Chapter 13: Stone Mask.
Zak walked through Termina field, his hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. His interaction with the purple tunic wearing man haunted his thoughts. All he could think about was the man's cold, white, lifeless eyes staring at him. He definitely was the man Zak thought he was, but somehow different. Zak scratched the side of his head. It didn't make any sense. Why would he be here? he thought to himself.
Zak's foot caught something, and he tripped. He looked around, bewildered, but saw nothing. While staying completely still, Zak heard the faint sound of a rolling object. He sprang up and pulled out his spear. An invisible force smashed into him, flinging him high into the air. Zak readied his body for impact with the ground, rolling forwards as he landed. Another invisible force rushed past, this time smacking his legs from behind him. Zak fell flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. The rolling sound faded, heading towards the swamp. He scrambled up to his feet, grabbed his spear, and chased after it.
Romani sat up in her bed, coughing. Zak still hadn't returned, and she was starting to get worried. She managed to stand up to her feet, with great difficulty. Romani limped down the stairs and into the living area of the ranch house. She grabbed a small note sitting under a wooden bowl. Cremia had gone into town to buy some medicine. She sighed. Great. She was home alone. Romani hobbled over to the door and pulled it open. After surveying the open fields of Romani Ranch, she closed the door. She hobbled towards the stairs, but stopped short when someone knocked on the door. She turned and looked at it, bewildered.
Zak narrowed his eyes while he approached the swamp guide's hut. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn't mean much. The rolling sound was absent, replaced by the sounds of rushing water. While slipping into the swamp, he trudged in the waist-deep water until he arrived near the Potion Hag shop entrance. He gripped his spear tightly as a trail of water separated, indicating something advancing on him. Zak slammed into the stone wall, hard. Water splashed up, covering both him and the invisible assailant. For a split second, Zak caught a glimpse of it before he was plunged deep into the water. It held him under until he stopped twitching. As it rolled away, Zak resurfaced. He pulled his mask off of his face and spat out a mouthful of swamp water. Pulling himself out of the swampy murk, Zak ringed the water out of his tunic and fished his spear out of the mud. He spotted moving, the sensation of eyes on him overwhelming him. The water trailed around again, announcing his visitor.
Romani yanked the door open. Empty.
"Are you kidding me!?" she called out, annoyed, "I am in no mood for this, whoever you are." As she moved to slam the door, she spotted a figure standing in the field. The man had on a purple tunic and a huge sword strapped onto his back. She gasped and frantically grabbed her bow. The man smiled a wide grin, almost predicting her movements. She took aim and fired. Her arrow flew with incredible accuracy, and the man stepped lazily to the side, the arrow flying by him. She notched another arrow along her bow string. "Who goes there?" she demanded, taking aim.
He caught her second shot arrow in between his forefingers, "My name is a secret to everybody. You must be Romani, namesake of this ranch, yes?"
She narrowed her eyes, "What's it to you, stranger?"
The stranger nodded, "I thought you might be her. You really are the striking image of her, aren't you? No wonder he's so interested." He snapped the arrow with a quick flick of his wrist. Romani stared him down, unsure of what he intended to do. Deciding to take no chances, she drew back another arrow. He laughed, "You'll waste all of your arrows by doing that, you know. I'm looking for Zakku, today. Have you seen him?"
"Like hell I'd tell you," she snarled. The man batted her third arrow away with his silvery gauntlet. His eyebrow arched impatiently. Romani felt a deep sense of dread growing in her stomach. She knew she was in no condition to fight this strange man.
He cracked his knuckles, his gauntlets shining in the sunlight, "Listen, if you don't tell me where he is, then things will get messy. I'd rather not do anything to you, young lady, but I will if I have to."
Romani swallowed hard, "L-last I knew, he was headed to the Mountain Smithy. He's not returned since then. What's your relationship with Zak?"
He lowered his hands, "Wait, you don't know? How interesting. I wonder what else he hasn't told you. Did he mention why he was actually here?"
"He's here to kill the monsters..." she replied weakly, unsure.
The stranger cackled, "Oh, sweetie. That's not technically untrue, but there's another reason he's here. Don't you find it odd that, even with all of these ungodly monsters running around, the Guardians haven't appeared to destroy them? You know, like when they showed up during the Carnival of Time to stop your moon so long ago."
She stared blankly at him, "Well, it's not like Termina is overrun with these monsters. Zak can handle it."
The stranger shook his head, "I'm glad you have faith. Tell you what, next time you see him, tell him I'm looking for him. If he continues avoiding me, he puts these townsfolk in danger. Will you pass that message on for me?" She nodded feebly. Once he got confirmation, the man whistled a bizarre tune. White wings flew out of his back, wrapped around him, and he disappeared in a flash of white and feathers. Romani collapsed onto the floor, gasping from sheer terror.
Zak flew through the air once more, landing in the water near the tour boat. He cursed out loud, his frustration getting the better of him. The water trailed towards him, and he dove under the boat. Zak pulled out a pair of silvery objects and hurriedly slipped them on. The water splashed and thrashed around near where he landed. He resurfaced quietly on the other side of the boat. With his feet firmly planted, he grabbed the bottom of the boat and lifted it out of the water. The thrashing continued, until Zak launched the boat at the invisible monster. It crashed into the water, and Zak climbed up the swamp house until he reached the straw roof.
Several large clumps of mud flew at him, and Zak narrowly dodged them. He stared at the water, following the trails left in the monster's wake. While pulling his mask over his face, he leaped high into the air, brandishing his spear at the monster. Zak collided hard into what felt like solid rock, but he managed to hold on, thanks to his spear sinking into it. An unearthly roar echoed out, and he flung back and forth as the monster tried to shake him loose. Zak punched at the invisible rock under his spear with one hand while he held onto his spear with the other. He felt the invisible rock give way, and his hand plunged into the hole he had made. Zak quickly pulled his arm out. The monster continued shaking violently, and he grabbed the invisible hole with his hands. He whistled his song into the hole as loudly as he could. The monster swayed to and fro before collapsing into the swamp water. The water thrashed until all that remained was a floating mask of stone with a crude face. Zak stabbed his spear through it, splitting the mask in two. A white sphere of light drifted up before fading away.
He sheathed his spear, took off his silver gauntlets, and headed out of the swamp towards Milk Road, covered head to toe in swamp gunk. "Why do I always get covered in sludge when I'm here?" Zak wondered aloud, chuckling to himself.