, um..." Skull Kid suddenly spoke out, "While we, uh...while we wait, do you want to hear a joke I just thought up?"
Tatl and Tael, taken aback by the change of topic, looked at each other. Tatl just shrugged, while Tael looked hesitant. However, he did like Skull Kid's jokes. Also, for whatever reason, it may have been a touchy subject for Skull Kid. Tael decided to drop the topic as he smiled and said, "Okay! Sure!"
Skull Kid gave him an appreciative smile and told his joke to the Fairies, "Okay, what do you get when you have a constipated Dodongo?"
Tatl scrunched up her nose, "Ew."
Tael, on the other hand, giggled, "What?"
"Really, you just get one big Do-dung-do!"
The purple Fairy laughed his wings off. "Oh man! That was a good one!"
Rolling her eyes at the humor, Tatl said, "Yeah...crude, but somewhat creative."
A little while later, Skull Kid and the two Fairies waited a bit longer for Saria and her Fairy to come over to their meeting place. They chatted about everyday things, and soon, Skull Kid could hear rustling in the forest.
"Saria?" Skull Kid said hopefully.
"It's me!" called out the voice of a young girl.
"And me!" called out a tiny female voice.
"Lola?" Tael said hopefully as well.
"Yep! All two of us!" the wild bushes rustled and out came Saria and Lola.
"Hey girls!" Tatl greeted them.
"Hey, Tatl!" Saira greeted as well.
"Hey! A-And hey Lola!" Tael said and stuttered when he spoke to Lola.
"Hey, guys!" Lola said with a smile.
"Uh, hey Saria..." Skull Kid said with a smile as well.
Saria smiled also, "Hey Skull Kid!"
"Okay, enough of the 'hey's, we're happy to see each other," Tatl said in good humor, causing everyone to laugh.
"Sorry I'm a little late," explained Saria, "I almost forgot, what with things being kind of..." her expression wavered as she's been reminded of the Great Deku Tree, "...hectic around the village."
"Hectic?" Skull Kid said in curiosity, "What happened?"
Saria lowered her head, her expression turning solemn, "...Our...Father passed..." she shook her head, "No...He was murdered about four days ago."
Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael looked rightfully shocked.
"What? R...Really?" Tatl asked in surprise.
Lola nodded somberly, "Yeah..."
"Whoa..." Tael said stunned, "How...How did he die? I mean, w-who would've murdered Him? Why would anyone do that even?"
"He was poisoned by a parasitic beast...and it was someone who had evil intentions we presumed..." Saria's face was emotionless when she thinking about past events, but everyone can see the sadness in her eyes, "...It happened all so sudden too..."
Skull Kid frowned when he saw Saria so crestfallen. He heard of the Great Deku Tree and how he was an influential figure in the woods, more so to Saria. The Tree sounded like a good deity, and it's sad that he never got the chance to meet Him...of course, the Kokiri would have to adjust with the Imp coming over to their village since he did go through a phase of scaring the children when he came here in the forest about two and a half months ago.
He briefly recalled back when he was venturing through the forest while exploring the land of Hyrule. At that time, he saw a couple of Kokiri boys walking in the woods, and interested in meeting them, he surprised them by appearing and introducing himself, which the Kokiri were frightened by Skull Kid's rather ghastly appearance. They ran away from him, and when he tried to catch up with the boys, one of them used a slingshot on him.
That action alone made him feel unwanted...all over again.
Feeling hurt from the attack, he decided to get back at these Kokiri by doing his clone technique and scaring them into submission. He even disarmed their slingshots, which scared them even worse, making them run fast enough to escape Skull Kid's line of sight and trickery. He kept doing this for four days, even scaring the Boss of the Kokiri when he came over to find him so he could 'confront' him on his 'reign of terror'.
It didn't go really well for the Boss and his gang. From what he remembered, the Boss named Mido(he heard from the other two Koriki boys calling him by that name) screamed the loudest and was quite shrill.
Thinking he made his message clear by scaring the leader of the Kokiri off, he believed that his work was done...until shortly after that though, a Kokiri girl came over into the woods to try to confront him as well.
When she came up to him, he thought he had to once again scare another Kokiri...but there was something about her that seemed...different. She didn't seem to be afraid of his empty threats, and once he revealed himself to her, she...wasn't scared of how he looked. Although she was shocked when he suddenly appeared, she didn't run away...
It was then she started talking to him...like he was one of her own. It was a nice feeling, being accepted by another person, even if he looked different than most kids and people. Imps are not known to be pleasant to look at, but this Kokiri girl, Saira...didn't care how he looked. It made him feel good...
They talked for a bit, exchanging names, and shared their likes and dislikes. He told her bits of information about where he came from, which was a faraway land, and how he was sent here in Hyrule. He didn't say anything else after that since the topic is a sensitive subject for him, which thankfully, she accepted that answer. Upon seeing her wooden ocarina that she had with her, he asked if she knew how to play music, which she answered that she does. Along with his wooden flute, he and Saria played music together, hence their get-together now. Along with their music playing, they talk about their week and play games. And that was when Skull Kid realized...he just made a new friend that day.
Back to the present, seeing his friend's dejected expression made him feel like he should do something. He didn't want to see the sweet girl who had been so nice to him be so sad looking...
He went forward to Saria and placed a hand on her shoulder, which she looked up at him in surprise.
Skull Kid tried to think of something to say, but truth be told, he hasn't really comfort anyone with the topic of death before...he did remember a time though when someone...
Wincing at the memory, he pushed it back in his mind and said to Saria, "I...w-we...we're really sorry to hear that about...your Father."
"DADDY!"
Skull Kid eyes widened slightly at the sudden memory he had in his mind. The scream of a horrified woman...
"It's alright," The Kokiri girl said, snapping him back to his thoughts. He looked at the girl, who was smiling at him warmly, "We just have to live on in His memory."
The Imp said nothing, only frowning and nodding at what she said.
Saria wiped the forming tears that were in her eyes. "So...enough of this despair..." she smiled a little brightly, "How about we start our music lesson?"
"Um...are you sure?" Skull Kid asked awkwardly.
She nodded, "Of course! I'm keeping my promise on visiting you every week. This is basically the eleventh week, and you've seemed to be a really fun and nice person. After all, I think you need to have a friend after what some of these people did to you."
Skull Kid smiled at her words, "Well, okay...thanks, Saria."
"No problem," she said with a sweet grin, "Now, how about we start our music practice? Did you practice my song on your flute?"
His smile turned bigger, "Sure did! I think I can do it pretty well now!"
And with that, their playdate commenced...
It was late afternoon, and Skull Kid and Saria were playing a new song they were orchestrating, with Skull Kid playing the fast notes, while Saria was playing the slow notes. The Fairies were sitting on the tree trunk, watching them correspond with each other as they kept playing in rhythm.
They kept playing the notes until it reached the improvised climax, with Skull Kid going rapid with his flute playing and Saria dragging out her notes as she played her ocarina. The music sounds harmonic and was quite a catchy tune to it, letting the Fairies be in awe at how well they were mixing their tunes together. Once Skull Kid was finishing his part, Saria held onto the tune to let it fade out, thus concluding their song.
The Fairies all cheered at their astounding duet, Tatl blowing out whistles, Tael cheering out vocally, and Lola cheering and clapping for the two. Saria, shy from the praise, rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile, while Skull Kid was bowing like a showman.
"That was awesome!" Tael exclaimed with a grin.
"Very nice!" Tatl complimented with a smile.
"Way to go, guys!" Lola cheered.
Saria giggled, "Aw come on, I just did the slow notes. Skull Kid did all the faster notes. He's the expert."
"Are you kidding? You're the expert!" said Skull Kid to Saria, "You're the one who taught me your song. You can do those fast notes really well."
The Kokiri girl smiled at Skull Kid, "Well, you do a good job of keeping up with me! I think you don't give yourself too much credit."
Skull Kid blushed a bit, "Well...how about we say we're both equal in our talents?"
Saria giggled again, "Alright then, we'll agree on that."
The Fairies flew over to where they stood, as Tael said, "Man, you guys work really well together! You two may be the best music players in the whole forest!"
Smiling shyly at the praise, Saria said, "Oh, I don't know about that. The Kokiri back at the village know how to play some instruments, especially..." her sentence died off as she hesitated.
Skull Kid blinked at her pause, "Especially who?"
Saria snapped out of her daze, "Um...y-you know, you should really come to our village."
The Imp blinked once more, "Come over...to your village?"
"Yeah!" Saria said, nodding as she smiled, "You can get to meet Fado, Groose, Pipit, Fledge, even Mido! I'm certain Mido isn't scared of you anymore."
"Um..." Skull Kid looked unsure, "I...I don't know..."
The Kokiri girl frowned, "Skull Kid, I've told them about you...Fado really wants to meet you, as well as the other Kokiri. And Mido may be hard to deal with at times, but he's certainly a good person."
"Well..." Skull Kid then noticed something in Saria's words, "Wait...what about that Link person you talk about at times?"
Eyes widened in surprise at the question, Saria looked down as her eyes turned desolate, "Oh..."
"Link? Who's Link?" Tatl asked.
"Um..." Lola looked a little anxious all of a sudden.
"Lola? What's wrong?" Tael asked her.
"Uh, nothing! It's just...well..." Lola tried to explain, but Saria interrupted her, "It's okay, Lola...I'll explain."
Skull Kid looked confused, "Explain what?"
Saria stood there, gathering her thoughts as she said, "Link..." she sighed, "...For Tatl and Tael, Link is my good friend. And...right now, he...he left the forest to find who murdered our Father."
Skull Kid once again looked shocked, while Tatl and Tael looked puzzled.
"He left the forest? But...the Kokiri can't leave the forest...can they?" Tael asked anyone.
"Well, Kokiri can leave the forest...but they won't look like a Kokiri," Tatl explained, "They'll turn into Koroks by then."
"Koroks?" Tael wondered out loud.
"Something about this forest having the energy to manifest who the Koroks really look like in human form." Tatl said with a shrug, "That sounds about right, does it, Lola?"
"Yeah, basically," Lola agreed.
Skull Kid then looked puzzled himself, "Wait...but...you said your Father was murdered four days ago...when did Link leave?"
"...About four days ago. Right after it happened," Saria confirmed solemnly.
Tatl and Tael looked at each other in a query and looked at Lola, who nodded and said, "It's true. He was fighting a Forest Gohma inside the Great Deku Tree."
"Oh..." Skull Kid frowned, "I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."
Saria shook her head, "No, it's quite alright...I...I just hope he's okay," she said in worry.
The Imp looked at the girl in pity...and maybe a little jealousy.
'She must really care about him...'
Shaking his head to clear away the small jealousy in his mind, Skull Kid tried to console her, "Hey, don't worry...I mean..."
Saria smiled back at him, "Actually...you're right."
"Huh? I-I am?" Skull Kid said in surprise.
"Yeah...I shouldn't worry. I...I know for a fact that Link will be okay...he's strong...and he's very brave," she reassured herself.
"Wow, this Link fellow must be something," Tatl said with a curious tilt of her head.
"He really is..." Saria blushed a tad bit.
Feeling awkward, Skull Kid rubbed the back of his neck.
The green-haired Kokiri girl was silent for a moment until she said, "Can I trust you with something?"
"Huh?" Skull Kid said in confusion, "Trust me with what?"
"...I need to show you something, but...promise me you and Tatl and Tael won't tell anyone, not even to strangers," Saria said as she looked at him and the Fairies with resolve.
"Wait a minute, Saria, you're not really thinking-" Lola was about to say, until Saria interrupted, "Don't worry, Lola, it's okay. I...I actually need to get this off my chest...besides, I think they can keep a secret, can you all?" Saria asked them all with hopeful eyes.
"Uh...yeah. We can keep a secret, right guys?" Skull Kid said to the Fairy siblings.
"Um, yeah, we promise," Tatl said, although she was confused.
"Yeah, absolutely," Tael said with a nod.
"Okay..." Saria then reached for a pouch on her belt and unsnapped it. She got something out...
Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael all gasped.
"Whoa..." Tael said, mesmerized by the object that Saria got out.
"What is that?" asked Tatl, in awe of it.
"This is an Emerald...the Kokiri Emerald. The Great Deku Tree's most prized possession," Saria said as she held it up for them to see, the jewel glistening in what little sunlight that was coming in the forest. "This was given to Link by our Father...and Link gave this to me, to watch over..."
Skull Kid looked at the gem in amazement, "Wow..."
Saria continued, "I don't want others to know about it, because...I'm afraid they'll suspect him," she cringed, "And...I don't want them to lose faith in him...I'm telling you this because you're not Kokiri, but...my friend."
The Imp blinked as what he heard snapped him out of his daze from the Emerald. "A...friend?"
She looked at him with a determined look and nodded, "Yes..." she looked down at the Emerald, "...In fact...I don't think I can look over it forever..." she looked up at Skull Kid, "Would you...would you look over it?"
"What?" Lola said in shock.
"Huh? You...You want me to have it?" Skull Kid asked in surprise.
Saria stood there, pondering on what she just asked...and she gazed at the Imp with resolve. "Yes...it's for you to keep. We...We only see each other during the middle of the week...and this has been the eleventh week since then...I...I feel like I can trust you with it."
"You...You really trust me?" Skull Kid asked, feeling the heat on his cheeks.
The Kokiri girl nodded, "I do...here," she presented the palm-sized Emerald with both of her hands to him, "I entrust this to you."
Skull Kid gazed at the gem, speechless that she would offer something to him that has great value to her, "Uh...O...Okay."
He slowly reached for the Emerald and took it from her hands. The green jewel did look beautiful as it radiates off of the sunlight, giving it a magnificent, almost ethereal glow.
"Woooow," Tael looked at it with wide eyes.
"It's almost...otherworldly," said Tatl as she gazed at it.
Skull Kid looked at the Kokiri Emerald in his hand and felt...a sense of gratitude within him.
"I..." Skull Kid slightly shook his head and said the next intended words to come out of his mouth, "Thank you...Saria."
Saria smiled warmly, "It's in your hands now. Keep good care of it."
The Imp glanced back at the Emerald, staring at it for a second before looking back up at Saria with determined eyes, "I will."
After they bid their goodbyes to each other, Skull Kid and Saria parted ways, the latter going back to her village, with Lola following her.
Which left Skull Kid and the Fairy siblings alone in the woods once more.
"Wow...today has been really something," Tael commented.
"You're telling me..." Tatl turned to the Imp, "You think you can keep an eye on it for Saria, Skull Kid?"
Skull Kid looked down at the glistening Emerald still in his hand. "...Yeah. I think I can..."
Tatl smiled at her friend's certainty. She then yawned as she stretched, "Well, I'm kind of tired from today."
"Yeah, me too," Tael yawned as well, "I'm ready to take a nap."
"Yeah...I am too," Skull Kid said as he held onto the Kokiri Emerald in his hand, "Well then, let's go back to our place!"
Agreeing on that, they traveled back to the giant hollowed out log, which was Skull Kid's home; the same one where they found each other that day while it rained. Skull Kid was jumping high up and onto the tree branches, while the Fairies were keeping up as they flew behind him. Five minutes later, they reached to Skull Kid's place and the Imp and Fairies went inside to settle in. The child-like creature leaned against the interior bark of the log and relaxed, while Tatl and Tael rest next to him. The Kokiri Emerald was laid on his lap with his hands on the jewel.
"Hm...you know, I wonder what this Link person is like? I hear a lot of good things about him..." Tatl murmured as she leaned onto Skull Kid's side.
"Yeah...I wonder if he actually did fight a Forest Gohma...?" Tael wondered as he was drifting off to sleep, his back against the Imp's side as well.
"Well...wherever he is...he makes Saria happy..." Skull Kid said as he looked thoughtful.
'I wish I could make Saria happy like this Link...'
He frowned. Not saying anything else, he went drifted off to sleep, the Fairy siblings snoozing off at his sides as their glow dimmed, and the Kokiri Emerald on Skull Kid's lap...
...Time passed by.
It was the late afternoon, almost to the evening, when sounds slowly woke up Skull Kid.
"...Huh?" Skull Kid murmured as his shot awake, his sleepy eyes opening almost instantly.
Hearing the sounds as well, the Fairy siblings stirred out of their sleep, their glow becoming bright again as they awakened from their slumber.
Tael yawned while Tatl stretched, the latter saying, "What is that?"
The sounds continued...
They sounded like clattering. As soon as the Imp and the Fairies all woke up from their sleepy haze, Tatl and Tael hovered off the ground, while Skull Kid got up from his resting spot.
The clattering kept going.
"What's making that sound?" Tael said quietly.
Tatl went close to her brother, "I don't know...I sensed the presence, but I don't what it could be,"
Skull Kid kept quiet...he carefully tip-toed to the other side of the log and peeked out, while the Faires were behind him, hiding from view.
What he saw, through the fallen trees and foliage...was a figure walking by just two minutes away from where they were. It was hard to tell what the figure looked like because of the trees blocking his view, both standing and fallen, but he could make out some color. He caught a glimpse of purple, a brief flash of orange, and a mound of colors behind this person. Narrowing his eyes to see better somewhat, he still couldn't make out the figure.
"Guys, can one of you fly as close as you can and tell me a description of this person?" he whispered to the Fairies in a serious tone.
"Huh? Why do you want a description of this person?" Tael whispered back at him.
"Because this intruder could be a threat," Skull Kid quietly told younger Fairy.
"A threat? Are you sure?" Tatl asked.
Shaking his head, the Imp replied, "Not really, but you can never be too cautious."
"Well...I can go and check this person out," Tael volunteered.
"Oh, no you don't!" Tatl told her brother in a quiet hiss, "I'm gonna check while you stay here with Skull Kid."
"What? Aw, come on-"
"End of discussion! I don't want you hurt," and with that Tatl flew up to the trees before Tael could even protest some more.
Tael pouted and muttered, "Man, why does she have to be so bossy?"
"Just stay here for now, Tael. Your sister will be okay," told Skull Kid.
Tael said nothing but obliged as he flew and hid behind the Imp.
Tatl, meanwhile, flew to the top of the trees and went straight ahead of her, above the figure. She slowly descends to the figure, and halfway to her descent, she landed on a tree branch once she got a front look above the person.
The figure looked like a man, wearing purple clothes and has short red-orange hair, carrying what looked to be large luggage with a few sacks strapped on it, plus a sleeping bag rolled up on top of it. The most peculiar about what this man is carrying, however, was that there were...masks strapped all around this man's luggage. The masks seemed to be the objects that were making the clattering noise.
But something else seemed odd about this man. As he was walking, he was...smiling. Like the smile was plastered on his face even after a few seconds went by.
'Hmm...strange," thought Tatl as she observed the mysterious person. She decided to go back to Skull Kid and her brother to tell them what she found out, so she flew back to where they were.
As soon as she made her way back to them as they were waiting over at the log, she told them, "It's some...guy with a lot of masks strapped around him."
"Really?" Tael asked curiously.
"Masks, huh?" Skull Kid puts a hand on his chin to think. "...Is he armed?"
"If he is, he's armed with masks. But other than that, I don't think so." Tatl informed.
"Maybe he's a mask salesman?" Tael piped up.
Skull Kid hummed in thought...he then let go of his chin, "Tael, you keep watch of the Emerald. Tatl, follow me," he jumped on top of the giant log and began jumping onto the branches of the trees.
Tael pouted, "I want to help too."
"Well, I agree with Skull Kid. Stay here," Tatl told him as she followed Skull Kid, leaving Tael to sulk some more.
Jumping on branches until he was at a clearing where this man was, he hid away from view while laying on a branch. The mysterious male was still walking, not giving a care in the world as he carried his luggage full of masks. The masks that were strapped on him looked interesting; some were colorful, some cheerful, and some looked grim looking. Fascinated by the different masks that were displayed, he turned intangible and jumped off the branch, landing softly on the grass. Tatl hid behind a tree to watch her now invisible friend approach the man.
The landing did make a sound, however, and the man paused a bit...until he shrugged and went back to walking. Skull Kid froze when he stopped, but contain his sigh of relief when the person kept going. He made soft but slightly fast steps towards the man and his masks, stopping every once in a while so he wouldn't make too much sound. When he was almost at reaching distance to the man, something surprising happened...
The man turned around - effortlessly since he was carrying such a load of luggage - and looked at where Skull Kid was...
Skull Kid stopped as he stood there, frozen. He was directly in front of the man now...and the man was staring him down...with a smile.
A very unsettling and unnerving smile...
The Imp stood still...
Tatl looked on in shock and worry.
And the man...was still smiling.
It was then he spoke.
"Hello there!" the man said, "I thought I felt someone following me!"
Skull Kid couldn't contain his gasp.
"Aha! My instinct was correct once again! Ho ho ho!" the man laughed peculiarly, "You might as well give up the disguise! I mean you no harm."
"Huh? How did...how did he know where I was? I mean, I know my magic isn't all that strong, but I like to think my invisible act works at certain times,' Skull Kid thought as he stood his ground.
The man kept the same smile on his face, "Come now, I'm just a traveling salesman who sells and looks for masks. Perhaps you would like to look at my merchandise?"
The child-being though was still wary about revealing himself to the salesman...but he did say in a soft tone, "You can see me?"
"Ho ho ho! Well, in a way. That, and I have very good hearing and instincts." the salesman told him, "And from where I can hear you, I can only guess that you're right in front of me, aren't you?"
The Imp gulped, feeling like a trapped mouse, "Uh..."
"Hmm..." the salesman hummed as he put his hand on his chin, "It seems you are still cautious of me. How about I tell you my name?"
Feeling somewhat at ease by that suggestion, Skull Kid said, "Okay..."
"Splendid! Now, my name is Omen. And you are?" the man named Omen said, gesturing him to speak.
Standing there, Skull Kid was thinking, 'Well, I might as well just show this person what I look like...he seems to know I'm right here. Besides, I can't keep being intangible forever...'
"Hmm? What's wrong? I told you my name, and now it is your turn," Omen ushered, his smile remaining the same.
It was at that moment, the Imp dropped his invisibility and revealed his form. When he did, the man didn't look shocked at all. He hadn't even recoiled, although he did raise an eyebrow. And he still had the same smile on his face.
"S-Skull Kid is what they call me," he said as he stuttered a bit.
"...Ah," Omen titled his head, "Well, this is interesting. You are an Imp."
"Um...yeah," Skull Kid said uneasily.
Meanwhile, Tatl looked on at the scene with narrowed eyes, 'Hmm...something's off about that person...but I don't know what.'
"Hmm..." hummed Omen, "I never seen Imps around these parts of the forest before."
"Well, I never have seen you around these parts before either," Skull Kid countered.
"Ho ho ho! Well, that is true," Omen said with a grin, "Believe it or not, this is my first time here in the Kokiri Forest, and I am looking for new clients to sell my wares! Would you by chance be interested in a mask?"
Skull Kid looked at him oddly for a moment and said in hesitation, "Maybe..."
Omen laughed his strange laugh, "Well, in that case, why not I show you some masks that I have and you'll see which one you like, just so that you can see that I am not harmful in any way? I can see you're still skeptical of me."
"Well...I mean, it's just...you don't look like you're from the forest," Skull Kid told him.
"Ah, that I'm not! I am actually somewhere far away from here."
Skull Kid raised an eyebrow, "Where?"
"Well, I have my shop in a city called Hyrule Castle Town, outside and far from these woods. It is actually a two day trip from here by foot," Omen answered.
The Imp looked at him strangely, "You walked here?"
"Indeed I did! I find it as great exercise to walk on foot," Omen said with his smile still in place, "Now then, would you like to take a look at my masks?"
"Um...sure...what kind of masks do you have?" Skull Kid asked him.
"Oh, I have plenty! Sad masks, happy masks, meaningful masks, even scary masks!"
"Scary masks, huh?" Skull Kid's eyes lit up, now looking interested.
"Ho ho ho! Glad I caught your attention!" Omen said as he placed his luggage on the ground and knelt down to open it, "I keep the scarier masks in one of my sacks here. If you can wait for a moment, I will display them for you."
Meanwhile, Tatl looked on at the two impatiently.
'Seriously, Skull Kid? Now you're deciding to buy something from a stranger? ...Wait a minute, he doesn't even have any money!'
As if on cue, when Omen opened the sack of the supposed 'scary' masks, he suddenly paused, "Hmm..." he turned to Skull Kid, "I'm sorry, but just in case I wasn't clear, you'll need to buy these."
Skull Kid blinked, "Buy?"
"Yes. Do you have any money?"
"Uh..."
Help me...
Startled, Skull Kid uttered, "Huh?"
"I said, do you have any money?" Omen asked again patiently with the same smile.
The Imp blinked once more, "Did...did you say something a moment ago?"
The salesman's smile was still on his face...until it slowly died down into a thin line. Skull Kid thought the smile was creepy enough, but when Omen stopped smiling, as well as doing it so gradually...it suddenly made the Imp feel uneasy.
"What did you hear?" Omen asked evenly.
Come to me.
"Th-That. You don't hear that?" Skull Kid asked him.
Tatl, still behind the tree, looked on with confusion, 'What's going on? Is Skull Kid hearing something? What's he hearing?'
Omen, however, knelt there with a somewhat unnatural blank expression. His eyes narrowed at the child-like being...
Come to me.
"There it is agai-"
"Actually...these masks would be a little too...scary for you," Omen then pulled the sack strings and closed it.
Puzzled, Skull Kid said, "What?"
"I'm sorry, but I must be off," Omen said as he strapped his luggage together, wrapped it around his arms and shoulders and stood up, carrying it on his back.
"W-What?" Skull Kid said in surprise, "Hey, what do you mean too scary? Was there a talking mask in there?"
As the salesman turned to walk off, he stopped. He was unnervingly silent for a moment, until he spoke, "Do not follow me."
"What!?" Skull Kid said, appalled, "Hey, I may not have any money, but that's no reason to be mean!"
Omen didn't reply back as he kept walking away.
Skull Kid scowled and mumbled, "What's his problem? Stupid grown-up..."
Come to me, little one.
Surprised once more, Skull Kid looked on at the retreating salesman.
Help me...help me, little one...
The voice...sounded soothing...so patient...so kind...
He took a step...and another step...and another...until he began coming towards the salesman again.
Omen stopped.
"I told you to not follow me."
Skull Kid had to ask, "What do you have in your bag?"
...Omen was deathly quiet.
"...Sometimes, there are forces at work. Forces that you can't see...and should never attend to," he said as he slowly turned his waist to him, his face expressing a frown, "Whatever you heard...do not listen to it."
Puzzled, the Imp asked, "Who's 'it'?"
"...Goodbye, little Imp," Omen then turned back to the path ahead of him and kept walking.
Frustrated, Skull Kid exclaimed, "Why are you being so cryptic all of a sudden? If you heard it too, then there's something special in that bag, isn't there?"
The salesman once again stopped.
Tatl looked on in bewilderment on what's happening right now. 'What's going on?'
"You did hear it, didn't you?" Skull Kid challenged him. "You're hiding something...no, maybe someone in that bag of yours! And that someone is calling for help!"
Help me...
"There! That person is calling out again!"
"IT IS NOT A PERSON!" exclaimed Omen angrily as he turned around swiftly, startling Skull Kid and the hidden Tatl, "Whatever you heard, it is not for you!"
Wait.
Skull Kid paused at the voice.
"Do not listen to this voice, do not go near this voice, don't even acknowledge it!" Omen fiercely argued as he came up to him.
Wait right there.
"When you hear this voice, do not go near me!"
You have your blow dart, don't you?
"Huh? H-How di-" but Skull Kid was interrupted.
"In fact, run away! Run far away as you possibly can!" yelled Omen as his eyes became intense and his expression becoming vicious.
When he gets closer...you'll know what to do.
Skull Kid stood there frozen, his face expressionless and mouth partly opened.
"And if you hear that voice even now, you will not, ever, follow its orders!" the salesman exclaimed in incense.
Now.
The Imp disappeared.
Omen's eyes widened, his face showing that of surprise.
A soft phoot emerged into existence.
"Aaugh!" Omen yelped as he felt a sting on his neck. He reached to where it stung and picked out what it was: a dart.
Eyes widened in shock, he then began to feel woozy, almost drunk. His surroundings immediately started to shift, and he tried to form words, "You...you don't...know...what..." and with that, he collapsed onto the ground, bringing his luggage down with him.
Everything was quiet...
Skull Kid reappeared again, a small blow dart in his hand. His eyes were wide, stunned at what he did.
"Skull Kid!" Tatl exclaimed as she got out of hiding and flew up to him.
As soon as she was near him she said, "What was that!?"
Now...find me.
He went to the sacks and began opening them.
Follow my voice.
"Skull Kid, what are you doing!?" Tatl exclaimed to him, expecting an answer.
"I'm saving someone! There's someone in these bags!" Skull Kid explained as he kneeled on the ground and dug through the sack, getting multiple masks out.
You're almost there.
He stopped searching in the sack and found something.
Yes. You found me.
Skull Kid then reached for it and got it out of the bag.
Tatl looked worried, "Skull Kid? What's going on?"
He gazed at the object in his hands...
...It was a medium-sized rectangular and metal looking suitcase. It was secured by a padlock where the handle is, meaning it was locked...
Yes...you need to open it...to free me.
"...Tatl, can you open this?" Skull Kid asked.
"Open it!? Skull Kid, what is going on? You knocked out a salesman and you're rummaging through his stuff! And where is this 'someone'? It can't be in that thing, it's too small for Hylian standards and too thin!"
"Please Tatl, just do it!" Skull Kid looked at her with hopeful eyes.
Tatl, at a loss, looked at him in concern. After a couple of seconds, she sighed and said, "Okay, okay...just hang on a sec," she flew to the padlock of the metal suitcase and hovered over the keyhole. She inserted her arm in the lock and readjusted the kinks as she moved it, waiting for that one audible click. After a minute, there was a 'click', and the padlock was opened, "Alright. There ya go."
"Thanks," Skull Kid said as he got the lock off, and opened it...
"Huh? It's...just a mask..." Tatl said in confusion.
Skull Kid looked down at the mask...
The mask itself was heart-shaped with one spiked horn on each top side of its head, while there were four pairs of spiked horns on each lower side of its face. The four horns on each side had a color that was painted on the tip of the horns, which from top to bottom were yellow, red, green, and blue. The top horns didn't have any color painted on them. The colors on the mask that were displayed are mostly bright purple and red, with little hints of green and bits of cream-ish brown on it. However, the creative use of the colors made the mask stand out. The artistic design of the mask looked very tribal looking, its appearance giving off an ancient feel to it, even though it didn't look that old...but for some reason, it looked like it could be.
But the most striking aspect of this mask was its eyes. They were large circled eyes that have a reddish-orange color to them, with green irises and black pupils. The eyes seemed to stare right back at Skull Kid...into his very soul...
The Imp looked down at it mesmerized...
The mask 'looked' at him...
...You freed me. Thank you.
"I've been wringing my arm in a lock for a mask? Skull Kid, this can't be right, you said you've heard someone in there, but all I'm seeing is...this!" Tatl said in exasperation.
Skull Kid, however, wasn't listening to Tatl. He slowly got the mask out of the case and out of its indention. He raised it up to look into its eyes.
Now...put the Mask on.
He turned it around to its back to see that it had ear loops on each side of the mask.
"Skull Kid? Skull Kid, are you listening to me!?" Tatl said aggravated.
He looked at the inside of it...
...the inside of the mask was pitch black.
Go on...if you don't, I won't be able to show you something.
With that said, Skull Kid proceeds to put the mask closer to his face, letting the ear loops hook onto his small elf-like ears. He let go of the mask to let it stay on his face, and with it equipped on...he waited.
"Skull Kid! For Heaven's sake, what is wrong with you right now!?" Tatl said, trying not to sound really worried, when deep inside, she is.
Kneeling on the ground, with the strange mask on his face, it's like he was frozen.
Tatl now really grew concerned, "Skull Kid?"
He didn't answer...he was still kneeling with his hands out as he looked up, practically stiff.
"Skull Kid...say something...please, say something. What is going on?" Now Tatl was starting to get scared.
...Then it happened.
Some form of...aura surrounded Skull Kid...the aura being a purple-ish light hue.
Tatl, noticing this, blinked as her eyes widened in shock.
The purple aura then intensified, creating a darker hue.
Then...bits of Skull Kid's appearance was tearing away like the wind.
"SKULL KID!?" Tatl exclaimed in horror.
With each stroke of the wind, his whole body was fading away...until he was no more.
What laid there now...was nothing. Nothing remained of Skull Kid...not even the mask that he put on.
Tatl looked at the spot where Skull Kid had once knelt...
Too shocked and filled with horror to say anything, she made a horrible realization...
...Skull Kid was gone.
End of Act 1: Chapter 4
Or was he!? LOL, you know the answer to that. XD ...I mean, I hope you do. D:
But yeah, finally, I got this chapter going! As you can see, I made lots of changes here, so I hope they're worth it! :) Like I said, I'm taking creative liberties on this MM adaptation, so expect new changes! ;D
Anyways, please leave a review, a follow, and a fave! I love to know what you think of the story so far! :D
Next time, we'll see where Skull Kid goes, Tatl and Tael will find Saria, and the Happy Mask Salesman will be questioned. Also, Link will not appear in the next chapter! Sorry! Maybe the sixth chapter he'll make his return! Who knows? XP But stay tuned either way! ;)
Keep on rocking everybody! ^_^
-TSP
