Chapter 35: The Artifact Discovered?
“MON DIEU!!!” cried the chef-gone-captain as the Team of Terror plummeted down an endless pit.
Of course they eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn’t endless, when they landed. With a loud crash the mischievous morons slammed into the icy boulders on the floor of the room they had fallen into. Embert was the first to move, a little shaken, but overall fine. Then Changling, who had taken the form of a ladder, poofed back into his original shape and rubbed his sore back with his right claw. Genius Guy lifted his head up and shook off all of the snow on it. He reached for his nearby spectacles that had fallen off and placed them back on his face. Cap’n Torte and Mini Moi came to then, and the spastic chef stood up in his anger. The Apprentice emerged right below Cap’n Torte, knocking him back into the cold snow. He smiled and found he was unharmed. Well, until the PAN OF PERIL came down on his head.
“Idiot,” Cap’n Torte grunted.
“Ow... Where are we?” Changling asked.
“Well from my calculations...” Genius Guy started.
They all watched in silence as Genius Guy pulled out a yellow notepad and began scribbling on it like crazy with a pencil. At least thrice he looked upward as if eyeballing the distance of the pitfall. He then nodded and pulled out a calculator. After a few minutes of watching the hasty Shy Guy punching the buttons and a few beads of sweat forming, he exhaled in accomplishment. Then he plugged in a wire to the top of the calculator. The end of the wire wasn’t visible; it just trailed off into Genius Guy’s lab coat. The sound of a printer started, and Genius Guy began giggling. Then with a microwave ding, a piece of paper popped out of Genius Guy’s pocket. The strange Shyster grasped it and placed it smack in front of his face. The Team of Terror waited expectantly.
“... we’re now really far down from our last chapter,” Genius Guy finished.
After a blast from the Hyper Plasma Cannon, Genius Guy fell backward into the now red snow. The conscious five continued searching their new quarters. The room was round in shape, just like the last one, except their seemed to be no way out but up. Even Torte’s hookshot attachment on the PAN OF PERIL wouldn’t reach that high. And unfortunately, the inexperienced Changling was weak from his last two transformations. Embert perked up when in a corner crowded with snow.
“Hey! I think I found a tunnel!” Embert said excitedly.
“Really, let’s see!” Cap’n Torte replied, giddy as a school girl.
The captain lost his giddiness when seeing the tunnel was only the size of his shoe. He sighed and was about to smash the fireball when Mini Moi jumped up in front of the captain’s face.
“Vat ist it, my beloved Mini Moi?” Cap’n Torte asked, stopping his assault on Embert.
Mini Moi pointed at the tunnel.
“Uh... yes it’s too small. Vat’s your point?” Cap’n Torte asked.
Mini Moi rolled his eyes. The tiny Torte snatched the PAN OF PERIL out of the Cap’n’s hands, and fired another powerful blast from the nuclear core of the device. A green orb shattered into the tunnel, inducing the wall surrounding it to break apart and disintegrate. Now a crawl-through tunnel was created.
Torte took back the PAN OF PERIL and held it up in praise. “Great job Mini, Moi!” the cap’n laughed.
Mini Moi nodded in acceptance. Then he ducked his head and walked through the passage. Cap’n Torte got down on his hands and knees and scurried after his clone. Embert, Changling, Apprentice, and finally Genius Guy proceeded as well. When Mini Moi’s eyes caught a glimpse of light he stopped suddenly. He smiled devilishly and continued his walking. He exited the tunnel and viewed a breathtaking array of scenery. The cave was enormous, and had many exits far on down the way. Huge stalactites hovered above as if waiting to fall on any unsuspecting victim below. Tiny sparkles and glints filled the cavern like millions of photos being taken. But the most exciting site was the towering spiral column of ice protruding from the ceiling. Whatever was up there, was what they had come looking for. Captain Torte emerged then, and experienced what Mini Moi just had. By the time he was finished the rest of his misfit minions had caught up.
“Mon dieu! Ist incredible!” Cap’n Torte gasped.
After his brief moment of wonder, Torte’s eyes fixated on the central tower. A toothy grin opened at the side of his beak-like mouth and a maniacal chuckle seeped out. Then it grew to a much larger full-hearted laugh of pure evil. Mini Moi joined in, his laugh much higher but still evil. Then the Apprentice tried his laugh. He had been practicing, to impress his mentor. His voice cracked as he laughed through his nervous exterior. Changling snorted and cackled as all Magikoopas do. Then Genius Guy and Embert began laughing. Soon their laughs drained out everyone else’s. Torte and the others stopped and stared at the two. Genius Guy was rolling around on the ground, clenching his stomach and crying, he was laughing so hard. Embert continuously hopped up and down with his light snicker coming through the flames. He opened an eye and stopped. The tone of his pyros transitioned slightly more red. Genius Guy continued laughing up a hurricane. He started to slow down and stopped rolling, only pounding his fist on the ground. Then he slowed down some more and stood up, still chuckling, wiping the tears from his eyes. He finally exhaled and let out a big, Whoo! Then he brushed off his lab coat and rubbed the back of his head with a smile. He pulled out a pipe and popped it in his mouth, bubbles of soap rising from the item.
“Shall we?” the Shy Guy said.
Cap’n Torte shook his head. “Uh yes. C’mon! I’ll lead ze vay!”
The Koopa pointed his PAN OF PERIL forward and took a step, a stalactite giving way and falling right in front of him. Torte smiled with a nervous look.
“Heh heh. Like I said, Apprentice shall lead ze vay!”
No more spikes of ice and snow fell as the six evil-doers trudged through the thick snow to the center of the vast cave. An eerie wind picked up and slashed their dry faces. Embert was now hopping to keep up with the other members, the snow being over twice his height. Changling stood waist-deep in the snow, and just the tip of Genius Guy’s red cloak poked out in front of him like a shark fin. Mini Moi rested on top of Torte’s captain’s hat. He looked ahead smiling, glad to be off his sore feet. Cap’n Torte wasn’t affected by the cold. In fact the only thing irritating him was Embert’s incessant sneezing from behind. The Apprentice looked ahead with halfway opened eyes. He stretched out his arm and placed it in front of his face. Then he came to the bottom of the spiral pathway up the column of ice and snow.
Now Cap’n Torte and Mini Moi took point, leaving Apprentice behind them. As they journeyed up the tower, Cap’n Torte smiled. Finally, he would wield the power to conquer Plit and make his enemies suffer. He pondered over what he would do first. Destroy all Yoshis? Get those two plumbers that always troubled Bowser? No. He would find and torture his archrival Tayce T. How sweet it would be! But then the captain wondered how the artifact would work, and what it exactly was. His thoughts would soon be answered as he reached the top. Torte gasped.
A huge chest made out of ancient wood colored green, with gold borders and violet markings, stood before him. A creepy black smog billowed from the base of the chest. The lock on the chest seemed familiar to Torte. It was an odd emblem, colored black. One spike poked out from the top of it, and two horn-like spikes were on either side. Two piercing slits of crimson shined from the center of the disturbing emblem. Where had he seen it before? Torte shook his head and focused on what could be inside. He reached and touched the chest. He pulled his hand back as if in pain. He stared at his gloved claw; nothing had happened, yet he was sure something had. The evilocity inside of Cap’n Torte was growing impatient. He reached again and felt nothing this time. That’s when he saw that the chest was slightly ajar. He opened it easily and listened to the creak of the ancient hinges as he swung the top to the side. He stared in, the contents were shocking: a small faded-white piece of paper, insigned, LVK...
Chapter 36: Suspicious Stowaway
A huge explosion of reds, oranges, and yellows erupted as the scaly dark green eyelid lifted off of the monster’s face. Then a translucent pupil formed and became solid in the center, an oval of pure darkness. For a moment, Bowser’s eyes matched the beasts before him, eight fiery eyes blazing in front of him. It was the most amazing thing any of them had ever witnessed. Even the Magikoopas stood in astonishment, their jaws dropped low in this display of such power and raw rage. As the beasts shook their bodies free from the thick coat of ice that had earlier enveloped them, their breath became visible. The heat coming from their mouths was extreme, it made the air dance in front of the Koopa Clan. The four monstrosities had broken free. One sniffed the air and licked the ground with its black tongue. It didn’t even make contact with the icy floor. Such a strong radiation of heat surrounded the tongue that it melted the ice. One stepped forward and rubbed its tremendous head against the large wall of ice next to it. The one in the front lowered its head and glared at the nearby Koopas. It made eye contact with Bowser, and snorted out a hurricane of warm air. Then it lifted its head upward and let out a powerful bellow. The monster’s roar shook the entire island, no doubt. Chunks of ice and rock fell from the ceiling, and small splits appeared in the walls. It stared back at the Koopas, opening its mouth and letting the lava-like drool foam at its mouth and leave craters where droplets fell.
Bowser grunted. “Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! With these terrible beasts at my command, the Mushroom Kingdom stands no chance! Gwa ha ha!” the cruel king cackled.
“But King Dad, what about the Mario Brothers?” Wendy asked.
“You simple child! Don’t you know that Mario’s dead? It’s a shame I didn’t get to do my old friend in, but at least someone finally shut that walking mustache up. As for Luigi, the last time I saw him do anything productive on his own was when he learned that Mario was an idiot. Bwa ha ha!” Bowser replied.
“You are correct on Mario being dead, King Koopa,” Kammy chimed in. “But however, are you unaware of the super-powered Stario now taking his place? He’s over two times as strong as Mario, at least!”
Bowser looked down and clenched his fist. “Ha! Even with him in the picture, I won’t be defeated. Nothing can stop me now!”
“Um, Bowser...” Kamek mumbled. “What if the Reznor try to stop you?”
“What are you getting at, Kamek?” Bowser asked.
“Well, they ARE right in front of us, and I bet after being frozen for centuries, they’re mighty famished,” Kamek answered.
“Huh? Oh. Um...” Bowser looked back at the four frightening beasts glaring down at him.
Just then a small metallic device shot down from the ceiling and collided into the back of the front Reznor’s neck. It cried out slightly, but then resumed its pursuit on the Koopas. A tiny green light on the device flashed blue, and its body was consumed in bluish lightning. The Reznor winced and collapsed to the ground, its breathing now very heavy. The three remaining monsters were then tagged at the back of the neck as well. They all shook and roared. One stepped forward and starting drawing in air. Bowser and the others watched as a flash of light sparked deep down the beast’s throat. The turtle tribe gasped and ran out of the way as fast as possible. A whirlwind of reds and oranges formed in the Reznor’s maw. Then the monster belched the flames out in a humongous display of power. It ate away the wall far into the cavern. Once it stopped, blue lightning coated it as well and the monster cried out and fell to the ground as well.
“What’s doing that to them?” Iggy asked.
Bowser smiled. “It’s about time you got here. Those things tried to roast me!”
The green Shy Guy donned in a lab coat landed in front of them, wielding a remote control with four dials, an antennae, and a red button. He turned to the Koopas and grinned.
“Who’s this freak?” Roy asked.
“My name is Clever Guy. I am the most intelligent being on Plit,” Clever Guy spoke.
“Wait a second, I thought your name was Genius Guy... and didn’t you kick him out of the army for being an idiot, Bowser?” Kammy mentioned.
Clever Guy growled. “I am Clever Guy. Whomever you may have mistaken me with probably is an idiot. However, I assure you that I am quite the opposite.”
“Yes, you do seem smart,” Kamek hissed. “But are you trustworthy with your obviously keen mind?”
Clever Guy chuckled lightly. He lifted the remote in his hand. “You’d be dead by now if I wanted to kill you.”
Kamek silenced himself and the others quieted down too. Bowser started a hearty laugh again, and stepped forward. “Alright, I think it’s time for me to do some explaining. My hired goon Clever Guy here, has been secretly working in my army for months now. He created the Mecha Bowser, and kept a watchful eye over the Mecha Mario, Iggy,” Bowser explained.
“What?” Iggy said.
“Just to make sure that you weren’t messing everything up. Anyway, Clever Guy has been hiding in my room of the ship and has built me this nice remote control for my new pets,” Bowser grinned, looking back at the now-obedient Reznor.
“Yes, yes King Dad. But I still don’t see what he gets out of it,” Larry exclaimed.
“I’ll field this one.” Clever Guy said, pocketing the remote control and stepping forward. “You see, Larry, I am an inventor and a scientist foremost. With your father’s help I have been able to continue my research. Though unfortunately now that he has no army or castle, you’d think I’d quit and leave. But King Koopa told me of his new plan. By building the obedience collars, he will now be able to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Then I’ll have all that I desire to continue working on my greatest invention.”
Larry backed down as Kamek had so earlier. This Clever Guy knew all the answers, he had a good foundation. But just the essence of him spelled out double cross.
“Gwa ha ha ha! That’s right. So no need to worry, Clever Guy knows that brawn is better then brains anyway. And I’ve got all three of them! So there’s no way he’ll mess with me,” Bowser reassured. “Now let us take these creatures and return to the boat. Soon I will have the Mushroom Kingdom in my claws! Bwa ha ha!”
Bowser nodded to Clever Guy, who turned and pulled out the remote control. He pointed to the device. “Follow or I’ll be forced to use this.”
The Reznor, understanding the pointing, obeyed. Their feet pounded the ground, sending out waves of quakes. The Koopas began marching on.
Kamek walked up to Bowser. “Uh, Bowser? Don’t you think that you should carry the remote control?” Kamek asked.
Clever Guy silently hissed at the Magikoopa.
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Fork it over, Smart Guy!” Bowser ordered.
“That’s Clever
Guy...” Clever Guy said, handing the device to the Koopa King. Then the
Shy Guy whispered to himself. “And don’t you forget it...”
Jagger rubbed his numb arms and walked back out on deck. He peered through the wild flakes of snow blowing all around. He squinted and tried to make out if anyone was coming back. He sighed and decided it was best to stay warm. He walked back below deck and walked down the long hallway. As he passed by one door, the Shy Away they had tangled with a few days ago emerged from the open door behind Jagger. It didn’t look happy-go-lucky anymore. Its face seemed more devious. Jagger must not have heard the buzzing of its little wings as it lifted up the watering can and smashed it over his head, leaving him unconscious. The tiny Shy Away pulled at the fallen Jagger’s legs and dragged him back into the supply closet. The Shy Away put its hand on Jagger’s chest, where he could feel his heart beating. The Shy Away closed its eyes and synchronized its heart with the beating of Jagger. Strange dots of orange spiraled around the Shy Away’s body. It began changing shape, it stood taller, a sharper nose emerging from its face, a hard green shell appearing on the back, and the wings fading. In a final puff of orange smoke, the Shy Away had taken on a flawless form of General Jagger. He locked the supply closet tight after tying and gagging the real Jagger. Then the culprit went up on deck to see the Koopas just returning...
Chapter 37: Nuba and Naya
A warm breeze caressed Yoshi’s green face. It blew through every nook and cranny of each scale on his body. He smiled and took a large bite out of a handy apple. The juice tasted so sweet in his mouth. He stopped smiling though when his thoughts turned to his injured friend. Yoshi swallowed and looked forward, determined. There was no need to worry. The island was in sight and only a few minutes away.
Splooshi and Orchil had quickly formed a friendship and were now lying on their stomachs on the deck. They were playing an innocent game of Rock, Paper, Mario when Splooshi sat up and asked a question. “Hey Orchil, what is Mosolunar like?” Splooshi asked.
Orchil took a moment to think about the question. “Well, she’s very motherly, and takes good care of us all. And now that she’s sick, we all feel a bit under the weather too. I hope she gets better though.”
“Me too,” Splooshi said. “Hey, are you hungry?”
Orchil laughed. “Splooshi, we just ate five minutes ago! You’re such a funny dinosaur!”
Splooshi smiled. “I like fruit. It makes me feel better inside. So yummy! Oh boy!”
Orchil laughed as she followed Splooshi back into the kitchen again. Yoshi rolled his eyes and smiled. The sun was starting to plummet from its place in the sky, but it wouldn’t be dark for another hour or so. After awhile longer of waiting, they stopped the sailboat and tossed out the anchor. Yoshi hoisted the resting Mallow onto his saddle, and fluttered over to the beach. “C’mon you guys! We gotta hurry!” Yoshi said.
Splooshi and Orchil dove into the lagoon and swam around for a bit. Splooshi felt the water rejuvenate him. They got out quickly and Orchil took the lead. The two Yoshis followed her through the thick, vivid jungle. Trees and flowers decorated the path with wild colors that beamed out at you. The plant life was so rich on Flora Isle. But Yoshi didn’t notice any animals. Soon they came to a large gap in the previously narrow path between many bushes and trees. A plain of grass was home to the structures the natives had built. The huts were made of mud, vines, and other plants. All of the people walking around were children. They had light blue skin like Orchil’s but their eye colors were different. Little girls wore dresses dangling down to their bare ankles, and had a beautiful ornament of small flowers in the side of their hair. Boys wore variously-colored tunics. All of them had small packs strapped to their back, obviously made out of natural resources. When they spotted the three newcomers and Orchil they stopped and rushed over to their friend.
“Orchil! You’re alright!” one girl shouted.
“I thought we’d never see you again!” a little boy shouted.
“Who are those guys?!” a nervous little boy asked.
“What happened to the pirate ghosts?” another girl asked.
“I’m glad to see you all again, but now is not the time for questions! These two have a friend that’s very hurt. He needs to see Mosolunar now! Where are Nuba and Naya?” Orchil asked.
“Nuba and Naya? They’re over at the big hut right now if you’re not too late,” one boy said, pointing in the direction.
“Thanks! Come on guys, it’s this way!” Orchil said.
Splooshi looked back at the puzzled children. As they went out of sight, the native youths went back to their chores. Orchil lead the two dinosaurs to a large hut, twice the size of the other huts. Orchil walked in and knocked on the side of the opening. “Hello?” she called.
Two tall females stood up from a kneeling position. They were twins. Their skin was colored differently from the others; it was lavender rather than blue. Their hair was a vibrant red and dropped far down to their waists. They wore small tops made of shrubbery and their skirts were crafted from large leaves of the bigger tress on the island. Bracelets of tiny pebbles were wrapped around their wrists and ankles. Their eyes were a light green that almost glowed. The only thing setting them apart was the markings on their forehead. The one on the right had the symbol of the sun, and the one on the left had the symbol of the crescent moon.
“Orchil! You have returned!” they said in unison.
“Yes sisters! But there is a more important matter at hand!” Orchil said.
“Oh, and what is this?” the one on the right asked.
“My friends… oh dear! I haven’t even introduced you yet. How embarrassing,.” Orchil mumbled. “First off, this is Nuba and Naya. They are Mosolunar’s helpers, and leaders of our village.”
“Nice to meet you,” Yoshi said.
“And Orchil, would you kindly tell us their names?” Naya, the left one, said.
“Well this green dinosaur’s name is Yoshi. He helped save me from the bad pirates. The blue one’s name is Splooshi. He’s really friendly, and helped too. The man sleeping on Yoshi’s back is Mallow. He’s in need of Mosolunar’s help!” Orchil explained.
“Oh, I understand,” Nuba said. “We’d love to take you to Mosolunar, but…”
“But what?” Yoshi asked.
“Mosolunar will not be able to help him. Her strength has significantly dropped. We cannot seem to figure out what the problem is,” Naya answered.
“Maybe we can help,” Yoshi commented.
“You’d help us?” Nuba asked in disbelief.
“Sure. You’re gonna help our friend.” Yoshi said.
“This might prove useful, sister,” Naya said to Nuba, who responded with a nod.
“Follow us to Mosolunar! Then we shall see what can be done!” both twins said in unison again.
“That’s kinda creepy,” Splooshi whispered to Yoshi.
The two Yo’sters followed their newfound friend, Orchil, and the twins Nuba and Naya. They went up a steep path behind the large hut. It was very dry though, so it was easy to climb. Up and up they went on the diagonal, twisted path, through thorny thickets and past pretty promenades. As they walked up the path, Orchil turned to speak with her friends. “I’m so glad I got to come. It’s not usual us youngsters get to see Mosolunar,” Orchil said.
“We are almost there,” Nuba called from ahead.
“I’m so excited!” Orchil said, turning back around and walking up the path.
“So what do you think this Mosolunar’s like?” Splooshi asked Yoshi.
“I’m not sure... but let’s find out,” Yoshi said walking up the end of the path.
The two of them stared in awe at the guardian spirit Mosolunar...