Masks Chapter 1.3 : Unknown Mask

"Thank you Kate. Your Strength never ceases to amaze me." Vence takes the Bag from her, struggling a little.

"She has a lot of [Bravery] and [Determination]. Her Strength is slightly stronger than the average person. With proper training, she could take down weak [Shadows] with ease."

Everybody fell silent, staring at him with surprised expressions.

'Hm? Did I say something odd? ...Should I have just kept quiet?'

"Hey, by any chance, are you a [Holder]?" Vence asked.

"[Holder]? What does that mean?" "He" was confused.

Park and Vence looked at eachother, and Kate didn't understand what they were talking about.

"I'm back! ...Is something wrong?" Luck asks while coming downstairs.

"...No. Nothing is wrong. How is your mother doing?" Park asked.

"She's asleep right now. She should be awake before sundown."

"Then, we should probably get back to work. I recently got a request to make a large batch of Chocolate filled Donuts, so we'll be busy for a bit. Kate, Luck, let's get to work!"

"Y-Yes Sir!"

Park, Kate and Luck all go to the Back Room.

"Oh, and one more thing. I forgot to ask for your name, Kid. Do you mind telling me?" Park had his head poking around the corner.

'A Name again? He has already been calling me "Kid", so why doesn't he just stick with that?'

"I don't have a name. Feel free to call me what you want."

"No Name? Kid, you can't be serious. What about your Parents?"

'Parents... I don't have any. As far as I can remember, I have always been this size, and have continued to grow my Strength by slaying [Shadows].'

"I don't know. I have never seen my 'Parents', nor do I know if they even exist."

The Air went heavy once again.

"I'm calling him 'Mask' for the time being, so let's just go with that." Vence breaks the silence.

"...Alright. I'll just keep calling you 'Kid' then. Anyways, I need to get to work. Mind flipping the 'Open' Sign on the way out?"

"Will do. Come on Mask, let's go on to the next place."

Following Vence out the door, "He" flips the Sign on his way out.

"Let's head to the Fountain. Tayl is probably already there. We did use up all of our time at the Bakery, so there probably isn't any more time for me to show you around. I also have to get home, or else my Mother is gonna tear a hole through my Legs with her 'Punishment Exercises'. My legs still hurt from last week.

Walking towards the Fountain, Vence's hands began to shake.

"This Bag is seriously heavy. Here, we'll eat on a nearby Bench, so hold the Bag of Meat for those Cubs."

Handing "Him" the Bag, Vence sits on a Bench, which was midway between the Bakery and the Fountain.

'This bag is extremely light. Did he really struggle with this?'

Sitting down next to Vence, "He" opens the Bag, revealing 2 Fish on top of a large Slab of Meat.

"What do I do with this?" "He" was confused.

"Seriously, your common sense is nowhere to be found. Give a Fish each to both of them."

Doing as he said, he took the Fish from the Bag and handed them to the Cubs.

"Just like that. I've also been meaning to ask, but do they have names? Or are they like you?"

"Rio and Mika. Tayl helped me name them."

"Rio and Mika... Yeah, that definitely sounds like something the Old Man would come up with. He has quite the nack for naming things. Here."

Vence held out the Cream Bread, but moved it away.

"Wait, at least clean your hands with something. You just grabbed some Fish. Here, use this."

Taking out a small Towel from his pocket, he hands it to "Him", who simply wiped his hands, then took the Bread that was handed to him.

"That'll do, I guess. Now eat it before a bird takes it."

Slowly, "He" takes a bite out of the Custard filled Donut.

'...There is something inside. It has a pleasant... taste. I have not eaten much, but this... Bread, has a nice feeling to it.'

"You seem to be enjoying it. How is it? Pretty sweet, huh?"

Not saying anything, "He" takes one bite after another, eventually finishing it.

"You liked it a bit too much. If I know Park was gonna give you freebies, then I would've gotten more of them."

Rio and Mika also seemed to be done with their Fish, leaving nothing but Bones behind.

"They seem to still have an appetite. How about you give them the Deer Meat next?"

Taking the large Slab of Meat, "He" places it in front of the Cubs, who had drool running from their mouths.

"Are you not gonna cut it? If you need a knife, I could... nevermind."

The Bears already began eating.

"I'll just eat my Sweet Roll while they wolf that down."

They sat in silence while they ate.

'This place is quite interesting. I should remember as much as I can.'

[Branding Memory]

His Mask returned to a Blank Slate.

Afterwards, a '+' Sign appeared on the forehead of the Mask.

Concentrating, he recalls everything that he went through.

'Hmm. If I use the After Effects of [Convey Interpretation], then I should be able to learn how they talk without needing to use the [Mask].'

The '+' on his forehead began lightly glowing for a few seconds, then faded back.

'That should do it. Let's make sure.'

Looking at Vence, "He" attempted to understand his words.

"-nd I'm gonna need to save for a bit longer to get it. Man, this is gonna be rough. Hm?"

Vence looked at "Him" with a confused look.

"Hey, it might be just be, but... did you change Masks?"

'He noticed. He doesn't have a [Mask], so I don't think this is normal.'

"No, it just looks different when I'm not in light."

"Really? That sounds kinda cool. We are sitting in shade, so I guess it changed."

'...Nailed it.'

"I'm just about done. Shall we get going?" Vence stood up.

Nodding, "He" lifts up the Cubs, who were also done with their Deer Meat.

Taking the Empty Bag, Vence moves forward.

"We should be at the Fountain in a bit. How are you holding up?"

"Good. No Problems that I know of."

"Good, good. If you don't mind me asking, where did you come from? Like, where were you before you came here?"

'This is gonna be a rough question to answer...'

"I lived in an area that was constantly filled with Fog. Other than that, I haven't been anywhere else."

"Fog? Like a Swamp? Or maybe a Lake?"

'Swamp? Lake? ...I need to learn mo-'

Before he finished his thought, a small figure bumped into him.

"Sorry!"

The Figure continued running between the Buildings.

'What was that? I barely had any time to look at their face. It's a good thing I managed to see them. And it looks like Vence didn't notice.'

Vence didn't react at all, and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Oh, here we are. But... I don't see the old man around he-"

"Vence! Kid! There you are!"

Tayl ran up to them, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

"Old Man!? What's wrong? Why are you running? Actually, how are you running? Your 57."

"Forget that! Have either of you seen a little girl? Blond, short, runs in between buildings a lot?"

"Lenn again? Can't say that I have. How about you, 'Mask'?"

He nods.

"Really? Did you see where they went?"

"If I recall, they ran in the direction of the Gate. However, they didn't seem to be aiming for the Gate, but rather a different area."

"Good, I'll go check. Vence, keep the Tour going. I need to go find her before she gets herself hurt!"

Before Vence could speak, Tayl was already running away.

"Damn it. He really needs to calm down. This isn't the first time, and I doubt it'll be the last. Come on, let's go... Mask? Mask!?"

"He" was nowhere to be found.

. . .

In the Forest, not too far from the Gate.

'How do I go about this?'

"He" was hiding behind a tree, watching carefully at the Girl who ran into the Forest.

'What are they doing here? I am using [Observant World], so there is no danger around here, but why would they be outside the Walls?'

The Girl reached behind a Tree, grabbin a very Straight and Sturdy looking Branch.

Holding the Branch, she began to swing it.

. . .

It has been a few minutes, and "He" was watching patiently... annoyed.

'This little girl... she has no idea what she's doing.'

The Girl was swinging the Branch in a sloppy manner, sometimes missing completely, or just making random scratch marks.

'This is starting to become unbearable. I should go. Tayl will find her sooner or later.'

As he turned away, he heard a *Thud*.

Looking back at her, she has collapsed on the ground.

'She collapsed. Did she exhaust herself? ...Well, she won't be in danger, so I'm gonna...'

She began to get back up, struggling to do so.

'She's getting up? Why is she...'

Looking into her eyes, he could see something nostalgic.

'Those eyes. They remind me of someone. Someone who was very... Determined.'

Putting the now sleeping Bear Cubs down by a tree, he walks into the light, confronting the Girl.

"Wha!? Who are you!?"

'I don't know why, but I have this urge to teach her a few things.'

Taking out his Katana, he points it at her, getting into a fighting stance.

"A Sword? Are... Are you here to kill me? No... I don't want to die... Not like this!"

Strengthening her Grip on the Branch, she gets up to defend herself.

'She clearly doesn't know how to hold a Sword. I guess I'll let her attack me for now.'

Standing completely still, "He" waited for her to attack.

She was nervous, and didn't know what to do.

"I don't think I can beat you. After all, I'm just a kid. But still! I refuse to die here!"

She charges in with the Branch held high above her head.

"You're too open."

Lightly, he presses his hand against her belly, pushing her back onto the ground.

"Never hold your Weapon up high. That leaves too many openings."

The Girl sat there, confused.

"Your form is sloppy, and you have to calm down. Having too much emotion running through you will cause you to make rash decisions."

Sitting there, still confused, she got an angry look on her face.

"So what!? I need to get stronger! Even if it takes me 100 Years!"

. . .