the wyrm's mask part 2

The unlikely pair soon found themselves pushing open the second set of stone doors at the behest of the strange mask collector named Samael. The sunlight hurt their eyes after so long pattering about the forest and wandering around in the dark, but as they adjusted, they were greeted by the sunrise peering over the edge of the walls in a lively-looking village.

Every surface seemed to be painted in odd patterns and strange colors, and already, villagers seemed to roam about. Something about this seemed almost foreign to Zora; it was like stepping into a living Dungeons and Dragons campaign, not a street sign, electric billboard or car in sight. The carpenters in front of them built things with simple hand tools, not the power tools she would have been used to. They appeared to have stepped out of an old-style clock tower, gently ticking away.

And yet, something about this seemed all too familiar, at the same time, in a way she couldn’t place.

As the door closed again behind them, she felt a shiver from inside her shirt, before a tiny reptilian head poked out of it.

“Ugh… I don’t know why, but… that guy gives me the creeps. Three days, though… even if we never sleep, that’s...”

“Seventy two hours to do what we need to do. It’s a good thing I don’t sleep...”

“You… don’t?”

“Not often. Why sleep when there are things to be done?”

“Huh. Well, I guess that’s convenient, if nothing else. Anyway, if anyone can pin down what to do about this, it’s going to be one of the Great Primogens, the one who lives in town. Although I’m going to admit, I don’t actually know… where, she is. I don’t come here often. But the point is, she watches over everything, and I bet Ariel could never stand up to her.”

“I mean, I guess it’s as good of a lead as any. There’s worse leads to follow. Like taking a wiki walk and going from the article on how to best cultivate your lily garden to Hitler, or something.”

“...What?” Verity sounded very confused all of a sudden.

“Never mind. Point is, she has to be somewhere in town, right?”

“Yeah. Maybe some of the little kids running around will know something. Couldn’t hurt to ask.”

“I mean… I guess- Waaa-!!”

Zora found herself unable to keep upright in her new form as a small whirlwind of color promptly smacked into, and then rushed past her, only skidding to a halt when they heard the thump on the ground. She rubbed her head a bit and looked back up to meet the gaze of a somewhat pudgy child with hair the most obscene shade of pink you could imagine.

“Omigosh!” The young girl cried. “A Changeling!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in town before! And I know eeeeveryone in Clock Town!”

“Er… hi…? Can you maybe tell me where this… Great Primogen is?”

“Oh, oh! Oh! You mean the boobie lady?!”

“Sure? Do you know where she is?”

“Oh, she’s in the north of town!! You’ll know it when you see it! It’s the biiiig ol’ cave with the paintings on the wall! We did that ourselves!”

“...We?”

“Our secret society!! We- oh… wait. I wasn’t supposed to tell you! Changelings aren’t allowed anymore!!”

“Wh… what? Wait-” Before she could get any more answers, the child bounced off, and she sighed. “Well, at least we know where to go… even if it meant putting up with vaguely racist children.”

“It’s… something.” Verity shrugged. “So, north of town. Alright, that’s simple. We just go around the tower here, and that should bring us north. Easy enough.”

“Yeah… I don’t understand. Everyone here so far, they’ve all looked so familiar…”

“Huh. Weird. No but really we need to get walking. I actually can’t leave Harry alone. Not while Ariel is… like this.”

“You never explained that, y’know.”

“Because I honestly don’t know why it is. There’s something about that mask that totally changed them. I couldn’t even be around them after that without becoming really petty and violent and now that I’m away from it… I can’t leave Harry under the influence of something like that. He has a lot of problems...”

“I can’t place why, but… I feel like I understand. Your sibling problems, that is. But if that’s the case, you’re right. I’d like to have my body back, too. The kid said the north of town, so that’s where we go. Hold on.” She stood up again, and stumbled a little. This body definitely lacked the finesse and grace of her own form, and it bothered her.

She walked around the base of the tower, looking up a little bit at it to see a door at the very top. How interesting. It must be for maintenance or something, she thought to herself. Peering around town, she saw archways leading into different sectors, and through them the signs for various shops and facilities. At the back of the tower, an odd statue shaped somewhat like a sleeping raven stood, who clutched in its talons a book. It seemed to draw her curiosity, and when she approached, the statue’s eyes snapped open and its wings spread wide, covering her in a warm green glow.

“What the… huh. Weird. I guess by this point I’ve seen weirder.”

“No, no, that was pretty weird.”

“I’m hoping if I can dismiss it in my brain we can hopefully not waste any time and actually get on with what we’re going to do.”

“That’s fair.”

Immediately above them, on a platform, she couldn’t help but notice an archway. That must have been where they were going, she figured. Her first instinct was to attempt to scale the wall in front of them, but she quickly learned that the feats of parkour that she was so used to weren’t necessarily going to be doable now. She fell on her rear, and rolled her eyes. Okay, fine, we’ll do this the hard way, she thought. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about stairs.

Through this archway, she found a grassy field, perhaps some kind of park. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was serviceable enough. Nearby her, were two other people. The first, a small, scrappy-looking child of short brown hair, shooting spitballs at a balloon, gave her a nasty glare as she entered through the arch. The second, however, was a much more interesting creature indeed.

It stood at least eight feet tall at full height and hovered in the air like magic. Long, clawed fingers scribbled endlessly on a sheet of parchment and wide, yellow dinnerplate-like eyes stared enchantedly at its writings. It almost looked like some kind of gray, humanoid gecko, and when it noticed her staring at them, and spotted Verity peeking out of her shirt, its face curled into a very reptilian smile.

“Ah! Hello, dear Changeling!”

“...Um.”

“I can’t help but notice your… companion. And if you’re traveling around with a drake like her… hmm, yes, the embroidery on your clothes, the gleam in your eyes… even the heraldry on your banner. You are like me! You are seeking to become one with the great dragons!”

“What-”

“Oh, my, yes. A fellow enthusiast! Let’s be friends! Ah, but, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Zviad, a maker of maps and expert on all things to do with great dragons! Perhaps I could be of some use to a fellow dragon enthusiast?”

“No really, what-”

“Oh, yes, I know just the thing. I’ll sell you maps, at a discount! Yes, yes I think that is a very good deal, what do you say?”

“But-”

“Here, just for you, a map of Clock Town! Five rupees. What say you?”

“The… the fuck is a rupee.” Despite her words, she couldn’t help but feel as if this all felt very familiar.

“Ah, you must not be from around here. It’s currency! Alas, I would love to simply give you a map, but alas, the Great Primogen does need the money for upkeep...”

“Wait- you know where the Great Primogen is?”

“Why, right over there!” The creature indicated toward a cavern embedded into a cliff face to their immediate right, painted up in bright orange in what looked like the scrawls of a bunch of children.

“No shit...”

“I take it by your refusal to address my inquiry that you don’t have the funds to afford my map at the moment.”

“Er… no, not really. Think you can hold that thought and like, I’ll blow someone on the street corner for it in a little while?”

“Oh, my. Such a lewd comment from a child.”

“I’m twenty-five.”

“And yet you stand so small, and yours is the voice of somebody underage.”

“Look- never mind! I’ll have the money in a little while, I just really need to talk to the Primogen!”

“...ah, I must be holding you up. My apologies, child. By all means. She hasn’t been out today, I do hope she’s alright.”

“I’ll check in, I’ve gotta go- bye!”

She rushed off, bewildering the strange lizard as she darted into the painted cave. A long, winding tunnel soon led her to a stone door, which rolled open to reveal a round room, draped in colorful tapestries of events that poked at the back of Zora’s brain and begged her to remember. The walls were also lined with bookshelves upon bookshelves of all manner of subjects. In the center of the room was a brightly glowing fountain, surrounded by strange will-o-wisps glowing an angry orange, like fire.

“Child, come forward.”

The voice, motherly and sad, echoed through Zora’s very mind, causing her to rub her large ears in confusion. What was that?

“You, who have forgotten where you come from. You, whose shape has been altered. Come forward. I have a request of you.”

She stepped further inside, and the strange will-o-wisps drew themselves to her, swirling around her and making her feel warm, as if she were standing near a bonfire with a mug of cocoa in the late autumn.

“You of the altered shape. You, of the black heraldry, hear my plea… the masked imp who stole your form and your precious item from you, so too split my form into mere fragments. They stole a piece of my very being from this fountain, and without it I can no longer reform. Please, I ask you, as the Great Primogen of Magic...”

“Oh, no...”

“Please, bring the piece of me that was stolen back to me...”

The voice left her head as suddenly as it entered, and the will-o-wisps drifted back to their fountain. Verity shook her head at the very sight of it.

“Ugh, Ariel… this isn’t like them. They aren’t a trouble-maker like this… to even be able to split apart the Great Primogen… what is with that mask?” The little drake shook out her head. “Right, so we need to find a missing piece of the Primogen. This is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack, isn’t it.”

“If we just walk around town for a while, we have to find her eventually. Right?”

“She could have been taken anywhere, but I guess it’s something.”

The pair emerged from the cavern to a scene largely the same as when they left. Pointedly ignoring the strange lizard creature who kept their eyes on them the entire time, they chose to leave the park through an archway to the east. This archway brought them to a brightly colored district full of art and artifice, with walls covered top to bottom with ads for gaming facilities. Tucked away in one quiet corner, nearby another archway, was a small door with the words ‘Stock Pot Inn’ etched into a moon-shaped sign next to it.

“Well… I guess if I’m stuck here, I might as well try to book a room, right?”

“Do we have the time for that?”

“We have three days. I know that’s not a lot of time to find this little shit, but we need to at least have somewhere to go. Trust me, not having anywhere to go is a feeling I’d never like to experience again… wait, what?”

“What does that mean? You haven’t told me a lot about yourself, either...”

“I… don’t know what it means. I just feel like I know what it’s like to have nowhere to turn to. To be at absolute rock bottom, nowhere to stay the night… I don’t remember why. I don’t remember a lot of things. It feels like I do, constantly, but they don’t come to mind when I try to call them. I wish I could… that guitar that was stolen from me is the only thing I’ve known without a doubt since I woke up in those woods. That’s why I need to get it back.”

“Hmm. I see. Well, I guess that’s fair. Let’s see if we can’t claim a room.”

The inside of the inn was homely and cozy, painted in a warm-looking olive green. The smell of spices and food hung constantly in the air around them, inviting them to stay a while. Along the wall, there hung large, strange masks of creatures Zora had definitely never seen before.

Watching them from the counter was a steel-eyed woman whose dark hair was trimmed short in the back, but hung long around her face at the front, bleached to blond at the tips. She adjusted her bright red blouse and continued to observe them as they poked around the room.

“’Scuse me?”

“Huh?” Zora seemed almost surprised to see this woman standing there, but when she did look her over, she had to rub her eyes a bit. She knew she had seen this person before, she knew there was no mistaking her, but for the life of her, she didn’t know why.

“Are you here t’ask for a room, boo?”

“Oh, er, yes ma’am.”

“Can I get your name, mm?”

“Uh… Zora Blackwood…?”

“Lessee here… Oh! You must be here for your reservation. No problem, here’s your room key.”

“Oh, uh… thank you very much.” She took the room key and stared at it. Why did she already have a room reservation?

“Since y’got that key you’ll be able t’get in an’ out after closin’ time. Hope you enjoy your stay.” Zora couldn’t help but note a hint of sadness behind the woman’s voice, but didn’t stop to question it as she headed back to the rooms and traversed up the stairs. What an odd bunch she would be staying next to, she thought to herself. Two strange women in white dresses, and what might have been a man and might not have been, with goat legs and horns, playing a strange instrument with a large phonograph attached to it. Nevertheless, that was only her neighbors, not her room.

Said room looked rather beaten up, but not unlivable. Once inside and alone, she slumped against an old, ratty chair and sighed. “I just need a moment, Verity. Just a second… I knew that woman. I know I did. I knew her really well and I don’t remember why. I know I should remember these people… but I don’t.”

“Just take it one step at a time. I know I’ve been rushing you, I’m just-”

“You’re worried about your brother… I wish I could remember why. But I know what you mean. We can head out in a second, I just needed to sit down for a minute. It’s really easy to get tired in this body, and… the emotion of the thing.”

“Mmm… I understand.”

True to her word, she stood up again a few minutes later and stretched, then left the inn the same way she came in. She made note of the buildings around her, but right now they didn’t interest her. Instead, she walked through another archway into the very town square from which she had first emerged not too long ago.

It was a long time of alternating sitting on the side of the streets to catch her breath and scouring the town for any sign of the will-o-wisp, before the pair found their way into a back alley. Back here, the only things worth noting were a small body of water, a door, and a pole with a bell attached.

“Ugh… we’ve searched the whole town. Butkis. The guards won’t even let me out because I’m so tiny and useless. There’s nowhere left to look. Guess we’re not fixing her after all. Great. I’m gonna be small and shitty forever.”

“There has to be some way to find it. Has to be… hey, do you feel warm all of a sudden?”

Zora quirked a brow for a moment, before noticing what Verity meant. Her eyes seemed drawn toward a spot over the pool, in which a bright orange light seemed to hover.

“This is incredibly contrived.”

“I know. Are we going to argue with convenience though?”

“No, no we are definitely not.”

Zora scooted over to the edge of the water. Where ordinarily it wouldn’t be hard to get in, even if she were only capable of a mere dog paddle, she felt a strange, strong aversion to trying to swim in this form. Like a fire-type trying to learn Surf, something in her brain said. She wasn’t entirely sure if she remembered what that meant, but it seemed to work as a metaphor well enough. But she had to fetch this wisp somehow.

“I’ve got it!” Verity shot out of her shirt and leaped at the wisp, unknowingly knocking Zora into the nearby pole in the process. As the small drake came back with the bright orange light caught in her mouth, the door began to open, alarming the both of them.

The face that peeked out was covered by a strange mask of a bright yellow fox. Behind it, was visible fluffy brown hair, a sepia-colored coat, a muddy green t-shirt. Whomever it was did not speak, merely stared at the two of them and then pulled their head back inside.

“...Strange guy.” Zora mumbled. “But you got it, that’s what matters.”

“I got it.” As Verity opened her mouth, the orange wisp was released, settling firmly over the Changeling’s shoulder and following her as she moved.

“Well that means we can reassemble the Great Primogen just fine. It only took hours of searching...”

“Wouldn’t have taken hours if you hadn’t kept stopping to sit.”

“I told you, I’m not used to being this… unfit. I’ve been running out of breath really easy.”

“Let’s just take this to the Primogen. She can maybe help us find Ariel once we put her back together.”

“Yeah...”


It was another long walk, nearly sunset by the time they arrived back at the cave from which they started. Making a wide arc around the strange lizard creature, they re-entered the cave and came back into the room in which the rest of the wisps were collected.

The one over Zora’s shoulder was quickly drawn back to the rest, and in one orange burst of warmth and fire, they were gone, replaced by a woman. She stood a good two heads over Zora in her current form, looking down on her through thick black hair with warm, soft eyes. Suddenly she understood what the child had meant by ‘boobie lady’ - the woman’s face was partially obscured from this angle by her bust.

“Child of the altered shape, who lost her memory, I thank you. I am Makvala, the Great Primogen of Magic. Perhaps I was too quick to trust that imp child with the mask. I believed them to be helping me, when instead they shattered me with no effort at all. Surely, they must be stopped.”

“I mean, I never doubted that. Do you know how to make me remember why everything looks so familiar?”

“Have faith, my child. It will come to you in time. In the meantime, keep on the path you are following. Seek the imp with the mask, and reclaim your sacred instrument. I believe the Professor, who lives in the Observatory, may be able to tell you where to find them.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” That didn’t help at all, she thought to herself.

“Before you leave, I would like to give you a gift. Be not afraid as a grant to you this small taste of magic power.”

The Primogen pressed one finger to Zora’s forehead, and she swayed as the room began to swim. Heat surged at her fingertips and danced like lights in the palm of her hand, and she had to be careful not to ignite the bookshelves she tried to hold onto for stability. When the room stopped spinning, she felt powerful in a way she could not exactly place.

“I have granted to you the ability to access the inherent magic of the Changeling. Take your stick into your hand, one of the black heraldry, and you will be able to channel embers into solid form. Perhaps it will be of some use to you.”

“I’ll.. find some way to use it, I’m sure...”

“And should you ever return to your original form, I would like to see you return here. At that time, I would like to grant you yet another gift.”

“Yes, ma’am...”