Chapter 22: The Secrets of a Salesman
Skull Kid observed ominously from the shadows, watching as his various enemies were now all one. That stupid giant had just stopped one of the most important advantages he had… Now, they would all remember everything from now on… No amount of resetting time would undo their memories.
Letting the bat like wings behind him fold into a cape-like shape, he pondered on the thought. Walking with his hands behind his back, Skull Kid analyzed the situation to the best of his ability. He no longer had any more allies to help him if it was needed. He had replaced the souls with Tael, so that interfering skeleton wouldn't notice anything going amiss. It would also make sure the monsters would never have the chance of getting through the barrier and interfering.
Now, it seemed the kid's old friends had decided to intervene. Those blasted giants were always the ones to foil his plans. They were back once more, trying to affect the outcome. He would not let them win this time. Skull Kid… no… Majora would strike them down if they dared get close. Their power was not quite strong enough before, but now, Majora had all the power they needed.
The monsters and Link would, without a doubt, be working together for the rest of the endeavor. That would be a minor setback in their mind… Those monsters had proven to be insignificant to its power. After all, Skull Kid had not even used a fraction of his power when enhancing the two monsters, Odolwa and Goht.
Besides, he could not get distracted by them. He had made an accomplishment… That human that used to be able to affect time had lost the ability when Skull Kid effectively split them. Now, it was only Link that could rewind the moon's descent.
It was time to set the next part of the plan into action. With a giggle, Skull Kid disappeared, not even paying any mind to the mask quickly absorbing his thoughts.
A bolt of fire launched from Toriel's fingertips, hovering above the ground in the center of the group of friends and enemies alike. There was no need for wood, as the boss monster was fully capable of sustaining her magic with little to no effort. The heat came as a welcoming to everyone else, as the cold slowly left their bodies.
Asgore's soul lurched when he saw the speed that the fire could gain. The heat definitely was not to be overlooked. Internally breathing a sigh of relief, he was thankful that those flames were not directed at him for once. Toriel was… definitely cooled down a bit more, now. The kingly monster cursed himself for the unintentional pun.
"Now that that's settled…" Toriel exclaimed, turning to the rest with her paws clasped.. "How about we all warm up and reach an understanding with one another."
Sans was the first to gladly plop down, wanting to finally get a rest from the mayhem. Although, his guard never lowered in circumstances like these. "I'm not sure about the whole warming up to each other part of it, but whatever." He didn't have the advantage of knowing what would happen anymore. The skeleton wasn't about to let anything get ruined anytime soon.
An amused but stern look came from Toriel at his statement. "Now Sans, don't be so cold to our new friends."
Tatl's wings drooped with a dramatic sigh. "Out of everything we could be stuck with… it's pun making monsters…" The fairy did not notice the taller skeleton standing right next to her.
"I KNOW! IT'S SO IRRITATING." Tatl let out a yelp of surprise as Papyrus yelled from right behind her. "THIS IS WHAT I DEAL WITH EVERYDAY! I CAN BARELY STAND IT!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air with exasperation.
The Mask Salesman gave a grunt of disapproval, standing with his arms crossed. "We must stop messing around and get to the point. Half of our time is up." The light hearted moment was quickly destroyed by the reminder of the moon looming above them.
"Then, I guess I shall start by explaining my race." Asgore spoke, giving Asriel to Toriel. The small boy was still asleep, but no longer in danger thanks to the warmth of the fire. It was best not to wake him now… He had been through enough.
Asgore faced Link, albeit, towering over the boy. Link didn't so much as shudder, as he knew the king was not a threat. "Greetings, I am Asgore Dreemurr. Long ago, two races ruled over the earth, humans and monsters…" Tatl's light dimmed in confusion at his words. That didn't match up with… "The humans feared our power… the ability to absorb their souls. War broke out between the two races, and we lost without even killing one human…" They had never stood a chance. "We were sealed underground, trapped by a barrier."
Chara interjected, standing up as well from their sitting position. "That's when I fell into the Underground." Link's gaze snapped to the human who he did not recognize in the slightest. He thought he had met them before, but maybe it was just his imagination.
"Do we… know you?" Tatl asked, tilting to the side slightly.
"That's… complicated." A small laugh escaped from them. "I'll explain that later, but as I was saying… I fell to the Underground, years after it had been sealed. Asriel found me, and the Dreemurr family took me in. But… I soon found out about the power to get through the barrier, a monster fusing with a human soul." They fell to silence, the painful memory of weaponry hitting them over and over again.
Toriel and Asgore both eyed their child in confusion. The former was the first to question the last sentence. "My child… what do you mean?" There was never a mention of them knowing about that power…
Chara quickly saw the mistake. "It's… nothing." No one was convinced. "I ended up… dying of sickness." They lied, unable to tell the truth. Why did this stupid soul have to make them worry about their parent's sadness? "Asriel absorbed my soul… trying to take my body to the surface…"
Alphys seemed to be sweating more than usual uncomfortably. Seeing this, Frisk could understand why. The scientist had listened to those lab tapes… and knew the truth. The rest did not see, all attention on the human. "The humans attacked… and I… urged Asriel to fight back but… he didn't. We stumbled back home, and died on the bed of golden flowers."
"B-But!" Alphys finally decided to step in. The two humans wondered whether she was about to give their secret away. "T-That was y-years ago! How are you s-still here?"
"That is a bit… complicated." Toriel answered for them. "We are not quite sure how it happened… but it appears both Chara and Frisk are sharing pieces of a soul with one another."
With a gasp of surprise, Alphys readjusted her glasses with enthusiasm. "H-How? I-I've never s-studied a phenomenon like that! T-That should be impossible!"
Arching a brow, Toriel had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing, now. That did not sound right… "Then… how do you suppose it could stay this way?"
"I-I don't know…"
Frisk and Chara glanced between each other, uneasy about just what this could mean. Would this make their souls unstable? Tatl took notice to the uneasiness, deciding to take their minds off the subject. "All right, we get that, but there is something that doesn't add up here." Link knew what she was talking about. He had noticed the same exact flaw. "What about the other races? What about the Gorons? What about the Zoras? There were so many other races than humans and monsters…"
"What the hell are those?" Undyne questioned, arching her brow in confusion.
The fairy lurched backwards as if that question was completely ridiculous. Which, for Tatl, it was. "How long were you trapped down there? None of this makes sense! Are you just stupid or were you sealed down way before the goddesses created this place?"
Holding a spear over her shoulder, Undyne gave a threatening glare. "I can assure you we aren't stupid. We were only trapped down there for a few centuries, but that's it! What's this crap about goddesses?"
A chilling silence filled the air at her words. The Happy Mask Salesman remained perfectly still, as if dreading the wrath of the goddesses. Link's eye widened in shock, looking between Undyne and Tatl. Who didn't know about the story of the goddesses? Something was not right here.
"Do you finally get it?" The Salesman questioned, a grim expression on his face. Faces turned to gaze at him in question. Lowering his head, he explained, "Our histories do not line up. None of it matches. As both Frisk and Link have noticed, these events have never occurred at the same time in any timeline."
"T-Timeline?" Alphys stuttered, mouth agape. "What d-do you mean when y-you timelines?"
Frisk and Chara both stiffened when the Salesman had mentioned it. That was not something they were really… comfortable with talking about. It was unavoidable, but they at least held onto the hope that maybe they could have avoided it. Glancing over to Sans, Frisk bit their lip, waiting for his confirmation for them to speak about the timelines. They knew just how sensitive of a subject it was for the skeleton.
He caught their gaze, sighing in defeat. "Look, if we are going to get anywhere, we need to come off clean. That means telling everyone just what happened before, and telling them just what we'll do about it." Responsibility sucked. "So…" Glancing uneasily to Frisk, he asked, "Want to start?"
Undyne put her hand on her head. "Why is all of this so COMPLICATED!? There better be a good explanation for this!"
"That's the thing…" Chara said, growing uneasy. "It's… not simple at all…" Clearing their throat, they tried to keep their voice stable. "When Frisk fell to the Underground… I was bound to their soul. I was so confused. Somehow, I was conscious. I tried calling out for help, and Frisk saw me…" Chara hadn't exactly been the most welcoming… being that there was another human in their vicinity. "They showed kindness through every encounter, sparing every monster and eventually, they made it to Asgore…"
"But, it wasn't as easy as you'd think." Frisk interrupted. "There were so many monsters that were difficult to pacify…" Thousands of magical spears impaled their chest as they begged for it to stop. "We… died a few times…"
Deathly silence followed as Frisk shut their eyes. The mixture of confusion and horror passed between everyone. Everything finally clicked in Tatl's and Link's head at the same time. "Wait… you mean to tell us that you were the one doing all of the time shenanigans?"
"Was that not obvious enough?" Chara sighed, placing their hands on their hips. "It took you THAT long to figure out."
Toriel remained silent for a short time. However, this did not last. "M-My children, what do you mean by that?"
This was going to be hard on everyone. How would they feel to know that they had killed a child? Asgore already pieced together his mistakes, and had gone through his fair share of self hatred for his actions as soon as time reset. It would not be any better on anyone else.
"T-That's why…" Undyne muttered in disbelief, clutching a hand to her face in agony. "No… punk, you better be tricking us!" A toothy snarl spread across her face. Frisk averted their gaze, understanding what Undyne was thinking. As she heard no response from Frisk, it all came together. "I-I should have known…"
She should have noticed just how fast Frisk was. While the human showed relief from finishing an attack… they were never surprised. Frisk's reactions were just too precise. And now, Undyne knew just why. "H-How many times? How many t-times did I…"
Frisk grit their teeth, as if reliving their first run. "Fifteen." Every death had hurt more than the last, all because they kept trying to spare… The human hadn't tried running until the twelfth.
Toriel's icy glare shot across to Undyne, the warrior cowering in fear as unbridled rage could be released upon her at any moment. A dome of flames sparked to life around her head. "How dare you lay a finger on my children."
"May I remind you all that we need everyone here alive." The Happy Mask Salesman spoke, clasping his hands with a jolly grin on his face. Behind it was a grimace, wishing that people would not be so quick to attack. It was definitely justified, but the more time they wasted, the less time they had until the moon came.
"He's right." Tatl agreed, light dimming. "I… I can't imagine how much pain you were put through. But we have to look at what matters here. If we turn against each other, we won't be able to stop the real threat!"
"And… we can't act innocent…" Chara interrupted, bowing their head down, the shame coming upon them. "Frisk and I used that power to our advantage… and we… took a completely different path from this one." A shiver went down Link's back, seeing Sans's eyelights go out. "One run, and many runs after that, we got curious. We used our power to kill everyone."
As soon as the words were heard, everyone had different reactions. Toriel's hand clasped over her snout, as if suppressing the fear in her eyes. Once more, something seemed to make sense. Remembrance flashed in Asgore's eyes, remembering the fight between the two of them in the last timeline. "Y-You were always so… skillful with that knife."
Papyrus had not moved an inch, keeping the forced grin on his face. He knew what Frisk referred to, but he had to keep up the act to not worry Sans. However, he remembered all too well each time Frisk had struck him down.
It was Undyne that seemed the most at war with herself. A whole race had once perished by Frisk's hand, but… how could he be talking? She had murdered them fifteen times once… But, that didn't excuse what Frisk had done, did it? They had made it to the surface and then took it all away… She didn't know what to do.
Alphys had been the most worried. Uneasy glances were sent towards Sans, as if remembering something. She didn't like remembering before… the maker of the CORE disappeared. It didn't help that she could never remember so much as his name. There was one distinctive thing she and Sans had studied. Now, it all made sense.
Link unknowingly had his hand at the ready on the hilt of his sword. How strong would someone have to be to destroy a whole race of monsters using magic. The boy had done it himself many times, but these monsters all had a variety of attacks, and would be considered far more difficult than the average one he faced.
He didn't know whether to make heads or tails of this. They had both done it out of curiosity. But, neither of them made any move to kill now… Except for the fact that Chara had nearly tried to kill him when they saw him with Asriel. The tendencies were there, but… the giant had said that they were needed.
Courage, Compassion, Determination, and Corruption.
"We can't go back on what we did…" Frisk muttered, shame filling their soul.
Sans's eyes reappeared, facing Link. "Hey, let's not forget everyone else here. You still have your fair share of explaining to go, bucko." He said, pointing a finger at the boy. "So tell us, how did someone like you get a LOVE of fifty… Twenty is the maximum, so it should be impossible."
"Link was like this when we met him." Tatl spoke for him. "Even so, what even is LOVE?"
"Level of Violence… That's what it is." The skeleton sighed, despite his lack of lungs. "For someone to have that much… you'd have to kill so many people."
How would he have gotten through Ganondorf without fighting? That man wasn't someone to come to reason. If Sans honestly thought that everything in this world could be solved by kindness, he obviously forgot the fight with Odolwa. As much as Link would love to explain to him exactly why he had been forced to kill, his voice wasn't exactly the strongest. That had been made evident when he tried to speak before.
The Happy Mask Salesman landed his gaze back on Sans. "This boy had to take action to save the region known as Hyrule. I used to have a shop there before it was nearly overrun by one known as Ganondorf…"
"Who's this Ganondorf guy?" Sans questioned, curiosity becoming clear on his face.
Once more, the Happy Mask Salesman seemed to change position without moving. It had been a good while since he did that, and it was unsettling each time. "He was part of the Gerudo tribe. Ganondorf sought power in Hyrule, and attempted to betray the king. Thanks to Link, his plan was stopped short as Link seemingly predicted what would happen."
The Salesman's gaze shifted to the Ocarina fastened to Link's belt. "It is safe to assume he had somehow had an insight on Ganondorf… through alternate means." He once more changed positions with a hand on his chin. "But enough of that, it's in the past. I still must enlighten you about why I am here."
As much as Sans wanted to know more about why the hell Link had killed so much, there wouldn't be much he'd get out of Link… "All right, fine. Hit me."
In the blink of an eye, the Mask Salesman stood in place formally. That normal grin on his face had once more vanished. "If you are so keen on knowing, then I shall tell." Gazing at the moon, he began, "There was a legend of a mask with unfathomable power. I had heard the legend, and went to seek out this power… Quickly, things went wrong."
He had finally found it. It was the power he had been seeking for so long, and now, he finally had his hands on it. The legends were true… The unfathomable power that rested in his hands was now his…
Holding his treasure close, he sought out back to Hyrule. His journey was over, and getting back to business would be the first thing he needed to do. What he planned to do with the mask? Well, he had plans for it.
The man walked for hours on end through the Lost Woods, trying to find his way back. They sure were called by that title for a reason… The mask was held tightly in his hand, as if it would escape at any moment. It would be dark soon, and no one would want to be caught in the pitch black emptiness.
Sighing, the man took off his pack, placing it against a large tree. A fire would need to be made to ward off creatures. That wouldn't be an issue. Rummaging through his pack, he looked for a certain mask that would give him the ability to use the fire in the first place. "Where did I put that blasted Dragon Mask…?" He asked himself.
A shrill laugh echoed behind him, jarring him from his thoughts. In an instant, he had Majora's Mask clasped to his side, protectively. "Who is there?" He questioned, eyes darting in every direction. Once more, something sped past him. It was so quick, he could barely see the laughing skull kid darting by. "Show yourself!"
A crack sounded from above the Salesman. His gaze shifted upward, eyes widening in shock. Two fairies hovered above him, having broken a branch off of a tree above. There was no time to react as it fell upon his head, knocking him to the ground. His vision spun as he tried to reorient his eye sight.
Yet… he had not anticipated what he would see next. He let out a gasp of fear as his eyes landed on the Skull Kid. In his hands… he held Majora's Mask. The Skull Kid gazed down upon the mask, unmoving as the eyes stared back at him. "W-Wait… don't…" The Salesman struggled out.
But it was already two late. The Skull Kid put on the mask without hesitation as if it was calling to him. He stood still for a moment, the Salesman holding his breath. Skull Kid let out a scream of agony, trying to yank it off of his face, but to no avail. He stumbled around, pain searing through his veins as the mask began taking over.
"I should have heeded the legend's warning…" He muttered, gazing into the fire. Unknowingly, his fist had clenched in anger. "That boy was able to recover my mask… and stop this land from it's terrible fate." All at once, the Salesman's expression shifted to one of unbridled rage. "But then time was reset! All because of some foolish child who could not let go!"
Frisk took a step backwards at his words, defensively. "How was I supposed to know you all were up here? It was never like this before!"
"Try… not exploiting people's lives to your advantage." The Salesman clasped his hands together, with a smile of mockery on his face. "But, that is besides the point. Now, we have a bigger problem on our hands." Slowly, he walked over to the side of the mountain. Gazing up at the moon, he spoke. "Everything is changing… and there is only the smallest of chances that we will succeed."
Sans's eye lights dimmed in suspicion. "And what do ya want us to do?"
"What do I want?" The man glanced back in the corner of his eye. "I am merely a man who wants what I was promised. I want that mask back."
Chara's eyes narrowed as they watched the Salesman's cheery grin return. It was… unsettling. "So, you don't really care about what happens? You just want that damned mask?"
"It seems I shouldn't have taken you for a fool after all!" He gave a giggle of mockery, pulling something out of his pack. "While I do wish for the moon to stop falling… I merely want my mask back. Is that hard to ask for? I just want my side of the deal. I restored the Hero back to his original state, and he returned my mask."
An uneasy feeling swept across the opposing group. Link was beginning to question just what the true intentions of the Salesman were. The man had been shady since day one, but Link had helped him due to him being the only way to revert back to his real form. But, what did he really want?
"There is something that I will tell you Hero of Time, and I suggest you don't take it lightly." He changed position, facing the still form of Asriel who was still out cold. "That one who has been with you for so long… he is a danger to you all."
Figurative fire burned in Toriel's eyes in anger. The Salesman didn't even flinch as she drew herself to her full height. "Do not even dare to speak of my children in that way."
She was simply met with a chuckle. "Ah, your love for your children blinds you. That prince will be the downfall of any attempt to stop the moon. Just you wait…" Link's eyes narrowed as the slow grinding of steel came from barely drawing his sword. Something wasn't right. "After all, that's why he is so injured right now. I was trying to correct our little error."
"Look out!" Frisk yelled out of the blue, their eyes spotting something wrong.
Magic deflected off of Link's shield, almost reaching Asriel. The boy was far too fast for the mask's power to be fazed by what the Mask Salesman had just done. Wisps of light purple magic hovered around his fingertips as he wore some hood looking mask. With a tilt of his head, a grin cracked on his face. "So, not even you will understand what is at stake."
Chara's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, turning more vertical than normal. Their knife shone a deep red, radiating power. "How dare you try to touch by brother." Knife slashes appeared in the air, summoned from the tip of their knife.
Shadows covered the Salesman's eyes. "No matter how hard you try, you will never succeed in the end. Go and try to stop Majora. You will fail."
The slashes soared through the air, ready to cut right through him. Covering his eyes, the man threw a Deku Nut to the ground, a blinding light getting in everyone's eyes. When they were no longer disoriented by the blindness, he was gone. No signs of footprints were in the snow.
Silence echoed between everyone. Chara stood unmoving, staring blankly at where the man once stood. Their hand clenched tighter around the handle of their knife. That stupid Salesman was wrong. They'd stop this damned moon before their last breath. Chara's breath grew faster as one thought filled their mind.
*Determination
AN: Yeah yeah, I know it was a bad chapter.
I also know that I haven't updated in a month! WELP! Life was kicking my butt and I had another fanfiction needing finishing. Not to mention, Writer's block is a great thing.
I'm still trying to get through it, so this was a ton of exposition to get me back into writing this fic.
Darmani will be in next chapter. It felt out of place for him to be here during this one, so we;ll settle for the next one.
I like to keep the Happy Mask Salesman mysterious so he is unpredictable. Good luck trying to figure him out :3
Updates should come once a week again, but if not, I may have to go for once every two weeks. It's getting really hard to keep up.
BadDRUMMERboy15 Dies of Writer's Block