The conniving smile of a thief stared back, awash in colors of orange and blue, his russet gaze piercing beneath a band of onyx and sapphire. Posed and ready, Sakon sat frozen on a throne of velvet ebony, holding a golden scepter inlaid with rubies and emeralds, while a mysterious mask laid upon his lap.
A mask, no doubt the suspect behind the mysterious happenings within Termina. A cruel reality unfolded, of one Link never imagined, but it was here. Out of all scenarios possible, how could the town's thief become king? Sakon of all people? It was madness! A joke!
Left speechless by the poster, blue orbs scrutinized the mask. Was that the Mask of Armaros? The millennium old evil that now threatened the entire land? According to the Great Fairy and that mysterious individual moments ago, the evil spirit contained exacted its reign through the bodies of others.
"Don't tell me… he's using Sakon?" He asked, pinching his temple. If so, he couldn't imagine a worser evil than Majoras Mask. What a fine mess this turned out to be!
"What's wrong, Link?" Shippo asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…"
Kagome mused and regarded the poster. "Let me guess… you don't have kings in this world. Right?"
"Of course not! And what's worse, it's Sakon! How did that no-good troublemaker become king—"
At the sound of something approaching, Link held up a hand to silence his fairy friend. As he searched his surroundings, he heard the distinct sounds of multiple footsteps and chain-mail, a sound all too familiar to him. Soldiers? The noise carried from the outside entrance.
Turning, he reached forward and tore the poster from the wall and grabbed Kagome's wrist, leading her and the child off the hill and East of the town. As soon as he did, he glanced back. A group of seven monstrous soldiers shuffled through, armored from head to foot and looming over six feet.
They passed under a vine covered lattice trellis and arrived into a bustling street, but despite the commotion brewing near Mayor Dotour's office, Link guided the two through the cluster of townsfolk. There were only two places in Clock Town safe enough to speak without prying ears, and those places were the Stock Pot Inn and the Laundry Pool.
"Out of my way! Move it!" Someone said.
"Are you fucking blind? Watch where you're going!"
Someone shoved him through the throng, and another elbowed him in the rib, and barely glimpsing the faces of the people shouting above the other, he avoided colliding with a two-wheeled cart filled with herbs and flowers. The owner of said cart, an auburn-haired man with curly shoulder-length tresses, glowered beneath his fringe and muttered a few curse words.
"You want to say that again, pretty boy?!" Serena said in his ear.
Though Kagome and Shippo suffered little than him, he pulled them away from the cluster and turned back to stare at the frenzy gathered in front of the office. It was difficult to discern the chorus of shouts piled over several others, but he saw a glimpse of the older man and his wife outside the door, holding their hands up to calm the people.
Link assumed it had something to do with Sakon's takeover, but that didn't excuse the mannerisms others had displayed. Aqua eyes shifted left where the young herbalist pulled his cart, but rather than greet the small child in front of him, he nearly ran him over.
Even more strange, he witnessed a fight between the lovely couple, Honey and Darling, on his right. Darling kneeled in front of his lover with tears cascading down his cheeks, promising his loyalty, but the young woman shouted at him. Derogatory names were cursed to the wind, and Link stepped away.
Odd.
"Why is everyone so mean and loud?" Shippo asked. "Kagome, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine. What is happening here?"
Before he could answer, the monstrous soldiers he had seen earlier swarmed the crowd, and upon seeing their frightful forms, the people scattered and screamed. In the frenzy, Link pulled Kagome aside further, the three watching as Madam Aroma escaped into the office. But her husband wasn't so lucky. One of the chain-mail wearing brutes had snatched the mayor by the back of his collar, his pleas for mercy falling deaf on their canine ears.
As much as he wanted to help, the last thing he wanted was to put others in harm's way, and he somehow doubted the people wouldn't turn on him, despite the frightful situation. Not bothering to linger for longer than necessary, Link led Kagome and Shippo down the stone staircase until they arrived into a quieter area with several exits.
Glancing around the corner of the Stock Pot Inn, he waited until the coast was clear and breathed a sigh of relief. "We should be in the clear, for now."
"That poor man! What will happen to him?"
Link shook his head. "I'm not sure, but if we lingered any longer, we might have gotten involved. The last thing we want to do is draw attention to ourselves. We don't know what we're up against…" His gaze turned to the towering clock tower over the black walls. It was nearing eight in the evening, and he turned to the building behind them.
The Stock Pot Inn.
Since there was still time to spare, he was positive Anju would allow them a place to seek refuge, if only for a couple hours. And they needed to gather what supplies they could before setting out. But when he reached for the knob and turned it, the door would not budge. It was locked. There went that idea. Were the owners not home?
He knocked on the door. Not just once but twice, but no answer came. Link tried again, despite Kagome's earnestness to search elsewhere, and when he failed to reach the ears of the owners, he sighed. Not good.
"They shouldn't be closed already," He said, frowning.
"We need to think of a plan. Isn't there anywhere else we can go to talk privately, Link?" Kagome asked.
He nodded. "There is… but it's out in the open. A less than ideal spot than here. We only need a couple hours at most before leaving this place. The last thing we need is trouble."
"Trouble? Why would we get in trouble?"
Before he could answer, Serena beat him to it. "There's your clothing for one. Not to mention your tail, Shippo! You both stick out from the other townspeople!"
"And with your friends taken hostage, I have a feeling you two aren't out of danger yet…"
"Oh…"
Across the way, seated outside the Milk Bar, Link recognized a familiar old woman in a spiked wheelchair. It was Granny! Strangely enough, she was alone, drinking a bottle of white liquid, which he could only assume was the favored drink from the bar. Chateau Romani.
In the few short years he'd known her, she never once failed to cheer him up, but while others had claimed her senile after the death of her husband long ago, Link knew there was more to her than others realized. If her diary was anything to go by, he'd spent most of his time learning valuable lessons on history from her. Not only that, but she knew every detail about the people of Clock Town, everything from their fears to their desires.
Without a moment's hesitation, Link ran over to greet her. "Granny!"
She swallowed the contents of the bottle down and licked her cracked lips, her beady eyes scrutinizing him. "What do you need?"
"Are you… doing okay?"
She scoffed and tossed her empty bottle onto the ground and reached for another at her side. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm having the time of my life!" She said, forcing her nail under the cork and popping it off. "Can't an elder find an excuse to drink, sonny? If you have nothing else to say, then scat!"
Link shared a glance with Kagome and smiled at the older woman. It seemed her personality had also changed. But how much? "I noticed… things have changed here… Everyone's personalities for instance."
"It sure has. Where have you been, living under a rock? But since you brought it up, I'll let you in on something. I know who the culprit is," She said, beckoning them closer with a wag of her finger. "It's Sakon. I don't know how it happened, but just this morning he started a commotion in the town square and deemed himself King!"
Link nodded at this. "Those monsters lurking in town wearing armor… Don't tell me they used to be the guards?"
"You got that right! Sakon's loyal henchman now! After he kicked the mayor out of ownership, the next thing we knew, he started spouting all kinds of nonsense while holding up a strange mask."
Kagome gasped. "And then the town changed!"
"Bingo!" She said, snapping her finger. "Seems to me, he's got himself entangled with an evil spirit. Just like what happened five years ago with that other mask… Those were exciting times…"
Link sweat dropped. Sakon found the mask and similar to what Majora did to Skull Kid, it must have whispered promises in return for power. No doubt that got to Sakon's head. "So that's what happened…"
"Looks like we've got ourselves a doozy now. If only I was thirty years younger, I'd give that troublemaker a wallop. But my bones are too old…" She said, throwing her head back and chugging the drink. After wiping her mouth, she smirked at him. "I take it you'll handle this?"
He had no other choice. "Yes. We're hoping to stock up on supplies before heading out."
She arched a brow. "We? So, the young girl and child are going with you? How exciting! Well, I wish you the best of luck! The curfew is at nine, so you best not wander the streets after, otherwise, you'll find yourselves in a heap of trouble. If his henchman spot you, you'll be locked up and forced to pay a fine."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" He asked, sighing. "Is there a reason the inn is locked?"
"Sure is! That daughter of mine locked the doors! And what's worse, she locked me out as well! I figure it has something to do with that fight between her and Kafei. Makes little difference to me. Looks like I'll be spending the night in the bar…" She said, taking another drink. "Why not try the Laundry Pool? It's the quietest spot in town. But you knew that. If my memory serves any justice, Kafei's room is still available there."
Blue eyes widened at this discovery. And here he'd almost forgotten. "Thanks! But will he mind?" Speaking of which, where were Anju and Kafei? Were they still inside the Stock Pot Inn? Or had the fight separated them for the rest of the evening?
"I doubt it… Oh, before I forget, you'll be needing this," She said, retrieving a bronze key from the pocket of her white dress and handing it to him. "You have one hour. Better get moving."
The Laundry Pool remained undisturbed and vacant enough that Link welcomed the eerie quietness. They were no longer in the busy streets of town, and he led Kagome and Shippo down the hill and across the cobblestone bridge's waterway. A narrow path led them to a single room which had once belonged to Kafei, and reaching for the key in his pocket, he unlocked the door.
After ascending a short ramp into a dark corridor, they arrived into a private study with a small desk situated against the farthest corner of the wall, and a single bed opposite of it. A clock ticked away above an empty crate, and several decorative masks hung from the walls.
As he took a seat on the chair, with Kagome and Shippo seated opposite of him, he retrieved the poster from his pocket and displayed it before them. "I guess we should start off with this first. As you already know, Sakon somehow found the Mask of Armaros and has made himself into a King. Though it's likely the evil spirit is using him as a puppet."
Kagome nodded. "I figured as much. But who is he? Serena, you said he was a troublemaker?"
"Yep! He's the town's thief! He's been on the run for years and has been involved with a series of kidnappings and thefts. I'm surprised he came out of his cave!"
"Cave?" Shippo asked. "Does he live in town?"
"He does now, if that tower is anything to go by," She said. "You know, the one hovering over Clock Town? His hideout lies in Ikana, right next to the gorge. I've only seen it a couple times while journeying with Link."
Kagome frowned. "That's awful… Has he ever murdered anyone?"
Link paused and thought about it. In all the years he'd known about the thief, he couldn't be certain. Aside from robbing people, kidnapping, and selling their merchandise to the Curiosity Shop, there wasn't anything else. "Can't say he has, but don't take my word for it. What I want to know is how he got a hold of something so dangerous."
"The Great Fairy said it existed long ago when she was a young forest fairy! But where was it hiding for Sakon to find it?"
"Sealed in darkness somewhere," Shippo said. "That's what that man said, anyway."
Link nodded. "And if I remember, the ancients crafted the mask, and it later fell into the hands of the Ikanian Royal Family, later taken by enemy spies and eventually sealed away…" He said and sighed. "Regardless, we don't have time to wonder how he found it. Our time is limited here in Clock Town. But we have two options to decide upon."
"Options?" Kagome asked.
"One… we can leave this town and use some of my items back at the house and avoid any further problems here. Or… we can resort to stealing from the shops before curfew."
The mentioning of stealing caught the young girl off guard, and she struck him an unpleasant stare. "You're joking? I don't feel comfortable doing that. And you saw how big those monsters were!"
"If I wasn't so low on money, I'd purchase what we can afford," He said, holding up his empty sack of rupees. "Besides, sacrifices must be made, and this isn't the same Clock Town that I remember. The people have changed. I'm sure a few missing merchandise won't make any difference. All their business is going to our enemy, anyway."
Shippo's eyes widened at this, and he turned to Kagome, nodding his head. "Link's right! We need to save our friends!"
"It's survival of the fittest, Kagome. We don't want this any more than you do, and in this current situation, it's not harming anyone. We're doing this for everyone. Even your friends. We'll save them. I promise you," He said, catching her stare.
"Alright. I'm on board! But we only have one hour before curfew…"
Shippo jumped up from the bed and puffed his chest. "Don't forget about my abilities! If something happens, I'll cause a distraction!"
"That's the spirit, Shippo!"
Pleased everyone was fine with this plan, Link's gaze crept to the clock on the wall. One hour remained. Would that be enough time to gather what they could and return to this room? All without getting caught? "Kagome…"
"Yes?"
He scratched the back of his neck and took in her appearance. "For this to work, we'll need you to distract the shopkeepers."