~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 18~

Leaves crunched under Bad's feet, the occasional twig snapping as he trailed through the forest. He had no idea where he was or where he was going, but he knew there was no turning back. He marched on, into the dark forest, trying not to flinch at every howl or hoot or caw that echoed in the distance. His cloak caught on the tall undergrowth, getting snagged in some thorny bushes and causing him to fall when it sharply yanked him back. He yelped as his basket flew from his hands, and he landed with a thud on the ground, his cloak ripping from the force. He groaned and lifted his face from the leaves, spotting a small, furry creature examining his basket, which had rolled to a stop at the base of a tree a few feet away.

"Hey!" He shouted, causing the creature to look up at him. It was a raccoon, its beady eyes ringed with black, blinking at him while it wrung its little hands. "Get away from my basket!" He got up, but the little thief grabbed his basket and bounded away before he could react. "Aaugh, why," he groaned, exasperatedly tossing his head back before begrudgingly chasing the bandit. Hadn't he and his poor basket been through enough already? It had been ripped, lost, broken, thrown, and now stolen.

It wasn't easy to follow a raccoon through a dense, dark forest, and Bad almost lost sight of the critter multiple times during his pursuit. He always managed to spot it just before it disappeared for good, his basket bouncing along with the raccoon's movement. Bad's only issue was that he didn't have much energy left - he had been chasing the raccoon for a good while and barely seemed to be any closer, panting as his lungs tried to keep up. Finally the raccoon dashed into a burrow at the base of a tree, trying and failing to pull Bad's basket with it. The wicker structure was too stiff and wide to fit through the tree roots, so the thief had to abandon its prize at its very own doorstep.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Bad snatched the basket triumphantly, soon after flopping onto the ground as he huffed in an effort to catch his breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he spotted a small hut surprisingly nearby, lanterns flickering as they hung from its frame. Strangely, though, the flames flickered blue rather than orange, and an eerie sort of aura radiated from the house. It was built into the side of a hill, dead grass and weeds hanging over the front of the roof like scraggly hair in desperate need of maintenance. The door looked thick and heavy, made out of dark wood and barred with rusty metal along the top and bottom. The uneven planks that made up the door only added to the odd appearance, emphasized by the light spilling through the door cracks. Perhaps Bad was imagining things, but he could almost hear a shrill, evil laughter echoing from the place, as of a banshee.

He gulped, certain he had arrived at his destination. He stood, trying to keep the tremble out of his movements as he bravely approached the sorcerer's lair.

He knocked on the door, bracing himself for what might greet him on the other side. The man who answered the door was surprisingly not evil-looking. In fact, he looked quite respectable, dressed in striped green robes. His blond hair did look a bit shaggy, but he held no malice in his expression, only a tired look mixed with mild curiosity.

"Right, who are you, then," the man asked plainly, sounding like he was quite familiar with answering strangers at his door.

"Um... are you the sorcerer," Bad asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Is that what they're calling me nowadays?" The man sighed. "Yes, I'm 'the sorcerer'," he made quotes with his fingers. "And you are...?" He asked again, waiting.

"Um, BadBoyHalo. I need your help," Bad said.

"Alright... Why don't you come in?" The sorcerer stepped aside, and Bad cautiously entered the little shack, surprised at the homey atmosphere he walked into.

Dusty planks made up the floor, worn in areas that were more frequently traversed. A small kitchen area lined one wall, a table and chairs tucked nearby. The left side of the room, near the door, was lined with a few pairs of boots, coats and scarves and hats hanging from hooks in the wall. There was a door in the back wall, as well as one on the left wall, both closed. A young man with curly brown hair was strumming a guitar in one of the chairs near the table, his eyes never leaving the guitar strings. The soft sound soothed Bad, and he found himself relaxing as he followed the sorcerer inside.

"So what exactly do you need, Mr. BadBoy?" The man went over to the kitchen area, picking up a pot of soup and stirring it.

"Someone used magic to put my friend asleep, and I don't know how to wake him up. I've looked in magic books for a solution, but I couldn't find any for magic that was inhaled... The only thing I found was something about true love, but I don't know who my friend's true love is, and I can't really go searching for them," Bad explained.

The sorcerer glanced at Bad over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "The magic was inhaled? Can you give me any more details about the type of magic used?"

"Um, I don't know exactly, but it's in Skeppy's lungs. Uh, my friend. So I'm pretty sure he inhaled it somehow. I wasn't there at the time, so I don't know how it happened, but he was suddenly asleep, and no matter what I tried, he wouldn't wake up," Bad said. He frowned and bit his lip. "I asked his fairy godfather to help, but he just kept going on about true love and left."

The sorcerer sighed, turning away from the pot to face Bad, crossing his arms. "Your friend, Skeppy?" Bad nodded. "Tell me more about him."

"W-well, he's been living with me for a while now. He used to live in a big mansion with his fairy godfather, but he was really lonely and asked to come stay with me instead. I said yes, and he moved in right away. He's a really nice person, even though he was a little... Uh, a little disagreeable at first." Bad smiled softly. "He's really curious about a lot of things, and I try to teach him what I can. He's not the best listener, and he makes a lot of mistakes, but he puts in so much effort... He's always determined to do everything right, no matter how long it takes. He's also a little clingy, but I don't mind." Bad's eyes grew distant as he recalled happy memories, almost forgetting that he was talking to the sorcerer as he rambled on, "The other day, I taught him how to make flower crowns, and he made one for me. It was really cute. He tried to make me some muffins once too, but that didn't go quite as well..." Bad giggled, "He got flour all over himself, and the kitchen was an absolute mess. There were a few eggshells in the muffin, and it was definitely on the toasty side, but he tried so hard, I couldn't not eat it." Bad opened his mouth to continue, before the sorcerer interrupted.

"I think I've heard just about enough." The man waved his hand.

"Sorry," Bad mumbled, blushing as he realized how long he had spoken.

"You came all the way out here to try and save Skeppy?" The sorcerer asked.

Bad nodded. "I didn't know what else to do. I was a little scared, but I had to do something."

"Have you ever considered, maybe you are-" The sorcerer was interrupted as the door flew open, and a young boy burst into the room.

"Philza! Guess what I found!" The boy's blond hair was messily tousled from the wind, and he had an excited gleam in his blue eyes as he stepped inside. He dragged another boy with him, the second one slightly shorter, wearing a dirty, ragged green shirt. "This kid says he saw giants!"

[...]

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[A/N]

Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading :)

Have a good day!