The Good, the Bad, and the Torte 2
The Four Bringers of Fire

By Chef Torte

Chapter 52: A Heated Confrontation

The orange monstrosity of roaring flames levitated off the ground and swirled its mismatched eyes to view the small intruder that had awaken itself. Mini Moi stood there, staring up with eyes as wide as saucers. A low, spine-tingling, throaty bellow sounded from the monster’s maw as it opened wide. The ground, even the air, shook with the mighty wave of noise. Mini Moi seemed penetrated by this roar, his blinking stopped. The flaming feet of the Czar Dragon stomped lightly on the ground as it walked over to its stunned opponent...
 

The Cap’n and his motley crew had proceeded farther down the path, now at the very place where Mario had found the sixth Star Piece, the malevolent Axem Rangers waiting to snatch it from him. As they searched the room for a weak wall, the Apprentice found something peculiar to his eye.

“Master Torte... oh, I mean Captain! I think I’ve found something...” the Apprentice shouted.

Cap’n Torte ceased his searching and jumped down from a higher ledge to land next to his apprentice. There he stood, pointing at a large engraved symbol on a very large wall. The marking was an upside-down star inside of a fireball. The old Koopa rubbed his scaly chin at the emblem engraved. What did it mean?

“Embeirt!” Torte commanded.

The perky Podoboo popped up right next to him. “Uh... yes, Cap’n?”

“You’re from around zese parts, aren’t you?” Cap’n Torte asked, leaving no time for a response. “Tell moi, vat does zis symbol signify?”

Embert looked up with his long oval eyes, dark as coal. “I’m not sure, Cap’n. I think I’ve seen it before, but besides that I have no idea.”

“It means that we shouldn’t be here,” Changling said, coldly.

Torte and the others studying the symbol turned to look at the Magikoopa who had obviously made it his priority to comment.

“Vat do you mean ve shouldn’t be here? Ze Czar Dragon’s long been dead, and zhere’s not any ozeir kind of creatures zat are in here, vanting no company. Und don’t tell moi it’s ze Podoboos, I mean, ve’ve got vone of ‘em right here! Right little buddy?” Cap’n Torte said, nudging Embert with his elbow before realizing he was composed of fire. “Zey vouldn’t hurt a hometown boy, right?”

“Uh... sure,” Embert said meekly.

“It’s not any sign of the Czar Dragon or native to the Barrel Volcano. It’s the mark of a ruthless cult of rebel Magikoopas, the kind that kill first and ask questions later,” Changling forewarned.

The Apprentice gulped. “Kill first?”

“Yes. Some of them used to belong to the old Koopa army, they believe in a vile essence known as Doomstar that feeds them their sadistic powers,” Changling described. “If I’m not mistaken Kamek has this belief too...”

“Okay, I undeirstand vat it meanz now, but vhy ist it here?” the Cap’n asked.

“It is rumored that their base of operations is here, inside the volcano,” Changling replied.

“I see. But no matteir, no bunch of Magikoopas ist going to scare moi from my dreams of being ze planet’s ruleir. Or best chef, I forgot along ze line of ze last story...” Torte mumbled. “Anyvay, zis seems like an appropriate place to insert a haneous laugh, no? Mini Moi, let us gloat!” The maniacal chef-pirate began to laugh.“MWA HA HA HA HA... HA... Er.. HA... Hey, Mini Moi!” Torte snapped. “Vait, vhere ist my little Mini Moi?”
 

The shrunken skull of the tiny Torte crashed into a nearby rock wall, producing a large bump to add to the already bruised and beaten Mini Moi. The Czar Dragon persued the Koopa clone by hovering inches above the severed floor of the battlefield. Its large mouth of fire and brimstone opened, preparing for a blast of hellish breath.

“TERRIA!!!” Cap’n Torte yelled, leaping off the ground and smashing his foot into the Dragon’s head before backflipping back to safety. Torte grabbed the unconcious Mini Moi and tossed him to Soshi. “Protect him viz your life, Soshi.” The pirate snarled before unsheathing his fury, formed in the PAN OF PERIL.

A horrifying roar announced the Czar Dragon’s recovery. The beast of fire rose into the sky and began spewing a cloud of orange and pink smoke. The Team of Terror was completely lost in the foggy attack, and for a brief instant had a sense of falling. The smoke dissolved to reveal the battlefield was now a large but weak bridge over a deep pit of lava. The Czar Dragon let out another cry of anger and summoned four bits of magma to hover as its guard. One by one the magma chunks fired, each one’s assail foiled by Torte’s expertly timed blocks with the PAN OF PERIL. The chef recoiled with a massive wave of multicolored energy from his HPC attachment. The Czar Dragon flung back in pain, fireballs falling off of it and landing somewhere behind the beast. The fireballs that landed did not diminish however, and they appeared to be Podoboos. Another wave of the HPC left the Czar Dragon fleshless, reduced to the puny skeleton it had started as. It looked as if fifteen Pyrospheres were standing behind the boney beast, which had now collapsed to the ground. Torte breathed heavily, wiping his forehead.

“Phew! Zat vas pretty rough!” Cap’n Torte gasped.

“We did it! Let’s go, Apprentice!” Changling exclaimed.

“Yeah!” The Apprentice shrieked in happiness.

“You little thieves!” an unknown voice called. “Did you really think you could get out of here alive?!”

“Huh?” Torte said.

The Podoboos had jumped on top of the fallen skeleton of the once bruning Czar Dragon. A larger Podoboo with yellow tips at his flames and golden sparks occasionally sprouting stood in front.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Embert Thomas Podoboo!” the leader chuckled. “Come back to see your Mommy and Daddy?”

Embert whimpered and cowered further behind Whomp.

“Still a coward, huh? I thought the gang told you three years ago to leave! And now we find you here again?!” the pompous Pyro continued.

“Hold on, just for a moment!!” Cap’n Torte yelled, getting silence in return. He turned to his fiery minion hiding behind the concrete cohort. “Your middle name ist Thomas?”

“Yes,” Embert peeped.

“AH HA HA HA HA HA! VAT A LOSEIR!!!” Torte began to cry of laughter. “ZAT’S ALMOST AS BAD AS APPRENTICE’S REAL NAME!!!”

“You remembered?!” the Apprentice said, his eyes sparkling and hands together.

“Vell, actually no. All I remembeir ist it’s a terrible name for a Koopa,” the Cap’n responded.

“So who’s this freak with the accent, Embert?” the leader interrogated.

“MON DIEU!” Torte shrieked. “I am no freak! My name ist Cap’n Torte! I am ze Master of Evil, and Culinary Arts! Not to mention I’m a pirate! And no posse of Podoboos ist going to stop moi and my Team of Terror! ASSEMBLE!!!”

Apprentice, Changling, the Grand Glum Reaper, Soshi, and Whomp all jumped up behind Torte, angry looks on their faces. Embert remained hidden behind all of them.

“So now you’re hiding behind all your freaky friends, huh Embert?” the Pyrosphere laughed.

“Mon dieu! Embeirt, who ist zis guy?” Cap’n Torte demanded.

“He’s... he’s Blaze. Third in command of the Czar Gang...” Embert answered. The ball of fire looked down at him, jolts of yellow sparking out of him sporadically. “He’s part Podoboo, part Sparky.”

“Yes indeed, you still remember me, Embert.” Blaze laughed. “But you have misinformed your friend of one thing. I am now the second in command of the Czar Gang. Mantle has become the leader.”

Embert’s eyes widened. “Then... that means...”

“Yes, Torch R. Chambers has left the Barrel Volcano,” Blaze responded.

“Alright, I’ve had enough of zis reminscing garbage! If you vouldn’t mind, Monsieur Blaze, my Team and I vould be happily leaving to carry out our plans,” Cap’n Torte interrupted.

“Oh, I don’t think we can let you go so easily, we haven’t got our fee.” Blaze snickered.

“Fee?” Cap’n Torte snorted. “You zink you and your gang can stop moi and ze famed Team of Terror?”

“Maybe,” Blaze replied. “But we’ll never have to find out, when Zombone here finished you off for good.”

The Podoboo posse flipped backward off of the collapsed skeleton of the Czar Dragon. The mere bones of the Dragon rose to the air, still in shape and form. A hideous howl came from its jaws, harming Torte’s and the others’ ears.

“Vell, in zat case,” Cap’n Torte said, once again unleashing his PAN OF PERIL to his side, “it’s time to TORTE it up a notch!!!”

The Cap’n soared forward toward the dragon, drawing back his weapon and preparing for a strike to the skull of the beastly demon. However, the villain was countered by the large, sharp claw of the Zombone. Torte smashed into the ground, his arm hanging over the edge of the bridge. He was down, but not out. Torte scrambled to his feet, but was greeted with a near-head trauma from a large boulder. After dodging, Cap’n Torte saw at least twenty more boulders hovering around in the air, each one descending towards him. The Koopa cook strafed with the red-hot laser from the top spike of his PAN OF PERIL. From all of the years playing videogames like Space Invaders, he was able to blast the boulders to bits before they reached him. The Zombone shrieked again, causing the captain to fall offguard. The demonic skeletal dragon took the opportunity to strike forward and chomp on the chef’s legs. Torte yelled out from the pain, and slammed forcefully on the beast’s head with the PAN OF PERIL. One of Torte’s powerful swings caused the side of the Zombone’s skull to crack. It instantly released its grip.

“Mwa ha ha ha! Did zat hurt? Vell not as much as zis vill!” Torte taunted.

The two side spikes on the PAN OF PERIL launched out, revealing themselves to be missles. A trail of smoke was left in each of their paths as they coiled toward the enemy and hit, dead on. With a terrible screech and a large boom and cracking noise, the skeletal wings of the Czar Dragon were crushed to pieces beyond recognition. The dragon fell silent to the ground in defeat.

“No... it’s not possible! One so stupid can’t have defeated the mighty Zombone!” Blaze gasped.

“Oh, you’re quite wrong! I’ve beaten your Zombone easily, and I’m really stupid! Er... vait.” Cap’n Torte mumbled. “Anyvay, ze point ist I von! MWA HA HA!”

The chef began to jump up and down gleefully on the bridge, with a light crackling noise beneath him and lightning bolt-shaped splits appearing in the ground.

“Um... Master Torte, maybe you shouldn’t...” Apprentice mentioned.

But it was too late. The bridge holding up the Zombone and the captain shattered, leaving them both to fall down into the boiling magma. The Zombone awoke from its defeat and shrieked in fury; Cap’n Torte reached for the PAN OF PERIL, just missing it as it fell down into the fiery pit after the monster. The Koopa timely grabbed onto the edge of the bridge with one hand in time, though. He reached his other gloved claw upward, his body dangling below him. He looked up at the Team of Terror staring down at him, a look of dread in his face.

“Fly, you fools!”

Chapter 53: The Battle Begins

The gray steel of the Gargantuan sliced through the cold, blue water as it approached its destination. The Mushroom Bay was just ahead. Loud sirens from inside the ship were alerting the soldiers to prepare for battle; frantic Troopas ran around the deck of the ship searching for weapons and armor. The next vessel to come into view was the Warrior Wing Doomship, full of the toughest squadrons and their new commander, Mallet. Bowser slurped up red liquid through a fine glass. He grinned, showing his shiny teeth as he washed them over with his tongue.

“The time has come, for the Koopas to once again reign supreme over this world!” Bowser shouted.

Kamek Magikoopa risked not responding to his malicious leader and continued searching on the nearby monitors. The Devastator and Cerberus were following behind slowly as planned. The Reznor wouldn’t need to be released as of now, and there wasn’t any point in risking damage to the ship until the monsters were set free to rampage. The Devastator was ordered to stay back to keep Bowser’s mischievous children from getting hurt. The submarine hadn’t been given a role in the attack, and was ordered to maintain distance in case the Koopas somehow lost and needed a means of escape. Kamek had suggested this, though regretted it when seeing the depressed looks on everyone’s face. Finally, the aircraft carrier. Bowser wasn’t willing to yet unveil his special Koopa Jet.
 

Not far away, a deathly silence had fallen over the Royal Castle in the Mushroom Village capital. Ever since word of an invasion had been rumored just a few hours ago, talk had been little if any. Everyone was gathered in one large room now, awaiting the most important news in recent history for the Mushroom Kingdom. They were depending on Wooster and Battle T. The King sat humbly in his throne, occasionally mumbling something absurd under his breath. The Chancellor, draped in his green robes, nervously paced the room. Toad and Toadsworth stood in formation at the side of the room, prepared for anything.

Three allies to the Mushroom Kingdom were also in the King’s room, waiting. Ryanoshi, Crazy Koopa, and Blue Boo were the only guards present, as Stario and Luigi were already on a quest to find the princess. The dinosaur sat down in a chair silently, reading a large book. His eyes fiercely scanned across the pages at an incredible rate. The blue-shelled Koopa sat down next to Ryanoshi, twiddling his thumbs apprehensively. Blue Boo, having never been inside the castle before, quietly teleported around the room looking at various paintings and other objects used to decorate the chamber. The Chancellor sighed again as he turned once more to cross the room. Stario and Luigi are gone, and it’s possible Bowser could arrive to kill us at any moment. Could things be any worse? the Chancellor thought. Suddenly, the door burst open and the silouhettes of two Mushroomers walked in. Everyone looked up anxiously.

“It’s true,” Battle T said, a tone of dread in his voice. “It won’t be long now.”

The room replied with a sharp intake of air.

“Yes. There was a fleet of battleships. Three I think. One doomship too,” Wooster informed.

The Chancellor looked down at his feet for a moment, then turned to look at the others, stopping on Toad. “Quickly, inform the people to flea the city, and tell anyone willing to fight to get into the barracks and suit up.”

Toad was gone as soon as the sentence was finished. The Chancellor turned to his three allies. “I want you to know how much I appreciate you three being here. I’m only afraid it won’t be enough to defeat Bowser.”

“We’ll try our best to help,” Crazy Koopa responded.

“Well actually, you aren’t entirely alone on this one, guys,” a voice said.

The door opened again to two figures, this time with different heights; one was tall and the other quite short.

“We are here to protect the Kingdom, Chancellor,” Jinx said.

“Whatever happens, we won’t let Bowser win without a fight,” Dasher said.

“No, we certainly shall not,” another mysterious voice called from the doorway.

Merlink, the old Fortune Teller who once foretold the prophecy of Mario’s death, looked up through his dark hood at the occupants of the room.

“I may be just a fortune teller, but I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve,” Merlink explained.

“Perhaps things are not as bad as I had percieved.. “ the Chancellor said, a small smile of hope behind his mustache.
 

Countless soldiers stood silently as the shore came into view, finally appearing from behind the thick fog that coated the land. King Koopa hovered above the troops inside his Koopacopter, with Kamek and Kammy floating on their brooms nearby. The doomship overhead cast a large shadow over the Gargantuan.

“When we arrive on the Mushroom Kingdom shores, there are sure to be some measly squadron of Mushroomers prepared to stop us. They will not stand a chance against us, their kind wasn’t built to fight, like us,” Bowser announced. “They were built to serve under the almighty Koopa clan!”

Roars and cheers sounded from the wild Troopas below. Bowser smiled and gave a knowing look to either of his Magikoopa companions.

“Do not fall back unless by my command. This command may be relayed to you by your current commander, Slash,” the tyrant ordered. “Listen to him as you would I. Trust his judgment.”

“Sir,” Kamek interuppted. “We’re arriving. Shall Kammy and I retreat to the Devastator now?”

Bowser breathed deeply. “Yes. Contact me if any mishaps come up. Inform Jade of the arrival.”

As the pair of sorcerers whizzed off to the sister ship, the Gargantuan stopped and shored. The time had come. Every soldier aboard hopped down into the water below, becoming one frontline. Bowser nodded to the captain of the ship when every single Troopa had departed from the ship. The Gargantuan left them stranded as it recoiled slowly out to the bay. Bowser speedily flew forward and lower towards Slash as the assault began.
 

“Quick now! Arm yourselves with whatever you can find!” Toad shouted.

The barracks was full of panic and fungi as Mushroomers struggled to equip themselves with armor and weaponry. Raz, already armored, gently rubbed his wife’s arm as she looked at him with tears in her eyes. Her other hand held onto a young child sticking his thumb into his mouth.

“Take care of him, Raini,” Raz said. “But don’t you worry, I’ll be back.”

Raini tried to wipe her tears away, but to no avail. “You will come back to me. To us. Raz, I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go, before it’s too late,” Raz warned.

He wiped a tear away as he saw his wife and son run off to catch the last party of citizens out of town. The Master of the Dojo stood next to him. “Do not worry, Raz,” The Dojo Master spoke. “She will be alright. And so will you. These Koopas do not stand a chance with tough guys like us standing up to them!”

“Thanks,” Raz replied, placing a confident look on his face.

“BOO!” Blue Boo roared.

“AAGGAH!!!” Fice T screamed, running into a wall and knocking himself to the ground.

Blue Boo chuckled at the sight. “Blue! Now is not the time to scare people!” Crazy Koopa complained.

“Aw come on! It’s so much fun, and this guy’s REALLY easy to scare!” Blue Boo pleaded.

Ryanoshi stood near them, swinging his broad sword while preparing for combat. “Pipe down you two. We’ve got a big battle ahead of us. Now get out your weapons and get ready to fight!”

The two nodded attentively. Crazy Koopa swirled around in his shell in midair for a brief moment, and Blue Boo pulled a sapphire boomerang out of his hat.

“Hey look, another Yoshi!” Crazy Koopa said, pointing his finger behind Ryanoshi.

It was true. A red Yo’ster with a blue saddle was looking around anxiously, making native noises indicating its nervousness. A youthful spore with red spots on his head and a long blade in his hand mounted atop the red Yoshi.

“Excuse me, but I happened to notice you’ve got a Yoshi partner,” Ryanoshi said.

“Oh yeah, he’s my best bud. We’ll fight together and die together! I’m Genji T. and this is Roshi the Third,” Genji replied.

“Good luck Genji, and you too Roshi,” Ryanoshi said shaking both of their hands.

“Roshi! Ro-shee!” the dinosaur spoke in it’s natural language.

Jinx and Dasher were suited up and talking to one another. “It is very likely, grasshopper, that my former student Jagger will be in this fight,” Jinx informed.

“Yes, I figured that,” Dasher replied. “But he’s not that tough...”

“Looking good, guys!” Toad said, walking by for one last inspection.

The Mushroom Retainer ended his walk with Merlink, who was practicing some magic spells with his wand. He stabbed the yellow rod forward and made a puff of smoke appear from nowhere. He continued making puffs of smoke all around in a circle.

“Interesting...” Toad mumbled.

“Oh, hello there, Toad. I had not seen you. My magic’s pretty rusty, but I hope it’ll help. If only my twin brother Merlon was here, but alas he’s off with his son in Starborn Valley. He’s much better at combat magic than I,” Merlink sighed.

“That thing you did with the smoke...” Toad said, ignoring Merlink’s comments. “Could you do it in a really big proportion?”

“Yes... but may I ask why?” Merlink pondered.

Toad smiled. “I think I’ve got a great idea to help us get the jump on Bowser and his cronies...”

“They’re approaching! Quick formation!” Battle T shouted. The troops formed ranks in front of him. “Remember, the plan is, we want to try and lure them away from the city. Now let’s go!”
 

Bowser hovered next to Sergeant Slash as they passed another hill, slowly getting to the city walls. They then arrived at the gates, scaring the dickens out of Toad, Wooster, and Battle T. When they were in range, Bowser held up his claw. The soldiers stopped immediately.

“There’s only three guards! This will be a piece of cake, maybe they didn’t know we were coming!” Bowser shouted. “Wait a second... Toad, why are you smiling?”

Bowser snarled and peered dwon into the Mushroomer’s face. Toad looked up into Bowser’s fiery eyes. “A piece of cake, you say? Well this cake will one-up Chef Torte’s. It not only moves, it can surprise!”

The Koopa King stared down at the gloating fungus in confusion, then realized what he meant, but it was too late. Explosions of black smoke appeared on all sides of the Koopa army. The Koopa King and his men stared, shocked at the surprise attack. There were tons of the Mushroomers! Not to mention a few other, more combat-prepared species in the midst of Mushroom. Sergeant Slash panicked and gave out his first order.

“ATTACK!!!”

Chapter 54: Beyond the Flames

The soft waves shattered against the front of the sailboat, as it once again set sail. Yoshi, Splooshi, Mallow, and Orchil gathered the items necessary back on Flora Isle and left as quickly as possible in the direction of the volcano they sought. The Stars were begining to show in the eastern hemisphere as the bright orange sun fell behind the western side of the planet, ending another day and begining another night. The purples and blues of the night sky combined majestically with the bright satellite bodies overhead. The foursome continued on silently until the first sign of the volcano appeared. In the distance, a silouhette was carved out of the descending sun. A large peak rose out of the water, no land around for miles. All were ready for the worst, their fun adventure of looking for treasure long gone. Together, the two Yoshis, the Nimbian, and the young Sprite of Flora Isle were to recover the Mystic Moon from the clutches of the unseen force deep inside the fiery mountain. Just as the night completely enveloped the sky, the sailboat arrived at its destination.

“Everyone ready? Let’s get this done quickly. I feel like I haven’t seen home in a long time...” Yoshi said wearily.

Mallow thought for a moment. “How long has it been since we left Yo’ster Island?”

“I lost track a long time ago,” Splooshi mentioned. “Must have been over a week or two...”

“Must have been. This adventure sure did last longer then the last one I had... with Luigi and, Mario...” Yoshi said.

“But it’s not over yet, you guys,” Orchil chimed. “C’mon! Let’s get these losers and go home!”

Splooshi and Mallow rejoiced, Yoshi smiled. “I certainly hope it’s that easy.”

The others quieted down, apparently some of their courageous spirit had diminished. But the Prince of Nimbus Land wasn’t going to let anything scare him. “All right everyone, as my old friend Geno would say, let’s get this show on the road!”

The volcano, or the portion of it above the sea, was very steep and didn’t have much level land to stand on when they first left the sailboat. But quickly they adjusted to the rocky terrain. Scaling the massive mountain was surprisingly easy for them, though it wasn’t the most dificult task of their journey. Orchil was the only one who seemed to have trouble, and for the most part rode on Splooshi’s new purple saddle he had received from Yoshi when they left Flora Isle. He also had a new pair of matching shoes, making the climb less strenuous.

Eventually the rising smoke was seen and the four had summited. The top of the volcano was very miniscule compared to the rest of it. Its opening mouth was only as wide as the ring of fire that surrounded Mallow when he fought the Dark Warrior back on Cumulo’s islet. Their was a definite temperature change as they peered into the mountain of magma. Yoshi jumped in first, carefully fluttering over to a safe ledge. Splooshi, who carried Orchil, jumped down second. Mallow looked down nervously.

“Er... Yoshi, do you mind if I take a ride down with you?”
 

Together the two dinosaurs descended down the inside of the volcano, each with a companion riding on their back. They perspired in great amounts because of the rising hot air. Yoshi and Splooshi’s tongues were nearly dragging along the ground. Mallow yearned to be outside, where he was sure sleet was falling just as the beads of sweat fell down his face. They fluttered downward for quite a time, and now must have been below sea level. As they looked down there did not seem to be an end to the volcano. Suddenly, the first accident occurred. Splooshi missed his footing on one drop, and lost his balance. He maintained to stay on the ledge, but Orchil fell and was grasping onto the side of the rocky wall. Fortunately Yoshi was watching and made haste to rescue her. After what may have been several hours, the two Yo’sters demanded a rest. A convenient but small cave served as a shelter. The heat was not as bad, and the ground was a comforting heat to lull one to sleep. They decided to take an hour’s rest and then move on. Everyone quickly went to sleep.

Later Mallow opened his eyes and awoke by himself. He saw his green comrade sitting up tiredly near the opening of the cave. “Yoshi?”

The green dinosaur turned to him slowly. “Hi Mallow. Go back to sleep...” Yoshi yawned. “You’ve still got a half an hour.”

Mallow stood up and walked over to sit next to Yoshi. “Yikes, you look like you’re about to pass out. Why don’t you go to sleep? If you insist on a lookout I’ll do it. I’ve already got enough rest for now.”

Yoshi smiled and looked at Mallow through half open eyes. “Thanks buddy.” The green Yo’ster crawled over inside the cave and fell to sleep instantly. He could have been drunk he seemed so tired.

Once everyone had awoken, they began to trek down the immense, endless volcano again. Below was the constant image of a lake of lava. Somewhere down there had to be the hideout of the unknown villain holding the Mystic Moon captive. Finally they reached the bottom. The pool of fire rested some fifteen meters below them. However, no cave or entranceway was found. Was this an elaborate trap? They depressingly sat down, not looking forward to the climb back up. Orchil looked down at the fire, hating it. They had come all this way and not found a thing. She glared at it as if she were staring into something’s eyes. Two black, oval eyes floating impossibly on a flame. Wait a moment... she wasn’t imagining it! Orchil realized she was in a fixed gaze with a red fireball. Then the eyes disappeared beneath the lake of lava. Orchil gasped and started mumbling.

“The... the... the..” the Sprite spoke.

“What is it, Orchil?” Splooshi asked.

“In... in there!” Orchil gasped, pointing her tiny hand to the fire.

“What?” Yoshi said, getting up. Mallow did the same.

“I saw... saw someone. In the fire!” Orchil mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Yoshi asked.

“Wait a second... “ Mallow said. “There’s something odd about that fire..”

“What is it?” Splooshi questioned.

“I’ve seen lava up-close, in the Barrel Volcano. It... just doesn’t look like this. Something’s fishy...” Mallow deduced. “I’ve got a crazy idea, Yoshi.”

Yoshi looked at him, obviously concerned and worrid of Mallow’s next words. “What do you mean?”

“Trust me...” Mallow said.

Yoshi shouted as he watched Mallow make a running leap off of the ledge. Orchil screamed and Splooshi’s jaw dropped as Mallow fell into the lava. There was no splash, or any indication he had gone in other than that they had seen him. Seconds, minutes, hours, days. They couldn’t tell how long it was before a white hand stretched out of the lava, beckoning them in.

“He’s okay!” Orchil said happily.

“Mallow, you crazy fool...” Yoshi said before plunging in himself.

As the green dinosaur passed through the lava’s surface, he didn’t feel any resistance on his falling speed. He watched as the red and orange lava rose above him and a familiar rocky environment surrounded him. He landed with a thud, and a pain on his bottom.

“Ouch... You could have warned me about the tough landing, Mallow,” Yoshi complained.

The Nimbian Prince beamed at him. Splooshi and Orchil then landed on either side of Yoshi, feeling the same remorse.

“Strange... it was like a hologram,” Yoshi said, puzzled.

“Yeah, it almost tricked us,” Splooshi added.

“Actually, it DID trick you,” Mallow gloated.

“Enough, enough... let’s continue,” Yoshi decided.

They looked below; not far down was a definite bottom, lava-free. Mallow and Orchil climbed aboard their friends and held on tight as they made an easy drop to the bottom. Mallow and Orchil hopped off, making two into four. Ahead of them was a strange-looking pool. It was circular and very small in size, only it didn’t have water or lava inside of it. The contents were a strange plasma-like substance with varying warm colors. It was hypnotic, and flowed like a lava lamp. Splooshi stepped forward, ever closer to the strange pool. When a large clank was heard, everything stopped dead. All was silent aside from the soft noises made from the pulsating pool. A ring of blue fire surrounded the circular pool and Splooshi stepped backward. A second loud clank, the ringing of a metallic source, sounded. Not further ahead, a gigantic cavern was visible. They were so fixed on the pool they hadn’t even noticed it. A third clank bellowed from the shadows. A deep, throaty growl eminated from the darkness. A different sound then came, like a chain being dragged along the floor, and then it was visible: a humongous, fierce black creature with rows of fatal teeth.

It was a Chain Chomp, bigger than all that had been seen. Only the terror didn’t end there, another metal clank announced a second Chain Chomp. It was just as big and threatening as the first. The two came side to side of one another, it almost seemed like they weren’t aware of the other’s exsistance. Clank! Yes, three Chain Chomps slowly slithered out of the darkness of the cave. As the beasts dragged themselves along the ground, ever closer to the frozen victims, the chains of the beasts got closer and closer together, until it made one large chain. It was a three-headed Chain Chomp!!!

“... Um... What now?!” Mallow asked in terror.

“Still... still working on that one, buddy,” Yoshi said nervously.

A great roar came from the middle Chomp. This shook the entire volcano. Once all was quiet again, the three heads went berserk with roaring and barking as they continued to persue the intruders. Yoshi took a step back. With him scared, the others were horrified. The Chain Chomp was now just behind the pool, when the barking stopped. White drool leaked down the monsters’ black metal faces. When it touched the ground it dissolved into vapor in seconds.

“LET THEM PASS!” an old, wily voice sounded, even louder than the first howl.

The four intruders responded to this by looking all around the cave, searching for the source. The three-headed Chain Chomp gave one last noise, a weak wimper as it turned around and returned to its cave. Once out of sight the blue flames vanished, the pool open once more. Yoshi said nothing and stepped forward, leaning down to look inside the pool. He could see nothing in it, the colors and fluxing of the contents were too distracting. He drew a deep breath, and dove in. A strange, frightening sense fell over the Yo’ster. Every part of his body sizzled with a soothing, yet sickening sensation. He felt his insides do somersaults as he spiraled downward in a dimension of colors, ones that had been seen in the pool. Then he breathed again, splashing out of the baffling warp and appearing in a red-hot cavernous area. He looked above him and saw the same pool he had seen on the other side, only it was suspended on the ceiling. He watched as Mallow, Splooshi, and finally Orchil appeared through it. The four of them were rejoined together, and where they were now was anyone’s guess. Black flames roared in various places. The dark stone that the strange place was made of was not familiar at all, and looked like it was from another world, another universe even. As they walked unheard voices of lost souls beckoned around them. They had entered the realm of ultimate demise, The Inferno.

Chapter 55: Posiedon, Demon of the Deep

“QUICK! WE’VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!”

Stario, Luigi, Johnny, and Dimplestick stared in bewilderment and worry as they watched the pirate crew resurface from the bubbling depths at blazing speed. What could scare those sharks? The four of them stood there unmoved, while the crew hastily made preparations to sail away... in any direction, just away. Deep down in the pure blackness of the waves, a bright green light shined through the murky water. Glowing sapphire lights deep down farther were dotted along a massive, speedy shadow, that sliced through the water effortlessly. The shadow was enormous! Half the size of the ship, no doubt! All around them things were moving in a blur, then Johnny came to his senses.

“Blimey! Quick men, we MUST get out of here!” Johnny ordered before muttering several curses.

Dimplestick and Luigi were broken from the frightened trance when Johnny shouted. They instantly set out to help with anything they could. Stario, however, continued to fixedly glare at the unseen beast circling the ship. There was some deep internal urge to see it, to jump in and touch it even, to stare the magnificent monster in its deadly eyes. Stario had felt this way before in his life, but he couldn’t remember when. He felt a strange memory pounding in his head, yearning to be released. But somehow it was restricted, as if not for the hybrid to feast upon. Another pounding came suddenly, that caught Stario completely offguard and made him lose his balance. The caped warrior plunged into the black waters with no hesitation. Stario let himself fall in, his desire for a look at the demonic creation was overwhelming his judgment. Stario’s last sight before falling in was a screaming green blur.

Stario opened his eyes. After a moment, all of his information had registered. The screaming, the glowing, the falling, the monster. The monster! Stario looked forward, expecting to see death but only saw darkness. The bubbles ascending while he breathed out were the only greeting in the dark depths. He turned around in a 360 degree angle, no sign of anything. Just more bubbles rising past his face. Strange though, he never took a breath before falling in...

RRRRRYYYYYYOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!

Stario’s eyes burst wide open, the water made it difficult for him to look down, but as he did a bright green light served to show him what he was dealing with. The green light hung off a natural angler from the head of the fish. Two bright, round, bulging, yellow eyes. Rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth rising up and out of the jaws of the beast. A large tooth-like dagger on its chin, and bright blue bulbs of light decorated along the thing’s back to the end of its tail fin. Two claw-esque flippers with sharp edges on either side of its armored body. It was gigantic, Stario breathed his courage out in weak, numerous exhales. A second hideous and spine-tingling shriek sounded, and Stario was lost in a world of bubbles and darkness. His only instinct was to go upward. Stario closed his eyes and struggled to refrain from passing out due to the lack of oxygen. Every shard of strength and will power left in him was used to swim upward, to the surface. As Stario ascended, he could feel the hot breath of the beast below his torso. The marvelous hero could just see the jagged teeth closing together above him. He mustn’t let that happen! He had to survive!

“STARIO!!!” Luigi cried for the seventh time.

“SHUDDAP, MATE!” Johnny yelled. “THAT AIN’T GONNA HELP US! CALM DOWN AND WE’LL THINK O’ SOMETIN’!”

Luigi squinted through his tears of rage at Johnny. He hated him; Stario, the only thing left remotely familiar of his lost brother, was about to die. And Johnny didn’t seem to care in the least.

“You, Crill! Get over here and watch him!” Johnny commanded.

A youthful shark clad in a blue bandana nodded and rushed to the plumber, placing a fin on his shoulder. Jonathon Jones scrambled across the deck, peering down into the water. Where did the light go? Where was it?!

“Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny!” Dimplestick cried.

“What?!” Johnny roared, scaring his little nephew.

“I... I saw the monster! It’s down that way!” Dimplstick reluctantly told, pointing in the correct direction.

Johnny kneeled down and stared Dimplestick in the face. “Forgive me, nephew. If I don’t make it back, I’ll need you to become captain of my ship.”

“B-but Uncle...” Dimplestick murmured.

“I may not return from this trip to Davy Jones’ locker!” Johnny grabbed his skewer and leapt off the boat and into the water.

WHERE WAS THE SURFACE?! Stario felt like he had been swimming for hours. He was too afraid to look back, the demon was sure to be right behind him. Then he heard a splash. A splash! The surface must be close. Above and to his right, a second underwater creature appeared. It was Johnny, looking more shark-like then ever, though he still wore his red cape, which now floated awkwardly behind him suspended in the water, and he grasped his trident weapon in his right fin. Stario looked into Johnny’s eyes. They were black, just like those of primitive sharks. A look of murderous intention was on the pirate’s face. Stario tried to look at Johnny’s arrival optimistically when they sliced past each other. It was quite possible that Johnny didn’t even notice the plumber. Stario took one look down as Johnny passed him. The monster was much deeper down, and he could only see the ugly face of the horror. Johnny left a trail of bubbles and other mirk in his path as he fired down like a torpedo. Stario returned to his need for escape. Up he climbed the ocean. Splash! The surface!

“Stario!” Dimplestick shouted.

Luigi began running over before jumping to his feet. He looked down as Stario coughed up some water and gasped for air. He was speechless. Stario felt his strength slowly returning and treaded to the side of the boat, where several members of the crew had extended a rope down to him. Stario grabbed it tightly, and the sharks pulled up. Luigi and Crill lifted him up on their shoulders and started taking him down into the brig, but Stario shook his head and broke free.

“No, I need to help Johnny!” Stario said tiredly.

“Stario, you’re too weak right now! He’s a professional... he can take care of it,” Luigi reasoned.

“No... not that thing. It’s too dangerous to go alone!” Stario demanded.

“Then I’ll help him,” Crill said, drawing a spear. “Luigi, you keep Dimplestick and the others safe. I’ll make sure our captain gets back safely.”

“I understand, good luck Crill!” Luigi responded.

“No! You’ll die down there!” Stario almost sounded delirious.

Crill dove off the boat and into the water. He squinted and saw two figures in locked combat with the aid of the green glow. He ground his teeth and shot forward. Johnny thrust his trident at the armored atrocity. The three spikes stabbed into it’s side just below the ominous flipper. A cloud of red seeped from the wound, enticing Johnny’s thirst for battle and blood. A red glow eminated from the pirate captain. Johnny went into a crazed frenzy, stabbing and slashing the monster at every pass. A great shriek danced through the atrocious beast’s mouth, bouncing against its dreadful teeth and flowing along its forked tongue. Johnny swam to the front of the beast, prepared to deliver a finishing blow. Then a second figure became visible. Crill shot straight past him in a path of bubbles. Johnny lost focus as Crill stabbed his spear near the monster’s gills and was undefended for the moment. The unworldly devil seized the opportunity and struck. A bright hyper-green bolt of electricity slammed into Johnny’s chest from the luminescent bulb of the antennae. Johnny’s eyes returned to normal and he dropped his trident. The shark then closed his eyes and fell deeper. Crill shouted out but was mufled by the water. A haneous shriek turned Crill’s head, the fish monster was swimming to the surface...

Stario and the others gasped, the beast visible for a brief moment as it was about to jump out of the water. Then an explosion of splashes and shrieking announced its arrival. All were hopelessly watching as the beastly foe rise into the air and begin to descend upon the boat. Everything was happening so fast as Stario watched. He cried out something of a different language and randomly coordinated complicated movements with his feet, legs, arms, and hands. Then he thrust his palm out, flat, aiming it at the airborne unfathomable terror, and everything slowed to a stop. Stario watched in bewilderment as a golden flame emerged from his outstretched hand, building in size and power. Once it was of a great mass, time returned to its normal flux and the fireball of gold was launched. The assail collided with the oncoming monster and repelled it back into the dark waters. Once again a bellowsome shriek was emitted.

RRRYYYYYYOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHH!!!

The monster sunk below the waves, but few began rejoicing. Stario was still unconvinced of a victory. Dimplestick’s frown was noticeable too, where did his uncle disappear too? Crill popped his head up from underneath the water, and noticed the demonic fish had retreated back into the depths. He wasn’t about to let it get away, after what it did to his captain...

“Crill! Crill!!” Dimplestick called.

Crill ignored him. He couldn’t bare to tell him what had happened to his uncle, at least not now. The shark submerged.

“Something’s wrong... where’s Johnny?” Luigi grumbled.

Stario acted quickly, not giving his brother or anyone else a chance to stop him. The magnificent hero dove off the boat and once again was in the water, but this time ready. He unsheathed his Star Saber, it doubled as a light source due to the legendary glow. He could see the beast retreating just ahead, it wasn’t far now. Crill was also just ahead of him; the shark rushed forward and used all his might to stab the creature forcefully in the back with his spear. A large cloud of red expanded from the wound and a heart-piercing roar was heard. Then, in one swift movement, the demonic fish snapped around and crushed Crill in its massive, powerful jaws. An even bigger cloud of red, along with pieces of Crill’s corpse, rose past the submerged Star warrior. Stario closed his eyes and clenched his fists in anger. The Star Saber developed a merciful red tint and glow around the blade. Stario rocketed toward the monster, who had now turned around completely and was rushing at him. Jaws opened, an arm pulled back, bright green lightning was charged, and a sword of red shot forward.

From above the water, those still on deck looking down at the ominous water witnessed an explosion of green and red from deep under the water. Stario’s sword collided with the bright green bulb of the beast’s antennae, releasing all the electricity into the water and pushing all the focused red energy inside of the horrible creature. The yellow eyes blasted apart, melting as the red force consumed the internal structure of its body. The blue lights faded and the scaly flesh flaked off from the super-heated energy emitted from the blade. A final hideous shriek was given off before the beast’s demise, and in a massive explosion, was reduced to nothing but a mere skeleton. Stario took one last look as the light from his blade faded and the demonic, warped skeleton was lost forever in the darkness.

Stario breeched and jumped to the boat this time, sheathing his saber and dropping to his knees. The battle had thrashed him, and now he would need to recover quickly if they ever hoped to finish off Vuljiin. A second surfacing sound was heard, and Jonathon Jones weakly made it to the safety of the ship. His chest was burnt and bleeding, and he was mostly lost from all reality but managed to give one more order before falling into unconsciousness.

“Keep sailing...”

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