By Mario Fan
Author's Note: An appendix for this
volume can be found here.
Click the link to open the appendix in a new window. You can then browse
through it at your leisure without losing your place in the story.
Chapter Fourteen: Imperial Decree
Considering the origins of the first Koopa-established governments on Plit, the fall their race experienced is all the more surprising. Was it truly the act of one revolutionary in the form of King Morton or rather the unseen maneuverings of a shadow clan, their intentions hidden in the folds of time forever?
Flagship Leviathan,
Over Kooparian
Kamek stood quietly behind the Koopa King as he leaned against the railing of the command tower and gazed out across the cloudscape below them. Roiling and violent with edges of dark purple, the soaring cumuli betrayed the storms beneath that plagued the endless Piranha groves of the Pipe Maze. All they had left to do was wait in the uneasy peace above the chaos, scanning the horizon for the Exultant’s approach.
Doomstar has abandoned us, and the only connections I have to his power are these Breaking Altars, thought the Magikoopa for the thousandth time since his arrival. Prince Iggy claims to know the location of one, but now that I consider it, do we really want to go there without any understanding of its potency? Perhaps it, too, is a product of deceit, just like our fruitless reverence of the Dark One all these years. For the time being, however, I shall continue to push for its excavation. Even Kammy and Vermik do not need to be aware of my own anxieties.
“Feast your eyes on that, Kamek,” Bowser said, speaking after nearly an hour of silence. “Everything below us is in the possession of the Koopa Kingdom, forever undaunted by the meddling of the Mario Brothers and their precious Princess. I should have come here more often, gotten away from the lines of war and realized just how magnificent my domain still is. We are glorious, Vizier, and always will be.”
What has come over him? thought Kamek, oddly pleased by his king’s renewed spirits. It reminded him of the early days of the kingdom, when Morton Sr. won victory after victory against his enemies and threw down their corpses at his feet. The old Bowser may not be dead yet.
“Yes, Sire, it has been that way all throughout these long years. Now that our opponents are wiped clean from the surface of the earth, we can finally achieve our dreams of world dominance. The Koopa Kingdom may have failed, yes, but the Koopa Empire will rise into the sun of the sky and flash for all eternity.”
“But we cannot begin just yet,” said the king suddenly, waving a claw in disapproval. “First, we must investigate this Breaking Shrine, correct? That is your advice, isn’t it?”
“Right, sir, forgive me,” said Kamek, surprised at how swept by the moment he had been. “It might cost us, but your traitorous son will lead us to it soon enough.”
“His terms mean nothing to me now. Ludwig will be mine, and so will Gremorth’s scrolls. My scheming Koopaling may find any resistance less than to his liking.”
“He will not give into our demands so easily,” said Kamek grimly. “If he is indeed meeting us with the Exultant, then he will very likely have a full contingency of soldiers at his command.”
“The Leviathan will crush any attempt at boarding he makes. Admiral Jade has assured me it outranks any other vessel. Besides, she and Jagger are waiting with the other airships at a sufficient calling distance. They can meet us within an hour.”
“It looks like you’ve planned everything out, then,” said the Magikoopa, grinning. “It’s wonderful to have you back, my King.”
Bowser said nothing, but only tightened his grip on the railing and glared down with eyes aflame into the boiling sea of clouds.
~*~*~*~
“Guildmaster Supreme will be displeased if he discovers we’re contacting Jade,” said Vermik, rubbing the coldness out of his nose. “It’s not exactly comfortable in the A/C generator room, either.”
“You’ll manage,” said Kammy spitefully. She was fingering a box of varicolored wires and adjusting two antennae attached at the top. “Besides, Kamek is too obsessed over that shrine of his to care about whomever we contact. I’ll allow that he did last longer than I reckoned against senility, but that’s it.”
“I could have told you otherwise long ago,” said the black-cloaked Magikoopa resentfully. “In any case, I’ll follow through with whatever you wish. Just don’t challenge the king’s will more than you have to. I’m not frightened of him, but it doesn’t do well to bite the hand that feeds us.”
“At least until we snap our leash,” Kammy spat, now furiously reconnecting the electrical innards of her radio transceiver. “Ah, there we are. Not bad for a technical novice.”
Vermik chuckled appreciatively, and the tiny box let out a holographic image of static. Gradually, the visual confusion built up into more complex forms and revealed the admiral’s familiar face. She was gruff, as usual, her wings beating the air impatiently.
“Guildmistress Kammy, to what do I owe this honor?” Jade asked with mock reverence. It was no secret that the two high-ranking females hated each other.
“Cut the slime,” said the hag. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but I have information concerning Bowser’s next move. Prince Iggy has Ludwig hostage and is using him to barter for control of an ancient scroll. Our dear Kamek has convinced the king that what basically amounts to a hokey treasure map will lead him to some foundational Plitian superpower. In a few words, we’ll be chasing golden geese when we should be centering in on the actual flock.”
“Assuming I can believe you,” said Jade contemptuously, “what do you expect me to do about it? If you desire for Jagger and I to commit mutiny and sail victoriously into the sunset, then you’re out of your wrinkled mind.”
“Nothing so dramatic,” replied Kammy. “Rather I hope you’ll be mindful that negotiations with Iggy could become tense. Battle-readiness is a must.”
“Now that you mention it,” said the admiral, smiling and feigning forgetfulness, “King Bowser did tell us all about that. We’re more than prepared to intervene.”
“What?” the Magikoopa screeched. “Bowser actually thought ahead? Has he gone… well, sane? We’ve barely told him of the scroll’s properties!”
“Our king has grown unexpectedly stable since the flood. He’s reborn in a sense, and that makes your childish meddling inconsequential. Return to the shadows; I have no further need of you.”
The image blanked out, and before Vermik could offer a conciliatory word, Kammy crushed the radio in her claws. A tangle of massed wires and smoke dropped from her charred palm and clattered across the metallic flooring.
“I never knew the slaughter of the Mushroomers would bring so much change to our own condition,” she said quietly, eyes glued to the destroyed mechanism. “Come, Vermik, it looks as if we must settle with Kamek. We’re running out of options.”
An explosion rocked the hold, and both Magikoopas were flung in opposite directions. Kammy barely managed to avoid impaling herself on a series of plunging pistons, while Vermik landed lightly on his feet near the entrance stairway.
“Iggy’s already arrived,” said the changeling needlessly. “And Jade was right; the old Bowser’s back, as well.”
~*~*~*~
The Koopaling was closely observing a patch of glowing moss when Oerlikon waddled up behind him. Normally the Spikester was much more adept at approaching silently, but he did not intend to surprise his master this time. It could only mean he had something important to say.
“Yes, I know,” Iggy said preemptively, his left hand preening adhesive fuzz from the specimen he was attending. “We are coming up on the Leviathan, but the communication range won’t be open for another five minutes.”
“Well, sir, therein lies the urgency of my report,” said Oerlikon, obviously nervous. “Exactly how they’ve done it, I don’t know, but Bowser is speaking to the bridge commander even now. It is a purposed demonstration of the Leviathan’s technological upgrades, no doubt.”
“Of course,” said Iggy softly, turning the overhead lamp off. Soon the moss began to blacken and wilt into what looked like dampened ash. “If he wants to show me up, then we’ll give him his chance. I’m going to my quarters to intercept the conversation personally. Ready the crew for battle, but make certain no electrical signatures are given off. We don’t want to alert the king to his own funeral.”
“Sir!” Oerlikon said and saluted.
The prince watched him go, pondering something else, and finally took the far elevator to his own cabin. After clamping on his cape and adjusting the loose buttons of his tunic, he settled into a chair across from the reception screen and activated it. Scrambling at first, then rapidly materializing, Bowser’s image appeared before him.
“Father,” said Iggy slowly, drawing out the greeting. He knew the title made the king cringe at all hours, but for some reason it was not having the usual effect. “I believe I’ve already made my own position clear. You appoint me secondary ruler over the lands of Kooparian, with direct sovereignty over my lesser siblings, and I free Ludwig.”
“You’re betting the wrong sacrifice, my son,” Bowser said undauntedly, even managing to voice the last word with mock-affection. “It is the Breaking Scroll I want, and I shall have it without bargaining.”
For a moment Iggy was struck speechless. His father’s eyes shined red, momentarily reminding him of all the portraits he’d seen depicting the former King Morton. “Very well, but I still demand the same as before, including a position on your Advisory Council.”
“And the unspoken agreement that you will be the heir to the throne,” said Bowser, snarling. “I have no time for your petty desires. You will release Ludwig immediately or suffer my wrath.”
“Really?” Iggy said, a smile slowly curving across his face. Underneath, he was petrified, but none of the saturating horror broke through. “What you must do you must do, I suppose. We’ll be waiting.”
The screen flashed quickly and then transferred to the Exultant’s commander, a red-shelled Koopa named Lars Decc. Massive and rippling with muscles, the officer gave no pretense of weakness or hesitation.
“The Leviathan has rotated into attack position,” said the commander. “I assumed you’d want us to charge up our main batteries, as well.”
“Of course, Commander,” said Iggy with unavoidable grimness. “Shift all defensive power to forward shields and begin prepping the bioweapon. I want it able to fire as soon as we absorb their first volley.”
“As I anticipated, sir,” said Decc, grinning.
~*~*~*~
“You always told me to take more chances,” said Bowser calmly, then added, “like my father.”
“Yes,” replied Kamek, studying the Exultant from the bridge’s main viewport as it approached. “It was obvious Prince Iggy did not expect your reaction to his terms. More oddly, though, I was convinced just yesterday that you intended to meet them. Your time spent on deck stirred to life something I thought long dead within you.”
“Revolutionary change can occur in the blink of an eye,” said the king simply. “You know that more than anyone, I imagine.”
“Grand as the old days, before Mario,” said Kamek meaningfully. “We’ll win this battle just as easily. Let us knock him from the sky as the fly he is. Ludwig will be more than willing to establish the old allegiances and lead his brothers and sister under your will.”
“He will see the rescue as an attempt only to recover the scroll,” said the king. “Your testing me isn’t necessary.”
“Forgive my curiosity,” said the Magikoopa, waving a claw. “In any case, it will require some persuasion, but it is not impossible.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Primary cannons online, Sire,” said the head weapons officer, a relatively short Goomba.
“Fire when ready,” said Bowser, standing up as if to meet the coming airship. “We must only disable them enough to implant a boarding team.”
“Which you’ll want to be a part of,” said Kamek, not questioning.
Bowser was already headed towards the elevator, only pausing to throw back a gesture of approval. The hundreds of crew members looked up to Kamek anxiously, uncertain what to do next.
“Don’t seem so clueless,” said the wizard scornfully, but there was a discernible gleam of the universal predator in his gait as he paced the deck. “He said fire, so do so. Now!”
The crew was a blaze of movement, and soon a luminous glow built up near the bow of the airship, expanding into a searing growth of energy. With a screech that quaked the bridge, the beam of light shot out and pounded into the distant image of the Exultant, sending out sharp gouts of yellow flame.
“Damage reports minimal,” said one of the officers, poring over a digital readout. “It could only mean full shields.”
“So they risk the aft this early in the game?” queried Kamek rhetorically. “Iggy is no naval genius, but he is certainly no fool, either. They are hiding something, preparing for an alternate means of attack. I want constant deep scan on their electrical output. Any unrecognizable or bizarre signatures should be instantly brought to my attention.”
“Continue firing in the meanwhile, sir?” asked the weapons officer, dark eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Of course,” said Kamek. “If they are reluctant to share their secret with us, then we shall burn the hide from their bones.”
“Two flight squadrons off the rear ports, sir!” squealed a Piranha Plant technician while its gangly vines operated a complicated pad of controls. “Each with five gunships and two copter bombers.”
“Standard divert and devastate procedure,” muttered the Magikoopa. He walked over to the nearest viewscreen and studied the layout of the incoming fighters. “But where exactly is the source of the inevitable destruction?”
The strategic officer Tyrule, a Terrapin fresh out of training, finally broke his long period of silence and offered a query. “You don’t think they plan to utilize the copters?”
“Undoubtedly not,” said Kamek, raising an eyebrow at the young lieutenant. “As I indicated before, Iggy has a special surprise reserved especially for us. Truly, he was shocked by Bowser’s denial of terms, but I know that Koopaling too well to forget his penchant for back-up plans.”
“Evasive maneuvers?” said one of the operational officers, clearly paralyzed with anxiety.
The Leviathan may be a kingly vessel, thought the sorcerer, but its crew is horribly inexperienced. None yet besides the few that have been transferred are prepared for anything beyond the simulators. I’ll have to make due.
“You’ve missed the Guildmaster Supreme’s point,” said Tyrule suddenly. “We do not know the nature of Prince Iggy’s trap, so our only option is to use his own bait to our advantage.”
“Well done, Lieutenant,” said the Magikoopa, giving a curt gesture of approval. “Along those lines, we must release the gunships immediately and send a small group closer to the Exultant, where more conclusive scans can be made.”
The communications sector patched into the fighter bay’s control room while the rest of the bridge buzzed with renewed excitement. Their commander’s considerable skill combined with his acceptance of one of their own ranks gave them confidence in a quick victory, however unrealistic it might have been.
Kamek watched as two lines of sleek gunships shot from either side of the Leviathan like star fire from a gun, the latter segments soon breaking off and making a wider course for the fast approaching airship. Hands clasped tightly behind him, the Magikoopa turned to face the crew again.
“I would like to make a necessary gamble. Shift all but the bare minimum of defensive power into the reception grids so we can receive whatever our fighters pick up sooner. Admitting to morbidity, I have a feeling Iggy won’t allow them to make it back in one piece.”
“You’re guessing he won’t sense the lax star energy in the shields and burst off a battery round?” Tyrule estimated correctly, if obviously.
“That and I don’t believe they can fire at us now,” said Kamek, effecting a wide grin. “I’d like to wait for the fighters’ report, but I think I know what Iggy has in store for us.”
“Scanner analyses recovered!” cried one of the crewmembers excitedly, but his exhilaration immediately chilled. “All four reconnaissance ships have been destroyed by concentrated fire from the enemy bombers.”
Kamek cared little for what he already knew, however, and was busily reading the screen over another technician’s shoulders. “The clever kid,” he murmured, chortling. “As I suspected, the Exultant’s shield origin is inverted, near the starboard and out of range of our instruments. They’re absorbing all the poundings we’ve been giving them, in lieu of mechanical generation that they probably need for those phenomenal shield levels.”
“What’s the purpose of extra raw energy if they can’t fire past their cannon capacity?” asked Tyrule, a hard copy of the readout already in his hands.
“Ah, but only I would know that,” said Kamek. “He is collecting the untainted, pure energy exclusive to the Leviathan—knowledge most likely gained from blueprints he might have discovered during his last stay at Vista Hill—and converting it into fuel for a much more potent bioweapon of sorts.”
“You knew of his development in the field?” asked the lieutenant, his mood of professionalism fully regained.
“Not particularly as a mass offensive, but I don’t doubt his skill or design.”
“What are we going to do about it, though?” asked one of the defensive officers, cradled among the worried glances of his subordinates.
“If you can pinpoint the location of this bio-thingie,” said the chief weapons officer, “then we can blast it out of existence.”
“Iggy is not so foolish,” said Kamek, thoughtful. “No, he would definitely position the device in the interior of the hull, knowing full well that we want the Breaking Scrolls more than his complete obliteration.”
“By ‘we’, you mean ‘you’, of course,” said Kammy from the elevator as it closed behind her and Vermik. “I see you’re still recklessly on a quest to possess them, just because Zarith spooked you a little.”
The gnarled witch screeched in agony and was thrown by invisible hands against a bulkhead jutting from the opposite end of the room. In the flash of another second, Vermik had his wand out and charging up for a blast, but Kamek made a brief gesture and sent it clattering to the floor.
“My relapse into panic was temporary,” said the wizard calmly, too distracted to keep up pretenses of mysticism. “Bowser is changed with the death of the Mario Brothers, and it is his desire that we recover the scroll. After that, we reinstate the Koopa Empire!”
How long can you maintain that assumption? thought Kamek, remembering his conversation with Kanaye before he’d faced Zarith. Surely Luigi perished in the storm, though. Vermik believes he did, but then again his foresight is notoriously narrow. Either way, it would be prudent not to inform Bowser.
“Perhaps,” said Kammy. “The shock inherent in the flood might have been strong enough to shake him from his… oh.”
The three Magikoopas suddenly noticed the bridge crew staring at them, mouths agape at the frank formality towards their king. Impatient, Kamek sent a mental quip to Kammy advising that they wait for more private surroundings before discussing the matter.
“Vermik, you’re morphing abilities will be required on the boarding team King Bowser is heading; meet them in the loading dock,” he said. “And Kammy, if you’re not busy elsewhere, I could certainly use your insight on deck.”
“Fine,” said the purple-robed Magikoopa, giving Vermik an affirmative nod before he rode the elevator down. “We’ll settle accounts later.”
She knows my flattery is show, of course, thought Kamek, but does she realize how much else I’m aware of? Vermik and her have obviously been scheming in preparation for my insanity, but now that I’ve become lucid again in their eyes, they’ve still not lost the air of betrayal. Yes, they must be watched very closely.
“Bio-signatures are off the charts, sir!” cried one of the radar technicians, chair pushed back in panic from his console.
“Quiet, all of you,” said the wizard, studying the now chaotic view before him. “Bring up the temperature control systems. I have a plan.”
~*~*~*~
“The fighters are evenly matched,” said Commander Lars Decc, throwing a hand over the scene laid out before them and beyond the thick glass of the viewport. “Project Everswamp is fully charged and ready for testing.”
Prince Iggy’s head spun around, eyes glaring contemptuously at the executive officer. “Did you not see the two gunships fly in near our flank? That maneuver was purposed, orchestrated for a reason. There is no doubt in my mind. Kamek is at the helm of the Leviathan.”
“Then what is your father doing?” asked the commander, immediately regretting his last word.
“Moping around, boiling in insanity, how should I know? It is of little consequence,” he said. His veriscolored hair was now splayed out chaotically in the heat of battle. “Fire the bioweapon, Commander. Waiting longer will gain us nothing.”
The Koopaling eased back into his control chair as the bridge came alive with excitement. Pulsing, crackling, the shield surrounding the Exultant finally sizzled into thin air and left them completely vulnerable. It would be mere moments before his opponents realized the change and scrambled to fire their primary cannon.
“We have initiation,” announced the commander, arm raised and then lowered as the countdown began. “Ten, nine, eight…”
At last I shall have my vengeance, thought Iggy, melting in the warmth of exaltation. For years I have been the disfavored child, the squirming bookworm, and the powerless whelp who cowers in the shadow of his crazed father and king. But no more! It ends now, and soon I shall be rid of my oppressors and in possession of the greatest power on Plit.
“Everswamp has been unleashed!” cried Commander Decc, triumphantly. “They are doomed!”
Iggy watched as a wide gout of green and brown sludge shot from two openings on the side of the ship and fired out across the blue beyond to strike at the heart of the Leviathan. Rapid generational and composed of the most corrosive vegetation in existence, the dense fluid would eat through the hull of Bowser’s flagship in seconds and consume the flesh of all inside.
“They are no match for my genius,” said the Koopaling, resting easily as the toxins did their work. “I can almost hear them screaming, their faces blanched in terror as their bones sift away like sand in the wind.”
His ecstasy was short-lived, however, as a wash of blinding conflagration erupted from the Leviathan and through the heavy coating of slime that permeated its hull. Curling in on itself and turning to black ash-matter, Iggy’s deadly concoction ran limp and dead off of the ship and down to the earth below.
“Surface temperature levels sky-rocketed at the last possible moment!” Decc said in disbelief, studying a digital readout on a nearby screen. “But how did they know to…?”
“Kamek,” Iggy said softly, calmly, stabbing a cold knife of paralysis into all who heard him. “I don’t know how he knew, but he did. I’ve been bested again, despite all my effort.”
“Two airships coming in from the east and west, sire,” said the commander suddenly, not daring to look his superior in the eyes. “It’s the Cerberus and Eviscerator. Their reinforcements have arrived.”
“The boarding teams will not be far behind, then,” said Iggy. “We shall not go down as cowards, begging for forgiveness. Everyone who is truly loyal to the glory of the Koopas, prepare yourselves and follow me to the armory. Only the weapons technicians need stay behind to unload the rest of our cannons. You see, the battle is not over yet!”
~*~*~*~
“Congratulations, Guildmaster Supreme,” said Lieutenant Tyrule, standing at attention as the crew cheered. “They’ve been broken.”
“They’re firing whatever automatic batteries they have left,” said Kamek, unimpressed. “Inform the remaining fighters to take them out, and tell the boarding party they may depart when ready.”
As one section of the bridge busied themselves with carrying out his orders, the communications officers gestured to a lowering viewscreen before him. “Sir, incoming message from the Eviscerator.”
“General Jagger,” said Kamek as the image formed. “I’m afraid you’ve missed most of the fun, but there are a few scraps to be lapped up yet. King Bowser is personally leading a boarding shuttle to apprehend the traitors, though I’m sure he’d appreciate any aid you can offer.”
“He’s already commanded that I meet him there,” said the grim-faced Terrapin. “His request was what brought us back this soon. There was his miraculous change of demeanor, as well. Some enchantment?”
“Even I do not possess the power for such a turnaround of ambition,” said Kamek, grinning. “The flood has washed new life into our king even as it has robbed so many others of their own. I, for one, whole-heartedly welcome the trade-off.”
“As do I, Guildmaster Supreme, as do I.”
When the screen went blank, Kammy spoke behind him. “It seems everything is falling into place. Do you not think it is more troubling than convenient?”
“Of course I do,” said Kamek, not even turning to face her. “There is nothing we can do about the course of the cosmos, though. We’ll leap that gorge when we arrive at it.”
~*~*~*~
Bowser received a salute from Jagger as he bounded off the ramp of his shuttle, followed by a battalion of crack commandos specially trained for close-quarters combat. Alive with electronics but devoid of any of Iggy’s own troops, the expansive hangar of the Exultant opened up around them. It was obvious the rogue Koopaling would have his soldiers packed into every sharply-angled corner of the ship, ready to send out a hail of star fire and grenades.
“We’ve let them gain the upper-hand,” said Jagger, frustrated with the resilience of their quarry. “They know we want the scroll, and judging by the desperate nature of Iggy’s latest move, he’ll destroy it before he lets us have it.”
“And abandon his own chances to acquire its power?” Bowser snorted. “I think not! He believes I will spare his life in the same moments of paternal idealism I held during my downer moments. In the meantime, he’ll be willing to exact his revenge by slaughtering as many of our men as possible. That it’s a suicide run for his troops means nothing to him.”
“He was always the quietest of the children,” said the general wearily. “So much intellect wasted in fruitless rebellion.”
“You two sit here discussing non-existent graves. We do not even have to risk our own soldiers,” said Vermik, breaking the silence he had fallen under since leaving the Leviathan. “I can imitate one of his higher-ranking guards and walk right under their noses to the security control room or wherever else the most damage could be done. I’ve memorized enough of his sortie from the old meetings.”
“I wondered why Kamek would send his third-in-command guildmember for such a trivial mission,” said Jagger. “This will be much easier than I’d reckoned, but we still must create a diversion.”
“And create needless casualties?” asked Vermik. “Ludicrous.”
“You may know much of light tricks and spells, Magikoopa,” said Jagger acidly, “but you have much to learn in the art of war. One, if you simply disguise yourself and walk into the first barricade you find, they’ll know something’s up. Two, if Iggy sees us land here and just stand around while a wizard wanders off into his ship, he’ll piece out our purpose. You see, there are surveillance mechanisms hard-wired everywhere in here. Standard design.”
“That is why he’s leading my army, Guildmaster,” said Bowser, guffawing mightily. “Oh, don’t look so glum! You’ll have your chance to slay those treacherous sons-of-Goombas.”
A certain portion of the troops grumbled and shifted nervously behind them.
“No offense,” Bowser continued, laughing even more loudly. “It feels wonderful being back in the midst of battle. I was dying, out of my element, but now I’m back and ready to flay the nearest punk who upstarts against us. What’re we waiting for?”
“Only your orders, sir,” said one of the commando leaders, star rifle hanging across his shoulder.
“All right, then,” growled Bowser, baring his claws. “Move out!”
~*~*~*~
“There is another wielder of dark energy onboard, Your Highness,” said Gremorth, stretching his robed arms out as if to feel the infinite. “It is Guildmistress Kammy’s prideful apprentice, the changeling Vermik.”
“Something has happened,” said Ludwig, sitting still with a black cloak wrapped around him. “My father would never approve a rescue plan unless…”
“He knows of the scroll, as well,” finished his Shaman advisor, standing up and pacing the length of their cramped cell. “Still, this does not fit the description of a listless madman.”
“What if the flood breathed new life into him? With Mario and Luigi possibly gone, he could be feeling invincible once more, ready to take on the world.”
“Yes, I sense rebirth,” said Gremorth, closing his eyes. They flashed open, penetrating in the utter darkness of his hooded face. “Knowing that, is the revelation one of fortune or ruin?”
“Renewed ambition is a knife that cuts both ways,” said Ludwig plainly, “but, then again, we are only speculating.”
“A Shaman is never mistaken,” Gremorth said, noticeably ruffled. “I’ve served under you long enough for you to have learned that, if nothing else.”
“Seemingly,” said Ludwig with a heavy sigh. “I’ve become disenchanted with enchantment, though. I’m beginning to distrust everything.”
“Not such a critical flaw, if used realistically. You’re being overly-dramatic and pessimistic, but perhaps it’s the last lingering stream of hormones.”
The Koopaling growled and rose, wrapping two clawed hands around their prison’s bars. “Maybe you’re right, but we can’t do anything about it in here. Assuming Bowser has changed, he might not even rescue us. My siblings were not the only ones to leave him to his misery after the Star Rod was reclaimed.”
“Have patience, Prince,” said Gremorth, leaning lightly against a dry, metallic wall. “Patience in all things.”
~*~*~*~
“The prisoners are silent,” said Oerlikon as he entered Iggy’s private bunker near the center of the ship. “Do you have the scroll?”
The Koopaling gestured to the spread out parchment on his desk and stood up, fists clamped down on his dark blue cape. “Our chances of escape are slim, but they are not completely negligible. Earlier, the sky was still full of their fighters, and so a personal escort away from the madness would have been impossible. Now, when the gunships have been cleared out, there are the elite troops of Jagger’s forces to deal with.”
The Spikester nodded in understanding. “So we have to find some way to draw them closer into the bowels of the ship. What about the rest of the crew?”
“Let them burn or beg for mercy from our all-mighty king,” Iggy snarled. “I’d like Commander Decc to accompany us after he sets the troops in motion, but the rest will hinder our secrecy. At least this way, the Exultant won’t be damaged any more than it already is.”
Oerlikon formulated the best strategic attack in his head, but before he could deliver it, Lars Decc rushed into the room, obviously having run all the way there. “Sire, they’re beginning an offensive thrust into the corridors.”
“So soon?” asked Iggy, doubtfully. “Odd, but it’s no matter. Oerlikon, I’m sure you already have some design for their distraction.”
“No question of that, sir,” said the Spikester, bowing.
~*~*~*~
General Jagger had named his elite Terrapin the Razor Shells for their merciless and blindingly swift combat maneuvers, each one having been handpicked from the entire Grand Koopa Army. After advancing through the strictest of testing standards, those left were forced to survive five months of back-breaking training under the claws of Jagger himself. It was no surprise, then, that many of Iggy’s soldiers retreated from their shored up positions as soon as they caught sight of the trademark crimson and ivory armor of the opposing troops.
Grateful for the early advantage, the general ordered his commandos to smash the mostly unguarded barricades against the first corner they turned and slaughter those brave enough to stay behind. Due to hasty planning and a lack of long-range communications, the defenders had not even had time to load their star guns. The Razor Shells carried automatic, rapid-firing star rifles, though, and took only a few seconds to cover the floor plating with mangled corpses.
“Go forward, move on!” Jagger shouted over the pressurized whine of cooling weapons. “We must not give them the opportunity to prepare!”
Regardless of their speed, the next opposition they encountered had blockaded the entire side of an interlocking hallway and shot off waves of star-shaped energy blasts as soon as they rounded another curve. One of the Terrapin hit the ground with a smoking leg but was pulled out of the line of fire before the enemy gunners could track him down again.
“My fault,” said Jagger, cursing his lack of foresight. “I should have known Iggy would have some sort of gimmick for us. He purposely left the first line weak to make us over-confident and vulnerable to massive casualties in the next stand-off.”
“And failed,” said Bowser lightly as he and his soldiers came up behind them. The Koopa King seemed to be enjoying the conflict as if it were a game. “Any other commander would’ve gotten half his men fried.”
Vermik walked up with his black hood drawn over half his face and heavily cloaked arms folded meditatively. Although Jagger would’ve never admitted it, he looked distinctly like the figure of Death in a dark nightmare.
“After we break this line, I’ll imitate one of the bodies,” he said calmly. “There should be more than enough confusion to do it without anyone noticing.”
“Yes, but how do we approach them when this is our only entrance and they know we’re coming?” asked Jagger, still not convinced his mistake hadn’t cost them dearly.
“You’ll see,” said Bowser, showing his fangs. “Just give me cover fire, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Four of the Razor Shells jumped into the open hall and began unloading everything they had. One hurled a well-placed grenade that blew out a large section of the barricade before he went down. Exploded wood and metal shards rained over the deck as Bowser came out, the solid floor trembling under his weight.
Beginning as a deafening roar from the pit of his stomach, a wide burst of flames erupted from Bowser’s muzzle as he leaned forward, violent red hair thrashing from the force of the attack. The sweltering heat disintegrated layers of dense boards and melted the flesh off of soldiers as he turned his head to either side of the room, and even the fumes from the acidic inferno chocked and burned the troops who had escaped an instant fatality.
“Charge!” Jagger yelled after the thickest of the smoke cleared. “Onward, rout them into oblivion!”
The Razor Shells did not hesitate to dive into the middle of the chaos and pick off the surviving and half-dead remnants, plunging their sharpened swords through the scorched armor of any who moved. Only a handful remained unscathed and able to put up a fight, but they too received the unbridled rage of the Terrapin as they rushed in, dodging and firing off rounds of star energy simultaneously.
Realizing his chance had come, Vermik morphed into one of the relatively unmarked officers and dashed through the opened hall towards the next group of soldiers. The rest of Jagger and Bowser’s forces stayed behind, giving the Magikoopa a few moments to lend credence to his new role as a fleeing crewmember. They, of course, would be the unstoppable army not far behind him, but by the time that became important it would already be over.
~*~*~*~
“Last call, boys,” said Vermik. “I’ve been ordered to free you.”
The Koopaling looked on in disbelief as the figure who’d come for them changed bodily into another person, yet Gremorth’s expression remained unchanged. Not only were Shamans able to see through illusionary tricks better than Magikoopas, but they also had a long history of despising them and everything they did.
“Sometimes I wonder why I switched over to the same side you cultists embrace,” said Gremorth, rising as Vermik manipulated a nearby control panel to open the electronically sealed chamber. “All the same, we thank you.”
“Don’t waste your breath, card handler,” said Vermik spitefully. “King Bowser ordered me to let you out, and he also invites Prince Ludwig here to rejoin the Koopa Kingdom. Surprising, since he’s usually not so forgiving.”
Ludwig shared a tense look with the Shaman before turning back to Vermik. “You probably already know, but my traitorous brother stole a Breaking Scroll in our possession. He might still be onboard with it. I do not think he would’ve destroyed it.”
“Exactly our thoughts on the matter,” replied the Magikoopa. “You’re to help me capture him as your first test of loyalty.”
“I’m still undecided on the allegiance part,” said Ludwig, “but I’ll do anything to thwart Iggy.”
They followed him out of the containment center without another word and entered a long hallway where vicious sounds of combat and death echoed from one side. Down the other was an ornate door that led to the officer’s quarters and the living spaces of the ship. Not bothering to ask Vermik if he knew where they were headed, the Magikoopa led them through the next few rooms until they burst into Iggy’s cabin, locked but not sturdy enough to keep them out.
“Curious,” said Vermik, scanning the empty room. “Why bolt the entrance?”
“Standard diversion,” Ludwig said and snorted derisively. “He must be in the bunker capsule.”
“The what?” asked Gremorth.
“It’s a spherical, heavily reinforced room at the center of the ship designed to still be around even if the airship is ripped to shreds. Knowing Iggy, he probably added a few modifications besides the set propulsion capabilities, such as the ability to pilot it.”
“And just how are we supposed to get there?” asked Vermik, furious at thinking his mission already completed.
“Fortunately, the designer of the ships—Bowser’s personal advisor Inire—made the entrance to the bunker in each of our vessels built into the walls of our quarters. All we have to do is move around a few things, and a secret passage should open up.”
“That Chester is frightfully prescient for a non-adept,” said Gremorth. “He anticipated a minor continuity in case a war between you Koopalings should have to be broken up.”
“Bowser wouldn’t tolerate anything but absolute genius in letting someone besides a Koopa into his elect,” said Ludwig. “His prejudice is a matter of pride rather than convenience.”
“Stop chattering,” said Vermik, hand letting go of a small statue as a section of the wall slid back to reveal an unlit staircase. “I’ve found it.”
~*~*~*~
Commander Decc threw himself on Iggy and rolled them both behind a desk when the first blast of dark energy was fired. Leaping aside, Oerlikon slung a star cannon over his shoulder and jumped back again as plaster and fire exploded from the hidden stairway. After throwing up a quick shield, Gremorth rushed ahead and caught the brunt of the shock while Vermik and Ludwig followed him out and began the counterattack.
“How’d they get through?!” cried Iggy through clenched teeth. He kicked the commander off of him and stood up, already pulling the trigger of his pistol. “Don’t just lie there! Do something!”
Fumbling with his own weapon, Decc stood up and barely missed being cratered by one of Vermik’s wand strikes. Oerlikon filled up the rest of the silence with the mighty avalanches of his cannon, rapidly forcing the intruders behind an overturned bookcase. Advancing, Iggy picked off the ceiling tiles over their heads and sent part of the metallic plates crashing onto Ludwig.
“Burn in the Inferno, my brother!” Iggy cackled, firing recklessly.
“Decc!” the Spikester shouted, resetting his stance after another recoil. “Initiate the self-destruct sequence! It’s time to leave!”
“My beautiful ship!” Iggy screamed over the horrible din. “We can still save it!”
“Not in this life,” Vermik yelled back, tauntingly. “Either you both go up in smoke or you both surrender.”
Behind what was left of their makeshift shelter, Ludwig stumbled to his feet. “They’re going to blow up the airship and escape in this capsule. Bowser and the rest of the soldiers will be floating debris.”
Admittedly, Vermik wasn’t too displeased about the idea, but he knew Kamek would never let him live another day if he caught wind of it. Resolved to necessary heroism, the Magikoopa leapt over the crumbled bookcase and barely evaded one of the rocketed projectiles from Oerlikon’s cannon. He disarmed the Spikester with a flurry of hand movements, aimed the massive barrel at the commander, and turned the upper half of the Koopa’s body into smoldering carbon.
Iggy wailed and fired off an enraged round at the Magikoopa, but all of the shots missed wide and blew out a section of the far wall. Even in its futility, the distraction was enough to allow Oerlikon to regain his footing and shoot a toxic spine into Vermik’s left leg. Gremorth retaliated by lifting the Spikester with invisible hands and smashing him against Iggy, sending them both sprawling across the floor.
“Nice work,” said Ludwig. “Now where’s the scroll?”
“Wonderful to see all this concern for my life,” Vermik snarled.
As soon as he felt the poison ravaging his capillaries, the sorcerer concentrated force through his veins and into the off-branching vessels. A spew of blood gushed out of the wound, popping the spine out like a cork and ridding his body of the deadly toxin. After he sensed it had been purged completely, he mentally clotted the laceration and looked up, ready to snap the neck of his attacker.
“Found it,” said Ludwig, pulling the Breaking Scroll out of the desk while Gremorth trained two orbs of dark energy on Iggy and his advisor. “We’ll have to take them alive, I think.”
Vermik nodded, and the Shaman lowered the strength of his blasts before slamming them against the heads of the traitors, sending them both into a world of blackness.
~*~*~*~
All crewmembers of the Exultant except for Iggy and Oerlikon were sentenced to death by firing squad within the hour, and the airship itself was salvaged and anchored to the Cerberus for repairs. In the meanwhile, Bowser met with his eldest son and the rest of his advisory staff in the situation room of the Leviathan, painstakingly drawing out terms.
In the end, Ludwig was swayed by the apparent rebirth of his father, apparent in all the faces of his soldiers and even that of the calculating Supreme Guildmaster. Still, he and Gremorth reserved a fringe of doubt in case the need ever arose.
“We must waste no time in acquiring the power of the Breaking Shrine,” said Bowser, slamming a fist and sending a quake through the table before him.
“In case of opposition,” continued Jagger, “we’ll move all ships to Dark Land for excavation, but Kanaye and the naval fleet will need reinforcements. Even with their strength, they are only just a match for the Mushroom Kingdom’s forces at Land’s End. With enough firepower, and considering our enemy’s loss of leadership, we should be able to crush them now and before they have a chance to regroup.”
“I can take the Shadow Dragon and my army reserves to back up their lines,” offered Ludwig, Gremorth standing silently behind him.
“Negative,” said Admiral Jade, displaying her accustomed formality. “The two forces will meet during the next day, and it will take too much time. There is only one Koopaling with his fleet already in the air.”
“Morton,” said Kamek, letting out a sigh. “I’d hoped to postpone the family reunion until we could all meet in person, but it seems you and the king will have to deliver five reconciliation speeches as soon as possible. Hopefully, the other children will be as forgiving as you were.”
“Iggy was the only who really distrusted me,” said Ludwig, thoughtfully tapping the table with a gleaming claw. “The rest should fall in line if we both attest to the new alliance.”
“Then it’s settled,” said Bowser eagerly, with a laugh that struck fear into the others seated around the room. “Soon, the Koopa Empire will rise from Dark Land and shed the light of our race’s glory over Plit. I’ve waited long for this, and now my father’s dream will finally be achieved.”
There it is, Kammy shared her thoughts with the other Magikoopas, hoping the Shaman hadn’t tapped into their mental connections. The questionable demise of the Mario Brothers was only part of his self-atonement.
It’s better than the old Bowser, Vermik added, eyes locked with Gremorth’s. The two deeply disliked each other. We have more important things to worry about.
Clear your mind, young fool, thought Kamek. The Breaking Shrine demands our full attention, yes, but Kammy’s observation bears more immediate relevance. Woe to those who underestimate the sins of the father.