Karma
By Gunoung7
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There is a certain house that stands alone in Kakariko village. The local townsfolk avoid it, and tell others to do likewise. There is not a single person that knows of it that does not fear it. The reason? It is haunted. Not by ghosts, but by spiders.
Every citizen of said town knows the stories of this horror. Some adventures, unaware of the tales, wander into The House of Skulltula in search of hospitality. Others, brave enough to pass through its port, tiptoe inside for the sake of bragging rights. Regardless, all who have ever set foot inside have spent the rest of their day inside a loony house, where they insanely scream day and night, trying to forget what they saw.
When asked, their stories are always the same. "There was a pack of 6 spiders," they would mumble, shuttering with every detail. "Five were about the same size, but one was substantially larger. It fell from the ceiling. It spoke to me."
None ever heard what it had to say, for they were either screaming with fear, or already running away, just beginning their life-long insanity.
How this occupancy came to pass is a question of wonder for the town, and the rest of the world. It had been the mansion of the late, rich, and ill-fated Brigard family, whom had mysteriously disappeared one evening, only to be replaced by the Giant Spiders the next day.
What really occurred is a story of tragedy for the head of the family, Mr. Seritolsa Brigard. After his wife, Mentoila Brigard, died, he was left alone to look after his six children.
Henri, Rhec, Pete, Smoltz, and Archein, each sixteen years of age, give or take a few, were all immensely greedy. They always wanted more for themselves, and were often seen fighting each other over petty things such as who would get a single rupee found under the couch. This overlying greed mainly showed in their constant attempts to become Seritolsa's favorite, hoping they would be awarded a majority of the inheritance.
The sixth child was Maxx, who was the misfit the group. He was not greedy in the least, and was actually quite mild mannered as opposed to the usual snobbyness of his brothers. For this reason, he was Seritolsa's favorite, and for that reason, his brothers all hated him.
The death of his wife had taken its toll on Seritolsa. His once youthful face was now gaunt, and weary with wrinkles. Despite being a respectable 45, he was in quite bad health, and was often seen sprawling in pain. His hair had turned gray, and had begun to recede. He was a ghastly and horrible site.
The story of how the Curse of the Skulltula came about this group is a long and interesting one......and here it is.
*
Seritolsa awoke the next morning, once again feeling his typical morning agony. 'When will these pains leave me?' he would wonder every night before finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 'I would hope that tomorrow I would get relief, than wake up disappointed and even more miserable then before.'
Today was different, however, and he was in relatively high spirits. The lady at the potion shop had told him that his special potion would be completed today. It was a specifically brewed formula that would cure most of his aches and restore him to his youthful state. This, unfortunately, would not cure him of his longing for his beloved Mentoila.
The children could be heard bickering in the next room. Seritolsa recognized the voices. 'Pete and Rhec are at it again,' he muttered automatically.
After sighing his standard morning sigh, he began the painful and arduous task of getting up from his bed. He made a quick glance around the bedroom he shared with his children, before turning to the side, back on fire, and touching his feet to the ground. Before the pain or fear could sink in, he jolted his legs straight and gained adequate balance. Once standing, the pain left the man.
Across the room, he saw Maxx dozing on his bed. He would always sleep in late while his brothers were arguing over who got the first pancake for breakfast. He was the youngest of the group, at 14 years, and was also the weakest. Poor Maxx would be picked upon and attacked by his aggressive siblings, who would all call him names such as "Papa's boy" or "Suck up." Seritolsa tried to stop these assaults, but could do little about them in his current state.
Next to the sleeping form of Maxx was the sleeping form of Smoltz who would also tend to sleep in late. However, unbeknownst to Seritolsa, he would not actually be sleeping. He would simply wait until his father left the room, before proceeding to get up and give Maxx a rude awakening.
Seritolsa hobbled into the next room, where the sounds of verbal fighting had stopped temporarily. The kitchen was as clean as ever, save for a dirty pan, laden with pancake flecks, on the stove.
The four awake boys sat around a table on the adjacent side of the room, each diligently working on his own tower of pancakes.
"Good morning boys," the father addressed them. The four all turned to look at him in unison.
"Good morning father," they said in chorus. "How is your back?"
Seritolsa groaned. "Worse than ever," he said flatly. "Fortunately, my potion is in today. I'll need someone to run and pick it up for me."
The four boys all jumped at the opportunity to help.
"I'll get it for you father," said Rhec, always the quickest to offer assistance.
"No, I'll get it for you father," chimed Pete. "I'm faster than Rhec."
The boy in question turned to Pete and began to argue this opinion. Rhec insisted that he was faster, and another argument broke out.
"All they ever do is argue," said Archein pointedly. "Don't choose them, I would gladly pick up your potion for you dearest father."
Henri countered with his own offer, and was soon in an argument with Archein, which quickly merged with the Pete/Rhec affair, and turned into a four way verbal battle.
Seritolsa sighed, knowing that he would have to pick Maxx again. He turned to go back into the other room to awaken the sleeping child.
However, Maxx was already standing in the doorway, looking anxious.
He smiled before answering his father's unasked question. "Yes father, I will get your potion for you."
With that, his brothers froze, and stared at the pair. "Thank you," Seritolsa replied, before giving Maxx a hug.
Their resentment for Maxx had steadily grown over the years. Their opinion of popularity and friendship all came back to money and power. Because of this, they could not grasp why such an unambitious person could have such esteem in the family.
They had always hated the boy, but with this final act, their loathing grew unfathomably intense. They turned their gaze upon each other, as a rash and unilateral decision was made by every member of the foursome.
Rhec spoke up. "Let us put aside our squabbles, and unite against the main cause of our anguish." The others quickly nodded in absolute agreement.
*
Half an hour later, Maxx was out the door, belly full and spirits high. He whistled a cheery tune and he skipped along, occasionally stopping to bid good morning to the many townsfolk. He was the only of the 6 boys that the townspeople liked. They said the rest were to snobby.
As Maxx turned the corner at 24th and Market, he was hit over the head with a brick. He fell to the ground, unconscious, before being dragged into a dark ally by his brothers. Smoltz accompanied them, having been told about the mornings atrocities after losing his wake-up attempt.
The 5 boys sniggered, before producing a large potato bag, and stuffing their unconscious brother into it. They put the brick used to hit him inside as well, along with many others. They tied the end with a length of rope and, using the combined efforts of all five, were able to lift it.
They walked towards the windmill, giving dirty looks to all who stared at them. One woman even went so far as to ask them what they had. She received nothing but an indignant, "Nothing! Now shove off," from Smoltz.
As the giant blades of the windmill came into view, the brothers swerved on a slightly different path. They continued walking towards the well, prepared to do what they had wanted done for many long years.
The water was full to the top which would provide adequate cover for the body. As they reached the well, they glanced around, making sure no one could see them. Then, slowly and with emphasis, tipped the bag into the water. It floated downwards, en route to the bottom.
The boys rejoiced at the riddance of their competition. In their minds this was the best thing that had ever happened to them. Unfortunately for them, it was quite the opposite.
*
The cause of their curse was a deeper one that this. As it turned out, Maxx had friends in very high places. Or very low places, to be exact.
One day, after fleeing the house to rid himself of the torment of his brothers, Maxx stumbled upon a secret grotto hidden in the graveyard. It was in a small hole, not more than 2 feet in diameter, lying on the ground. He peered down into it. The light from the noon sky was sufficient enough to be able to see the bottom. It was a rather short fall, and being as curious as he was, Maxx decided to hop in.
Upon landing in a small grassy patch, he saw a chest on the other side. He has come this far, so he decided he would go further.
He got to his feet and, while avoiding the many fluttering butterflies, made his way towards the spoils of his risk.
The chest was covered in layers of dust, which flaked off at Maxx's lightest touch. A key was left haphazardly on the ground some inches in front of it, and clearly matched the material used to make the lock.
Maxx's hand reached down towards the key, and curled its fingers.
"Stop!" rang a small, squeaky voice from overhead.
Maxx looked up in surprise, and saw a tiny little spider floating down from a thread of silk. It looked an awful lot like a Skulltula, as its face encompassed its entire topside. Fear took Maxx, and he fell backwards onto his hands and feet, dropping the key.
Before he could scuttle away, the tiny spider spoke again. "Don't unlock that chest. It is cursed. All who gaze upon it's treasure will spend eternity wishing they had never done so."
It was then that Maxx realized that this spider had no intention of harming him. He hesitated momentary before straightening up and sitting on the floor.
"W-who are you?" he asked, seeming unafraid anymore.
The spider seemed surprised. "You're not scared of me?" it inquired.
Maxx thought for a moment. "I think I was," he finally started. "But than I realized that you weren't going to hurt me. Your not, are you?" He sort of shrank backwards slightly in anticipation of the spider's responce.
The tiny spider laughed. "Nah, I only go after insects smaller than me. You're far too big." The spider seemed to smile, although Maxx couldn't really tell. "I like you kid. What's your name?"
"Maxx," he replied.
"Hmm. Okay Maxx, my name is Stula, the magical spider. I am the keeper of this accursed chest. I prevent people like you from opening it." He laughed again. "But enough about me, how did you get down here?"
Maxx told the spider about running from his brothers, then discovering the Grotto. Stula seemed quite interested on the topic of his siblings.
"Your brothers seem very mean. Why do they do the stuff you speak of to you?"
Maxx sighed. "They all want more money than the others," he said quite plainly. "They fight each other day and night for a larger part of the families inheritance. They see me as father's favorite, and so they naturally resent me."
Stula quickly changed the subject. "You're the first person who's ever talked to me, you know."
This caught Maxx off guard. He stared and the now sulking spider. "I'm sorry," he said quite sheepishly. "You must be very lonely."
Stula looked up, and appeared to nod his head. He suddenly perked up. "Will you be my friend?" it asked, clearly full of hope.
Maxx stared at the spider momentarily before smiling and nodding his head.
Stula look ecstatic. "Oh thank goodness! I've never had a friend before!"
So the odd couple became friends, and Maxx would visit every other day or so. At every meeting, Maxx would recall his most recent encounters with his brothers. Every passing day, Stula became more and more sympathetic with his friend, and secretly swore revenge against them if they were ever to harm Maxx permanently. And it was not long afterwards that that day came.
*
Seritolsa became worried when Maxx didn't return by noon. Aided by all his remaining children (none of them willing to pass up an opportunity such as this), he began to walk around town looking for him. When no one knew where he was, Seritolsa went to the police station and filed a report. The police said that they would search for him, but nothing could be done until then.
Utterly disheartened, Seritolsa returned to his house with his sons. He sent the lot of them off to get his potion, and he laid down on his bed, exhausted and terrified.
Days and weeks, past with nothing heard of the boy or his fate. Seritolsa had all but given up hope, and he resigned to sobbing into his pillow, day and night.
His sons did likewise, but with an entirely different motive. They cared not that Maxx was gone, but they did want to appear sympathetic to their father.
One day, a young maiden was drawing water from the well, when her bucket caught something very heavy. She somehow managed to lift the bucket anyway, which carried a large brown sack along with it. Curiously, she pulled the bag out of the bucket, and dropped it on the ground. She untied the immensely wet rope, and peeked inside. Upon seeing what was inside, she let out a blood curling scream, and dropped the bag. She then turned tail and ran, drawing the attention of a local policeman. He quieted the woman, than took a look inside the bag, for himself. It was clearly Maxx's lifeless body.
Seritolsa was informed very quickly, as were his brothers. The father was utterly devastated to learn of his son's fate. He broke out into uncontrollable sobs, and slumped to the ground.
The brothers, on the other hand, attempted to make themselves as small as possible. They all felt very worried. If they would somehow be found out, they would surely be executed, or at least imprisoned for life.
The funeral was held the next day. Everyone in the town attended, teary-eyed and restless. The brothers were glad that the body was to go underground quickly, before it could be analyzed to any extent. Seritolsa was also glad that the funeral was so soon, hoping that it would then stop haunting his mind.
The services passed quickly, with many speakers, and many tears. Maxx was absolutely beloved by the town, so a lot of different people had things to say.
When the funeral finally ended, the crowds dispersed, leaving only one last mourner. Stula had listened to the entire thing from atop the gravestone, and realized why Maxx hadn't visited recently. The spider had heard enough about Maxx's brothers to be able to guess what had happened. Feeling a mix of sadness and rage, he returned to his hole, already plotting his revenge.
*
The day after the funeral, Rhec awoke to find a note on his bed. It was unlabeled, so he had no idea who it was from. He unfolded the piece of paper, and read it quickly.
*I know what you did to Maxx. I congratulate you on this task. That boy was a thorn in my side for many years. Unfortunately for you, the police seem to be near discovering your identity due to some witnesses. There is only one way for you to clear you and your brother's names. Collect them all, and come to the graveyard tonight. Unfortunately, it will only work if every one of you is present, so make sure your brothers come. My messenger, Stula, will guide you from there. Good Luck.*
Rhec read it over and over again, before quickly waking up his brothers, and showing it to them. All of them agreed that they would go.
That night, the 5 gathered to leave. Seritolsa was not in the house, so that created less of a problem for them. They quietly slipped out of the house, and made for the graveyard.
They reached the gates, and saw the old grave keeper, Dampe I, patrolling the tombstones, much as Dampe XIII would do in Link's time. They stood there, waiting for this Stula to appear.
"Hello boys," came a small voice from the sign above. They all looked upwards, and saw a small spider.
"Who said that?" Archein inquired, clearly nervous, and clearly not realizing that it was the spider who had spoken.
"Are you blind? I'm Stula, and yes, I'm a spider, so don't even try pointing that out to me. I know."
The boys were all quite surprised. None dared to speak, so they all just stared at the talking arachnid.
Stula grew impatient. "What are you all looking at? Get going. Over in that corner over there," Stula bobbed in the specified direction. "is a hole. Go into the hole, and unlock the chest that's in there. What you find will help you in your cover up. It will also make anyone who knows about it forget. Now get going."
Stula disappeared into the night, leaving the boys there to ponder on their encounter. One by one, they snapped out of their trances, and stared in the indicated direction. They walked the distance to the corner, and saw the hole that had been mentioned.
The boys drew lots to see who would jump first, and the decision came upon Smoltz. He stood at the rim, hesitating momentarily, before swallowing his fear and jumping in.
He hit the ground in a matter of seconds, and realized that he wasn't dead. He called to the others, and they proceeded to jump in one by one. When all five were in the hole, they began looking for the chest. It was not difficult to find, as it was located in the center of the back wall.
They approached it apprehensively, and gazed upon it from a closer angle. It was actually a very beautiful chest. It was mahogany wood, carved in an elegant pattern and encrusted with jewels. The lock was golden, as was the key that they found on the ground.
Henri lowered to pick up the key, but stopped short when he heard another person drop into the grotto. He spun around, and came face to face with their now enraged father. They were all at a loss for words.
When they didn't speak, Seritolsa did, and his voice was like poison. "I just had a little chat with the police. It turns out that they found numerous people who identified you five as the murderers of my son." He was absolutely livid with anger. His face was now a bright red, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and his fingernails had bitten into his palms. "Is this true?" The last part was spoken in a tone that showed he knew full well that they had.
He was greeted with silence. None of the boys dared to speak. They had never known this level of anger could exist in such a feeble man. Much less, their father.
Seritolsa, taking this silence as evidence that they did kill Maxx, continued. "Come with me. Every one of you."
Rhec, Pete, Smoltz, and Archein began to move forward in automatic obedience. Henri, on the other hand, remembered their mission. He stood up full, key in hand, and exclaimed, "No. I open this chest, and you forget. I open this chest, and I go free. I think I will choose that over persecution."
This courageous statement grabbed the attention of ever person there, and they all turned to stare at Henri. The boys were still terrified, and Seritolsa still livid, but they gave him their attention.
He turned around, and jammed the key into the lock. As he turned it, a rather loud click echoed throughout the grotto. He stood up full, and put his hand on the lid. Everyone's eyes had now moved to the treasure chest.
Henri lifted the top up, and many things happened at once. Upon seeing the bounty, every person present screamed in terror, and dropped to the ground groping their eyes. The occupants of the chest, 100 golden coins shaped like spiders, floated into the air, and shot out of the chest. A booming voice sounded inside the grotto.
*"YOU HAVE OPENED THE TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN SKULLTULA!"* it declared. *"NOW YOU SHALL BE CURSED FOR ETERNITY. THERE IS BUT ONE WAY TO LIFT THIS CURSE. SEEK OUT AND DESTROY THE GOLDEN SKULLTULAS."*
With that, the massive group of floating coins flew out of the grotto, and spread out across the land. When they landed, they turned into Skulltulas with large, golden backs. They instantly began producing a god awful sound, and the world groaned.
Seritolsa and sons were teleported back into their house, where the stood for mere seconds. Suddenly, they all screamed in pain as their body morphed. They grew 2 more pairs of limbs which turned black and yellow, giant skulls began to encompass their faces, leaving it only partially uncovered, and they began to shrink to a slightly smaller size.
Automatically, a thread of silk fell from the ceiling, grabbing each spider in its own rope. They were hoisted upwards, and stood dangling above the floor. No one ever saw the Brigards again. Karma had gotten them.
*
It wasn"t long before the horror stories began to pile up. People had first gone to their house to express their sorrows over the topic of Maxx. When they saw the new occupants, they all screamed and ran.
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By Gunoung7
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There is a certain house that stands alone in Kakariko village. The local townsfolk avoid it, and tell others to do likewise. There is not a single person that knows of it that does not fear it. The reason? It is haunted. Not by ghosts, but by spiders.
Every citizen of said town knows the stories of this horror. Some adventures, unaware of the tales, wander into The House of Skulltula in search of hospitality. Others, brave enough to pass through its port, tiptoe inside for the sake of bragging rights. Regardless, all who have ever set foot inside have spent the rest of their day inside a loony house, where they insanely scream day and night, trying to forget what they saw.
When asked, their stories are always the same. "There was a pack of 6 spiders," they would mumble, shuttering with every detail. "Five were about the same size, but one was substantially larger. It fell from the ceiling. It spoke to me."
None ever heard what it had to say, for they were either screaming with fear, or already running away, just beginning their life-long insanity.
How this occupancy came to pass is a question of wonder for the town, and the rest of the world. It had been the mansion of the late, rich, and ill-fated Brigard family, whom had mysteriously disappeared one evening, only to be replaced by the Giant Spiders the next day.
What really occurred is a story of tragedy for the head of the family, Mr. Seritolsa Brigard. After his wife, Mentoila Brigard, died, he was left alone to look after his six children.
Henri, Rhec, Pete, Smoltz, and Archein, each sixteen years of age, give or take a few, were all immensely greedy. They always wanted more for themselves, and were often seen fighting each other over petty things such as who would get a single rupee found under the couch. This overlying greed mainly showed in their constant attempts to become Seritolsa's favorite, hoping they would be awarded a majority of the inheritance.
The sixth child was Maxx, who was the misfit the group. He was not greedy in the least, and was actually quite mild mannered as opposed to the usual snobbyness of his brothers. For this reason, he was Seritolsa's favorite, and for that reason, his brothers all hated him.
The death of his wife had taken its toll on Seritolsa. His once youthful face was now gaunt, and weary with wrinkles. Despite being a respectable 45, he was in quite bad health, and was often seen sprawling in pain. His hair had turned gray, and had begun to recede. He was a ghastly and horrible site.
The story of how the Curse of the Skulltula came about this group is a long and interesting one......and here it is.
*
Seritolsa awoke the next morning, once again feeling his typical morning agony. 'When will these pains leave me?' he would wonder every night before finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 'I would hope that tomorrow I would get relief, than wake up disappointed and even more miserable then before.'
Today was different, however, and he was in relatively high spirits. The lady at the potion shop had told him that his special potion would be completed today. It was a specifically brewed formula that would cure most of his aches and restore him to his youthful state. This, unfortunately, would not cure him of his longing for his beloved Mentoila.
The children could be heard bickering in the next room. Seritolsa recognized the voices. 'Pete and Rhec are at it again,' he muttered automatically.
After sighing his standard morning sigh, he began the painful and arduous task of getting up from his bed. He made a quick glance around the bedroom he shared with his children, before turning to the side, back on fire, and touching his feet to the ground. Before the pain or fear could sink in, he jolted his legs straight and gained adequate balance. Once standing, the pain left the man.
Across the room, he saw Maxx dozing on his bed. He would always sleep in late while his brothers were arguing over who got the first pancake for breakfast. He was the youngest of the group, at 14 years, and was also the weakest. Poor Maxx would be picked upon and attacked by his aggressive siblings, who would all call him names such as "Papa's boy" or "Suck up." Seritolsa tried to stop these assaults, but could do little about them in his current state.
Next to the sleeping form of Maxx was the sleeping form of Smoltz who would also tend to sleep in late. However, unbeknownst to Seritolsa, he would not actually be sleeping. He would simply wait until his father left the room, before proceeding to get up and give Maxx a rude awakening.
Seritolsa hobbled into the next room, where the sounds of verbal fighting had stopped temporarily. The kitchen was as clean as ever, save for a dirty pan, laden with pancake flecks, on the stove.
The four awake boys sat around a table on the adjacent side of the room, each diligently working on his own tower of pancakes.
"Good morning boys," the father addressed them. The four all turned to look at him in unison.
"Good morning father," they said in chorus. "How is your back?"
Seritolsa groaned. "Worse than ever," he said flatly. "Fortunately, my potion is in today. I'll need someone to run and pick it up for me."
The four boys all jumped at the opportunity to help.
"I'll get it for you father," said Rhec, always the quickest to offer assistance.
"No, I'll get it for you father," chimed Pete. "I'm faster than Rhec."
The boy in question turned to Pete and began to argue this opinion. Rhec insisted that he was faster, and another argument broke out.
"All they ever do is argue," said Archein pointedly. "Don't choose them, I would gladly pick up your potion for you dearest father."
Henri countered with his own offer, and was soon in an argument with Archein, which quickly merged with the Pete/Rhec affair, and turned into a four way verbal battle.
Seritolsa sighed, knowing that he would have to pick Maxx again. He turned to go back into the other room to awaken the sleeping child.
However, Maxx was already standing in the doorway, looking anxious.
He smiled before answering his father's unasked question. "Yes father, I will get your potion for you."
With that, his brothers froze, and stared at the pair. "Thank you," Seritolsa replied, before giving Maxx a hug.
Their resentment for Maxx had steadily grown over the years. Their opinion of popularity and friendship all came back to money and power. Because of this, they could not grasp why such an unambitious person could have such esteem in the family.
They had always hated the boy, but with this final act, their loathing grew unfathomably intense. They turned their gaze upon each other, as a rash and unilateral decision was made by every member of the foursome.
Rhec spoke up. "Let us put aside our squabbles, and unite against the main cause of our anguish." The others quickly nodded in absolute agreement.
*
Half an hour later, Maxx was out the door, belly full and spirits high. He whistled a cheery tune and he skipped along, occasionally stopping to bid good morning to the many townsfolk. He was the only of the 6 boys that the townspeople liked. They said the rest were to snobby.
As Maxx turned the corner at 24th and Market, he was hit over the head with a brick. He fell to the ground, unconscious, before being dragged into a dark ally by his brothers. Smoltz accompanied them, having been told about the mornings atrocities after losing his wake-up attempt.
The 5 boys sniggered, before producing a large potato bag, and stuffing their unconscious brother into it. They put the brick used to hit him inside as well, along with many others. They tied the end with a length of rope and, using the combined efforts of all five, were able to lift it.
They walked towards the windmill, giving dirty looks to all who stared at them. One woman even went so far as to ask them what they had. She received nothing but an indignant, "Nothing! Now shove off," from Smoltz.
As the giant blades of the windmill came into view, the brothers swerved on a slightly different path. They continued walking towards the well, prepared to do what they had wanted done for many long years.
The water was full to the top which would provide adequate cover for the body. As they reached the well, they glanced around, making sure no one could see them. Then, slowly and with emphasis, tipped the bag into the water. It floated downwards, en route to the bottom.
The boys rejoiced at the riddance of their competition. In their minds this was the best thing that had ever happened to them. Unfortunately for them, it was quite the opposite.
*
The cause of their curse was a deeper one that this. As it turned out, Maxx had friends in very high places. Or very low places, to be exact.
One day, after fleeing the house to rid himself of the torment of his brothers, Maxx stumbled upon a secret grotto hidden in the graveyard. It was in a small hole, not more than 2 feet in diameter, lying on the ground. He peered down into it. The light from the noon sky was sufficient enough to be able to see the bottom. It was a rather short fall, and being as curious as he was, Maxx decided to hop in.
Upon landing in a small grassy patch, he saw a chest on the other side. He has come this far, so he decided he would go further.
He got to his feet and, while avoiding the many fluttering butterflies, made his way towards the spoils of his risk.
The chest was covered in layers of dust, which flaked off at Maxx's lightest touch. A key was left haphazardly on the ground some inches in front of it, and clearly matched the material used to make the lock.
Maxx's hand reached down towards the key, and curled its fingers.
"Stop!" rang a small, squeaky voice from overhead.
Maxx looked up in surprise, and saw a tiny little spider floating down from a thread of silk. It looked an awful lot like a Skulltula, as its face encompassed its entire topside. Fear took Maxx, and he fell backwards onto his hands and feet, dropping the key.
Before he could scuttle away, the tiny spider spoke again. "Don't unlock that chest. It is cursed. All who gaze upon it's treasure will spend eternity wishing they had never done so."
It was then that Maxx realized that this spider had no intention of harming him. He hesitated momentary before straightening up and sitting on the floor.
"W-who are you?" he asked, seeming unafraid anymore.
The spider seemed surprised. "You're not scared of me?" it inquired.
Maxx thought for a moment. "I think I was," he finally started. "But than I realized that you weren't going to hurt me. Your not, are you?" He sort of shrank backwards slightly in anticipation of the spider's responce.
The tiny spider laughed. "Nah, I only go after insects smaller than me. You're far too big." The spider seemed to smile, although Maxx couldn't really tell. "I like you kid. What's your name?"
"Maxx," he replied.
"Hmm. Okay Maxx, my name is Stula, the magical spider. I am the keeper of this accursed chest. I prevent people like you from opening it." He laughed again. "But enough about me, how did you get down here?"
Maxx told the spider about running from his brothers, then discovering the Grotto. Stula seemed quite interested on the topic of his siblings.
"Your brothers seem very mean. Why do they do the stuff you speak of to you?"
Maxx sighed. "They all want more money than the others," he said quite plainly. "They fight each other day and night for a larger part of the families inheritance. They see me as father's favorite, and so they naturally resent me."
Stula quickly changed the subject. "You're the first person who's ever talked to me, you know."
This caught Maxx off guard. He stared and the now sulking spider. "I'm sorry," he said quite sheepishly. "You must be very lonely."
Stula looked up, and appeared to nod his head. He suddenly perked up. "Will you be my friend?" it asked, clearly full of hope.
Maxx stared at the spider momentarily before smiling and nodding his head.
Stula look ecstatic. "Oh thank goodness! I've never had a friend before!"
So the odd couple became friends, and Maxx would visit every other day or so. At every meeting, Maxx would recall his most recent encounters with his brothers. Every passing day, Stula became more and more sympathetic with his friend, and secretly swore revenge against them if they were ever to harm Maxx permanently. And it was not long afterwards that that day came.
*
Seritolsa became worried when Maxx didn't return by noon. Aided by all his remaining children (none of them willing to pass up an opportunity such as this), he began to walk around town looking for him. When no one knew where he was, Seritolsa went to the police station and filed a report. The police said that they would search for him, but nothing could be done until then.
Utterly disheartened, Seritolsa returned to his house with his sons. He sent the lot of them off to get his potion, and he laid down on his bed, exhausted and terrified.
Days and weeks, past with nothing heard of the boy or his fate. Seritolsa had all but given up hope, and he resigned to sobbing into his pillow, day and night.
His sons did likewise, but with an entirely different motive. They cared not that Maxx was gone, but they did want to appear sympathetic to their father.
One day, a young maiden was drawing water from the well, when her bucket caught something very heavy. She somehow managed to lift the bucket anyway, which carried a large brown sack along with it. Curiously, she pulled the bag out of the bucket, and dropped it on the ground. She untied the immensely wet rope, and peeked inside. Upon seeing what was inside, she let out a blood curling scream, and dropped the bag. She then turned tail and ran, drawing the attention of a local policeman. He quieted the woman, than took a look inside the bag, for himself. It was clearly Maxx's lifeless body.
Seritolsa was informed very quickly, as were his brothers. The father was utterly devastated to learn of his son's fate. He broke out into uncontrollable sobs, and slumped to the ground.
The brothers, on the other hand, attempted to make themselves as small as possible. They all felt very worried. If they would somehow be found out, they would surely be executed, or at least imprisoned for life.
The funeral was held the next day. Everyone in the town attended, teary-eyed and restless. The brothers were glad that the body was to go underground quickly, before it could be analyzed to any extent. Seritolsa was also glad that the funeral was so soon, hoping that it would then stop haunting his mind.
The services passed quickly, with many speakers, and many tears. Maxx was absolutely beloved by the town, so a lot of different people had things to say.
When the funeral finally ended, the crowds dispersed, leaving only one last mourner. Stula had listened to the entire thing from atop the gravestone, and realized why Maxx hadn't visited recently. The spider had heard enough about Maxx's brothers to be able to guess what had happened. Feeling a mix of sadness and rage, he returned to his hole, already plotting his revenge.
*
The day after the funeral, Rhec awoke to find a note on his bed. It was unlabeled, so he had no idea who it was from. He unfolded the piece of paper, and read it quickly.
*I know what you did to Maxx. I congratulate you on this task. That boy was a thorn in my side for many years. Unfortunately for you, the police seem to be near discovering your identity due to some witnesses. There is only one way for you to clear you and your brother's names. Collect them all, and come to the graveyard tonight. Unfortunately, it will only work if every one of you is present, so make sure your brothers come. My messenger, Stula, will guide you from there. Good Luck.*
Rhec read it over and over again, before quickly waking up his brothers, and showing it to them. All of them agreed that they would go.
That night, the 5 gathered to leave. Seritolsa was not in the house, so that created less of a problem for them. They quietly slipped out of the house, and made for the graveyard.
They reached the gates, and saw the old grave keeper, Dampe I, patrolling the tombstones, much as Dampe XIII would do in Link's time. They stood there, waiting for this Stula to appear.
"Hello boys," came a small voice from the sign above. They all looked upwards, and saw a small spider.
"Who said that?" Archein inquired, clearly nervous, and clearly not realizing that it was the spider who had spoken.
"Are you blind? I'm Stula, and yes, I'm a spider, so don't even try pointing that out to me. I know."
The boys were all quite surprised. None dared to speak, so they all just stared at the talking arachnid.
Stula grew impatient. "What are you all looking at? Get going. Over in that corner over there," Stula bobbed in the specified direction. "is a hole. Go into the hole, and unlock the chest that's in there. What you find will help you in your cover up. It will also make anyone who knows about it forget. Now get going."
Stula disappeared into the night, leaving the boys there to ponder on their encounter. One by one, they snapped out of their trances, and stared in the indicated direction. They walked the distance to the corner, and saw the hole that had been mentioned.
The boys drew lots to see who would jump first, and the decision came upon Smoltz. He stood at the rim, hesitating momentarily, before swallowing his fear and jumping in.
He hit the ground in a matter of seconds, and realized that he wasn't dead. He called to the others, and they proceeded to jump in one by one. When all five were in the hole, they began looking for the chest. It was not difficult to find, as it was located in the center of the back wall.
They approached it apprehensively, and gazed upon it from a closer angle. It was actually a very beautiful chest. It was mahogany wood, carved in an elegant pattern and encrusted with jewels. The lock was golden, as was the key that they found on the ground.
Henri lowered to pick up the key, but stopped short when he heard another person drop into the grotto. He spun around, and came face to face with their now enraged father. They were all at a loss for words.
When they didn't speak, Seritolsa did, and his voice was like poison. "I just had a little chat with the police. It turns out that they found numerous people who identified you five as the murderers of my son." He was absolutely livid with anger. His face was now a bright red, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and his fingernails had bitten into his palms. "Is this true?" The last part was spoken in a tone that showed he knew full well that they had.
He was greeted with silence. None of the boys dared to speak. They had never known this level of anger could exist in such a feeble man. Much less, their father.
Seritolsa, taking this silence as evidence that they did kill Maxx, continued. "Come with me. Every one of you."
Rhec, Pete, Smoltz, and Archein began to move forward in automatic obedience. Henri, on the other hand, remembered their mission. He stood up full, key in hand, and exclaimed, "No. I open this chest, and you forget. I open this chest, and I go free. I think I will choose that over persecution."
This courageous statement grabbed the attention of ever person there, and they all turned to stare at Henri. The boys were still terrified, and Seritolsa still livid, but they gave him their attention.
He turned around, and jammed the key into the lock. As he turned it, a rather loud click echoed throughout the grotto. He stood up full, and put his hand on the lid. Everyone's eyes had now moved to the treasure chest.
Henri lifted the top up, and many things happened at once. Upon seeing the bounty, every person present screamed in terror, and dropped to the ground groping their eyes. The occupants of the chest, 100 golden coins shaped like spiders, floated into the air, and shot out of the chest. A booming voice sounded inside the grotto.
*"YOU HAVE OPENED THE TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN SKULLTULA!"* it declared. *"NOW YOU SHALL BE CURSED FOR ETERNITY. THERE IS BUT ONE WAY TO LIFT THIS CURSE. SEEK OUT AND DESTROY THE GOLDEN SKULLTULAS."*
With that, the massive group of floating coins flew out of the grotto, and spread out across the land. When they landed, they turned into Skulltulas with large, golden backs. They instantly began producing a god awful sound, and the world groaned.
Seritolsa and sons were teleported back into their house, where the stood for mere seconds. Suddenly, they all screamed in pain as their body morphed. They grew 2 more pairs of limbs which turned black and yellow, giant skulls began to encompass their faces, leaving it only partially uncovered, and they began to shrink to a slightly smaller size.
Automatically, a thread of silk fell from the ceiling, grabbing each spider in its own rope. They were hoisted upwards, and stood dangling above the floor. No one ever saw the Brigards again. Karma had gotten them.
*
It wasn"t long before the horror stories began to pile up. People had first gone to their house to express their sorrows over the topic of Maxx. When they saw the new occupants, they all screamed and ran.
*
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