Chapter Thirty-Three: Terror in Toad Town
Slimer49'r sighed. It was a beautiful day, the birds were chirping, and everything seemed right in the world. His weeping brother was at his side, miserable because his house had been ruined. Slimer turned to Bow with a serious look on his face. "Tell me the truth, why do you keep passing out?"
Bow sighed. "You wouldn't believe me If I told you..." Slimer just nodded. Bow sighed again. "Well... I'm supposedly supposed to be some kind of savior... to make sure the past remains the same."
Her friend looked deep in thought. "I believe you." Bow was surprised. The two turned back around.
The Toad Town bar was holding a lottery today, and the four rushed over to check it out. They walked inside and were greeted by the familiar smell of alcohol. They went over to the lining of stools and talked to the bartender. He smiled at them and handed out four tickets. The TV flashed on and the numbers were revealed. "And tonight's numbers are 10...." All four faces lit up. "27..." Once again they smiled brightly. "36..."
Slimer grinned. "C'mon..."
The announcer gave out the final number. "16!!!"
All four faces fell and a small Toad in the back of the bar shouted for joy. "WAHOOO!!!! WAIT 'TIL I TELL MA AND PA!!!!" The crazed Mushroomer ran out of the bar.
As the four exited, they saw an odd sight in front of them. There was a Koopa in a pink shirt and blue jeans, and a man with a red hat, shirt, and blue overalls. Slimer gasped.
Slimer looked towards the entrance of Toad Town as he saw Mario and some Koopa hurriedly going somewhere. "MARIO?!" Slimer bellowed.
Mario looked towards the sound of the voice. "SLIMER?!" Mario ran over to the Koopa, and the two were headlocked.
"I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU!!!" Mario raged.
"YA DID, YA JERK!!!" Slimer shouted.
"ME? YOU WERE TRYING TO ENSLAVE THE EARTH!!!"
"THAT WAS THEN, BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!"
"YEAH RIGHT!!!"
Bow looked absolutely horrified as the two looked about ready to explode with anger.
"LOSER!!!"
"DORK!!!"
"JERK!!!"
"MORON!!!"
"CRUD MUFFIN!!!"
"WHAT KINDA LAME INSULT IS THAT?!"
"YO MAMA!!!"
The two growled and Mario threw a punch at Slimer's head. Slimer ducked and tried to sweep under Mario's legs. Mario was too quick though, and he jumped into the air and came down, narrowly missing his opponent. Mario charged a rather large fireball and shot it at Slimer. He dodged it barely and cursed. "Dang, that was close. You dirty..." Slimer pulled out his PBB and aimed it at Mario, a maniacal look on his face. Several Bullet Bills poured from the Koopa's gun. Mario ran, but the projectiles followed him. He jumped and landed on two Bullet Bills, one under each foot.
He jumped off, and walloped the Koopa with his hammer. Slimer hit a tree, and several seconds later, a pair of apples fell and landed on his head. He rubbed it, then reentered the fray. Both saw that a large crowd had gathered around them and were chanting "Fight!" over and over again. Bow tried to penetrate the crowd, but could not. Slimer grinned, always one for publicity. Getting out two glowing swords, he ran at Mario. Mario blocked the double swords with his hammer, and then thrust forward, trying to land a blow. Slimer retreated into his shell and flew into the tree. He hit it, then came bouncing back. Mario jumped, but wound up landing on it. Mario struggled to balance as the Koopa, shifted off by Mario's weight, went straight into the wall. Several Mushroomers were flattened in the renegade shell's path.
Both collided and fell to the ground. As they began to fight again, two ghostly fins appeared from inside a wall, and pulled the both of their heads together, resulting in a loud clunk. They both fell backwards in pain, rubbing their sore heads. Lucy, who had been watching and almost looked as if she'd enjoyed it, came over to Mario. Bow came out of the wall, angered greatly. "We're on the same side, you boneheads," she said icily.
Mario looked surprised. "Bow? What are you doing with him?" He pointed a finger in Slimer's direction, but retreated before the Koopa could break it.
"He's my friend now. And he's no longer evil. Just a bonehead."
Mario contemplated this and turned to the Koopa. "Sorry. No hard feelings, right?" Mario asked.
"Yeah, whatever."
Mario sighed.
"So why have you come here? And I doubt it was a friendly town visit, judging on how worried you look," Bow said.
Mario was so caught up in meeting his old enemy, he had nearly forgotten all about the danger. He would have kicked himself. "I need everyone out of here, there's not much time!" he said.
Bow looked confused. "Why?"
As if in answer to all their questions, a large, metal creature stomped through the gates of Toad Town with a small, cloaked figure at its side. "HAHAHEEHOO!!!"
Fawful's enormous robot stomped into Toad Town. The townsfolk ran for their lives. Slimer, his friends, and Lucy went off to safety. Several jumped into cars and drove off. Large, red laser beams emanated from the metal hull. They hit the ground with great force and made small craters. Mario growled. He went over to where Fawful and his giant robot were standing. Fawful grinned, and pressed a button. Several missiles flew out of the back of the mechanical being. They flew into the air and started raining down from the heavens. Mario ran as fast as he could. One missile came down next to him, and exploded on the ground. Mario felt the heat and slightly recoiled. Another missile hovered over him slightly.
The missile fell to the ground and exploded. Mario was just in front of this one. He jumped and rolled, before jumping again. He saw another missile in the air. He cursed. The missile hit the ground and blew up, Mario was just within range and his back was scorched. He flew into a dumpster, and groaned getting up. Fawful hooted with laughter as he watched his clumsy foe recover. Mario ran forward at the robot full force. Fawful chuckled once more. Mario leaped into the air, ready to bring the smackdown on this thing. Before Mario's eyes, it was gone. Mario looked to his side and saw the large robot curled in a ball, rushing at him with full speed. Mario jumped over it, but was shocked by a small bolt of lightning. Mario gasped as the creature came swirling around.
Mario smacked it with his hammer, causing it to ricochet off a tree and bounce back. The robot now spun even faster towards him as Mario gasped. Mario just dived out of the way. He gasped for breath as the robot turned to face him again. It had its menacing claws outstretched with a somewhat demonic grin on its face. Fire spewed from its hands and burnt the ground in front of him. The fire spread, on trees, over grass, and chased him. Mario backflipped over the ground. The robot jumped high into the air and came down headfirst, drilling into the ground. He panicked. Where was it? An answer came from behind him. The head of the robot burst from the ground. Just as it came through, Mario shot a pillar of fire at it, sending it hurtling into a building.
Lucy, Slimer, and his friends were hiding behind a large building watching the battle. It did not look good for Mario. Lucy turned to Slimer. "We need your help! Anywhere in Toad Town, is there a warp pipe to the Waffle Kingdom?"
Slimer thought about this, then nodded. "I believe so..."
Mario jumped as a giant fist crashed into the ground next to him. The creature raised its arms into the air, and both claws shot off, targeting Mario. Mario gasped and jumped backwards. The two fists exploded about two feet away from him. He did a frontflip and landed on his feet. Two new claws were put in their place. He was distracted by an annoying voice. "I HAVE THE LAUGHTER, FINK-RAT!!!! It is useless. You will not escape."
Mario growled. "OH YEAH?! YOU WANNA BET?"
They were both distracted by noises from behind. Footsteps. Slimer and his friends came. "MARIO!" Mario turned. "Go get your girlfriend and get outta here!" Mario smiled and ran towards Lucy. "IN THE RESTAURANT! IN THE BATHROOM!" Slimer called. Then the four turned towards Fawful and glared daggers. Fawful was annoyed.
"FINK RATS!!! YOU HAVE THE ANNOYANCE!!! GET OUT OF FAWFUL'S WAY!!!" The robot charged forward. A long sword slash was seen down Fawful's chest as the robot stumbled back, Fawful angered. "I HAVE FURY!!!"
~
Mario and Lucy ran, into the restaurant and up the stairs. Sweating, Mario entered the next room, and the two of them entered a large, blue warp pipe.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Losing Ludwig... for good
Note: This chapter is about Karma having
a dream about Ludwig having a flashback. The flashback is property of Karma
Koopa.
"Karma? Karma!" Ludwig called, the only answer being the sound of his own voice reverberating back at him off of the stone walls as he trotted up and down the rows of Castle Koopa's holding cells, keeping his fingers crossed that he'd see the hybrid huddled within one of them. His hopes of finding her before Bowser hauled her off for her appointed execution began to dim and then flickered out entirely as he rounded the corner of the last row of cells and found all of them to be empty as well. She was gone. His father had already taken her. He paused, catching his breath as he let the fact that he was too late sink in. She was doomed, he was doomed, it was all over for the both of them. He exhaled with a shuddering breath, squeezing back tears of frustration and upset. Even as he did so, it dawned on him that she wasn't dead yet -- couldn't be if he was still alive. He still had a chance!
I'll never make it in time... he thought bitterly, trying to comfort himself with the idea that perhaps Karma's execution had already been carried out and that the conception of Mets being one another's link to living was incorrect. How could they know, after all, when it seemed nobody he had spoken to had ever experienced it OR had it happen to someone they were acquainted with?
Would you like to find out the answer to that the hard way? the same voice that had been tormenting him earlier spoke up again, just as cold and obnoxious as he remembered it. It occurred to him that no, indeed he did not want to find out the hard way. Whirling on his heels, Ludwig scampered back the way he'd come, diving into the mouth of a green warp pipe that sat near the entrance.
The cramped blackness of the passage grew steadily warmer as he struggled through it, crescendoing to an uncomfortable heat by the time he finally reached the opening on the other side. He had broken a sweat by the time he emerged from the pipe, finding himself in a lava-moated cavern where various devices of punishment were strewn about. Ludwig had been well aware that this room existed and had heard the cries of prisoners as they were led through this particular warp to meet their fate, but he had never actually had the drive to see it for himself.
"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU IDIOT!!!" Karma's shrill, unmistakable voice shrieked as Ludwig emerged from the warp, making him duck back down slightly, leaving himself barely enough room to see what was going on and so that his intrusion wouldn't be noticeable.
"Shut up," Bowser's voice replied casually. "Save it for when you're actually in trouble. Then you can scream all you want." The Koopa King chuckled at this as Ludwig quietly twisted himself in the pipe until he was facing the direction of the spectacle. Karma was in the process of having her wrists and ankles tied together by a pair of struggling green Troopas as Bowser idly surveyed the cavern. "So let's see..." he murmured. "What do we do with a trespassing troublemaker who doesn't know when to keep her freak mouth shut?" He turned back to her just as the Troopas were finishing with their work and backing away.
"The Bob-ombs have always been a favorite," Bowser said, grabbing the hybrid up by the back of her shell and dangling her over a large pit filled with the explosive minions. The Bob-ombs all clustered below her, glaring up through the flatness of their red eyes as their fuses popped and sparked, threatening to come alight at any moment and set off a chain of deadly explosions. Karma gasped, drawing her knees to her chest reflexively in horror. As Bowser's hand loosened on her shell slightly, she was unable to suppress a small shriek. "Not your thing, eh?" King Koopa inquired snidely, withdrawing her from the edge of the pit.
Karma barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before she was thrust up against the currently-inactive barrel of a Bullet Bill cannon. "Or maybe one of these guys through the chest," Bowser offered. Karma was aware she was trembling, her nerves utterly shot by the position she was now in as she struggled violently in her bonds. It was no use, she realized. The Troopas may have looked stupid, but apparently they knew a thing or two about knot-tying. Her struggles did nothing but make the ropes tighter as they bit into her flesh. A faint scent of gunpowder wafted under her nose from within the cannon, making her trembling intensify itself to a full-body quake.
I'm not gonna cry... I'm not gonna cry... she promised herself over and over again, hearing something stealthily shift into place inside of the barrel. It was quiet, but just loud enough that she was sure it was a sound she had been meant to hear. The Yoshikoopa choked back a sob, flinching every time she thought that the cannon might explode to life, point black against her ribcage.
KER-POW!!!
The sound filled the entire room... seemed to fill the entire world as she shrieked, feeling herself yanked backward again by her tormentor's hand a split second before the bullet inside would have pierced her flesh. Karma felt hot wind as the Bullet Bill whisked past her body, missing her by bare inches as it collided with the stone wall across the moat in a shower of steam and debris.
"So what do you think? Is that a bit more to your liking?" Bowser inquired sarcastically, holding Karma up to eye level with himself and eyeing her with smugness. He was merely playing with her now... lives were so easily snuffed and after the thrill of the execution was gone, you were left with nothing but a mess to clean up. He had learned, early on, that it was much more satisfying to make, especially the troublesome prisoners, last for a bit. In spite of her earlier bravado and loudness, he saw that this one was progressing nicely. A couple more false-starts and she'd be begging to be spared... or maybe she'd lose her mind entirely.
And to think she'd had the audacity to think, even for a minute, that he'd buy the excuse that she and Ludwig were Mets. Feh! She'd even coerced his eldest into buying into the lie so heavily that he'd dared to stand up to his own father. When he was done with her, he promised himself, he'd go seek Ludwig out in his dungeon and the two of them would discuss things. Who knew? If he was apologetic enough about the situation, Bowser might even decide to let him go with no jail sentence at all. Who said he was a bad father?
"Well?!" he devilled her, smirking a bit. "Speak up. You may be ugly, but you're anything but mute." Karma dangled from Bowser's fist a moment more in silence, regarding him with a stony expression that was set somewhere between boundless fright and outrage. Summoning the ruined tatters of her courage, she opened her mouth. She wasn't sure if she meant to speak or meant to scream, but she did neither. Cocking back her head, she spat squarely in Bowser's face. The King of the Koopas growled deeply, but his hold on her didn't waver as he brought his free paw up to angrily wipe the offensive substance away from his muzzle and eyes.
"You little wretch..." he rumbled, the toying portion of the execution brought to an abrupt end. He bared his teeth and, from his hiding place in the warp pipe, Ludwig cringed, thinking that his father might tear her to ribbons then and there. Instead, however, he stormed forward a few paces before throwing Karma to the ground where she landed in a dazed heap with a groan. "I think," Bowser said, still wiping at his face, "that your end deserves to be very messy. I'm going to let a friend of mine handle that."
"Heh... Ready when you are, King Koopa," a gruff voice said from above. Karma, startled, rolled onto her side to look above her at the large Thwomp currently clinging to the ceiling. He was roosting perhaps twenty feet above her head, but even from there he looked very heavy... and very dangerous.
"Did you do everything ya wanted to do in life?" Bowser taunted, chuckling as his good mood returned. "Hope so, because I don't do last requests." He paused, hoping she would beg him, protest some more, or do something that would give him greater satisfaction when he gave the overhanging Thwomp the command to drop. The hybrid did nothing and simply lay where she was, looking like she was still struggling hard to keep a grip on herself and not give way to panic. Bowser narrowed his eyes in disappointment and decided to up the stakes a bit.
"Position!" he barked, eliciting a faint grinding of stone from overhead as the Thwomp drew itself to its full altitude. Karma must have heard it as well, King Koopa realized with some degree of satisfaction, as her eyes went wide and her struggles began again, accompanied by faint hopeless whimpers. It was as though she knew trying to get away was pointless but she was trying anyway and, in this case, Bowser's guess was probably not far from the mark. "Ready... get seeettt... " he raised a clawed paw in the air dramatically, ready to drop it when he ordered the Thwomp to drop.
"STOP!!! STOP IT!!!" someone cried. Bowser paused, bewildered as someone burst from the entrance pipe and barrelled toward him.
"Ludwig!" Bowser snapped, angered by the intrusion. His eldest son, however, rushed past him entirely and skidded to a halt where Karma lay prone, throwing himself in a full-body tackle over her. Bowser stared for a moment, unsure of what was going on, and then growing, enraged, as it dawned on him. Ludwig was using himself as a shield. The little slug was PROTECTING her! "Get out of the way!" he ordered. "Ludwig, if you don't move right now I swear to DAD I'll put you in the dungeon for a week! A year! I'll-"
"I don't care," Ludwig snapped, hunkering lower to the ground, bracing himself in case Bowser came forward and attempted to pull him away from her.
"What're you doing?!" Karma grunted beneath his weight, trying to turn to glare at him.
"I'm doing you a favor, now shut up," he hissed against the side of her head, his eyes never leaving his father. Bowser was clearly blindsided by the blatant show of disrespect as, for a moment, he stood absolutely still, mouth slightly agape as he fumbled for something to say. "You'll kill us both! Can't you see that?!" Ludwig continued, taking the silence as his cue to get his foot in the door before taking a deep breath, trying to bring his tone down to one that sounded more rational. "I tried to explain this to you at dinner... you wouldn't listen. You-"
"MOVE!!!" Bowser roared, his voice echoing cruelly off of the cavern walls.
"NO!" Ludwig snarled. "Not until you hear me out."
"You're lucky I don't take you right along with this prisoner, Ludwig. I'm warning you..."
"Do it, then," the eldest Koopaling snapped, silencing his father once more. "Why don't you just do it? You may as well give both of us a swift end."
"You're not Mets," Bowser rumbled, narrowing his eyes and storming a few steps nearer, looking for a weakness in Ludwig's hold so that he could throw him aside.
"I don't know what we are, truthfully, but I know when something has changed..." Ludwig sighed, his expression yielding to one of pleading. "Maybe she's right, Father... Maybe there's some way to undo this and then I don't care what you do with her, but until then..." he trailed off, leaving his sentence open.
"I have no use for traitors," Bowser said, raising a paw once more to cue the Thwomp overhead. He paused, wavering, and keeping his eyes stonily on Ludwig and the hybrid. The current anger that enveloped him wanted nothing more than to bring the stone creature crashing down on them both. He had very strict rules about treason and trespassing, Ludwig was well aware of both, and yet he was directly violating orders. In the law's eyes, he should be dead. But there was something else... something that wouldn't let him give the final command.
His arm began to waver, and then sullenly withdrew from the air and dropped back at his side. Fatherhood, the King of the Koopas realized, was just as bad of a curse as Meeting. No matter how angry he got at his children, it was never enough to get him to the point of being able to bring them any real harm. Coupled with the fact that Ludwig was his eldest son and had been in training as his heir since he was shortly out of his egg, Bowser was completely unwilling to snuff the Koopaling's life. He'd not only lose a child, but years of invested work as well.
And maybe the brat was right... If there was some way to find out if there was a bond between him and that Plit-forsaken Yoshi mixup and then remove it, Bowser would be able to dispose of her with no snags. If nothing else, it would give him more than enough time to plot an agonizing way of execution fitted specifically for her by the time everything was taken care of.
For now, however...
"Get up. Both of you," Bowser ordered,
a single tongue of flame licking out from between his clenched fangs, betraying
his rage. Ludwig hesitated, puzzled, before carefully standing, pulling
Karma up with him. The hybrid drew in a deep breath of air as though she'd
been trapped beneath a boulder, stumbling a bit but remaining upright.
Bowser leered at them both for a long moment before speaking. "I'm washing
my hands of this," he said, speaking to Ludwig but looking at Karma. "Until
we figure out what we're doing, YOU are in charge of her. And when it's
all sorted out, two weeks in the dungeon..."
...Ludwig awoke with a start. It had been so long since that all happened. He looked to Karma, sleeping next to him. He breathed a sigh of releief. At first, he had only saved her life to protect his own. But now... he loved her. As his Met, they had been bonded for life. The red and orange firelight illuminated her beautiful skin. All was dark, and the clouds overhead looked ominous. He breathed heavily, and he went over to the fire, warming his claws. Karma's eyes slowly opened and she looked at Ludwig sleepily.
"I just had a bad dream, Karma... about... when we first met. When Bowser was going to kill you. I hated you, and you hated me."
Karma ran her fingers through his blue, puffy hair. "I remember that day. I tried to act like I wasn't scared... but... I couldn't deny it." She leaned forward, and kissed Ludwig's scaly lips. Ludwig embraced her, and he touched her face. The two looked into the sky and saw the full moon. They sighed. It was so beautiful. It was blue, and glowing. The moonlight shone down upon them. And they kissed again. The two held each other for as long as their souls willed too... which seemed like forever, an eternity...
Soon, the two found droplets of water that hit the sky and put out the fire. Thunder started roaring and lightning flashed. Karma whimpered, but Ludwig consoled her with a tender kiss. And they heard a noise, low at first, but then escalated higher. Footsteps. And they were coming nearer. Ludwig tensed and looked on into the dark, billowing fog. Then, three figures appeared. One was huge, and had long red, firey hair. It blew in the air. His golden yellow scales glinted in the sinister moonlight. His face was green and had a look of evil upon it. He wore a large, black-spiked neck brace on his arms, legs, and neck.
The second was much smaller. He wore a blue, worn hood on his head. He wore goggles that were impossible to see through. He had one gnarly tooth that poked from his mouth. He also had a blue robe, and a short magic wand with a red jewel on top.
The third figure was a bit shorter than the first. He had demonic, black hair and fair, white skin. He was human, young at that, and had a long, dark robe. He also had a long spear that was flowing with blue electricity at the end. The three stood there. Karma was whimpering behind Ludwig's back.
It was Ludwig's father. King Bowser. Ludwig growled as lightning flashed in the background. He bellowed. "WHAT DO YOU WANT, FATHER?!" Bowser grinned evilly.
"You know perfectly well. Karma's life."
At this Ludwig started to laugh. "Are you mad, Father? You know as well as I do, that if you kill her, I die as well."
Bowser began to laugh in the same manner that Ludwig just did. "Not anymore, Son. Kamek finally figured out a way. Now, she dies. KAMEK!" he roared.
Kamek grinned and shot a spell at Bowser. He started growing before everyone's eyes. His eyes turned animal-like. His long, red hair grew redder and even longer. It whipped fast around and around. His horns grew and twisted inwards. They grew much sharper and longer, too. His arms grew much more muscular and gigantic and developed long, sharp talons that glinted evilly. His chest grew larger and bulkier as he bellowed. His tail grew in length, too. Long, sharp spikes protruded from all over the thing. His shell turned pitch black and long, dagger-like spikes replaced his old, smaller ones. His legs also grew much longer and bulkier. His talons on his feet grew much bigger as well. To top it off, his skin became a demonic red.
Bowser charged. Ludwig tried to block him, but he was knocked out of the way easily. Karma cowered like a frightened dog. Bowser laughed and swung his mighty claws forward. Ludwig and Karma screamed simultaneously. Karma's throat was torn. Blood splattered onto the ground, and Karma fell to Plit, dead. Ludwig cried out. Bowser started laughing a cruel, cold, merciless laugh. Ludwig felt the blood on his hands and he growled. He leaped upon his father like a mad bull. He cared not if his father was killed. All he wanted was revenge. Bowser was taken by surprise. Ludwig was easily thrown off and to the ground.
Ludwig gasped. "If I can't get away
from you one way... I'll get away from you another way. Ludwig raised his
arm, and buried his claw deep inside his chest. Ludwig fell to the dirt.
He was dead...
...Karma woke up. She was drenched in cold sweat. She sighed, and remembered where she was. She was in the mansion. She looked out the window at the beautiful sun. She tried to remember the events of last night. They had taken refuge in a mansion... with Ludwig. Where was Ludwig? She looked over next to her. Ludwig was not next to her, as he usually was. She thought perhaps... he had gone to the bathroom or something. She walked over to the bathroom door. She knocked on it. Once. Twice. Three times. Karma waited. Then she walked in.
There was nobody in there. She opened the curtains, hoping he was in there, he would be embarrassed and she would laugh and say "chill out poofball", or something like that. She sighed. No smiling face was here. She searched, down the old hallways, in every room, in every door and entranceway. But Ludwig was not to be found. This continued. Karma was depressed. She sat on her bed crying. Where was Ludwig? There was one place she had not yet checked. The basement. She had already checked the outside of the house. She decided to go outside again.
The sun was setting, and she realized she'd been searching all day. There was no sign of her boyfriend. She sat upon the dirt and sighed. She fell to the ground and wept again. There she stayed for the remainder of the day. The sun was gone, and the moon was out. She went back inside finally and got something to drink. Then she went to her room. She still had not checked the basement but was a bit scared.
She sighed and went to the basement. The cold rafters brought a damp smell to her nose as she sighed. Then she heard a cold, icy voice behind her. "Looking for something?" it asked.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Flame Temple
BOW
I stood outside in the hot desert. The winds were blowing viciously. Sand swirled around in great arcs. Before me was a giant pyramid. My mentor was by my side. This was the second pyramid I had to enter. Once I had the Water Gem and the Flame Gem, I would be able to fight Queen Alexandria. I fingered the Water Gem in my hand and turned. Clara smiled at me. "This one will not be as easy as last time. You will need great mental power and physical as well to best this temple." I swallowed. This would be a challenge. But then, life was.
I walked up, into the archway that led inside. A musty smell confronted me and I cringed. The way was dimly lit with torches along the wall. I saw two small statues in the center of the room. They were two golden Podoboos. I walked forward, but was stopped when a sound came to my attention. A rush of air, and then heat behind me. I whirled around, and saw the statues were gone. In there place were two real Podoboos. The statues had come to life. Surprisingly though, much like the statues, they both had golden flames, and red eyes. One laughed mockingly. "Well, hello there, little girl. Our names are..." I waited patiently as the two gathered dramatic pause.
"Burn."
"And Scorch!" Burn and Scorch said.
I looked confused. "So... what does that have to do with me?"
The two grinned widely. "In order to pass through, you must solve our riddle!" Burn said. I sighed.
"OH, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE RIDDLES!" Scorch said.
"They are quite fun indeed, Brother," Burn retorted.
"What is the riddle?" I asked.
One paused and then started. "Listen, my dear... and you will hear my tale. Fire that comes and goes and flanks itself while showing off and such. It struts and dances like several birds in a mad frenzy of feathers and wings. Now... what of wings and feathers that allows you above?
"Next... the voice of an angel as beautiful as a rose... her lips like velvet. She watches over you, protecting you. The sky is her home... When the seasons change and the leaves fall from the trees, where do they fall from? Finally, think of a formal greeting, and a place near the ground. Put it all together, what do you get?" he asked.
I stood there thinking intently. "Give me the first line again."
The Podoboo patiently recited again, "A flame that comes, and struts and frets like several birds in a frenzy."
I scratched my head, thinking. "Second line, please."
"The voice of a beautiful angel who lives in the skies."
"Next."
"The seasonal changes and the leaves..."
"Last line."
"A formal greeting and something near the ground. Put them together."
I thought about this for a while. I scratched my chin and finally came up with an answer. "A halo."
The Podaboo looked surprised and clapped his nonexistent hands. "Good job. You may proceed."
There was a golden flash, and the two Podoboos were merely statues again. The large doors opened, and I knew It would only get harder from there on out. As if on cue, I took a gander at the next room. There was a large pit of fire bellow, and only several jars next to it. I wondered if my years of playing Zelda would help me. I rushed to a pot and threw it. Just as I thought, the pot broke, and a small platform was formed in the fire. I cheered and grabbed another pot, one in each fin. I jumped down to the platform and threw another pot.
Another platform was created and I jumped to it. I threw the last pot, before jumping to it and climbing the large ladder. I got to the top, and went into the next room. Several Phantom Embers floated around the large room, and eyed me ferociously. They swirled and spun, creating a huge Phantom Ember. It dove at the floor next to me, and I jumped out of the way. The thing turned around and shot a ball of green fire at me. I frontflipped and unsheathed my sword. I stabbed the thing, and it was pushed backward. It seemed to growl before continuing the pursuit.
It slammed the ground before bouncing to the ceiling and then back, in an attempt to squash me. I jumped into the air as the creature bounced. I threw my fans at it and it got pushed back into the wall. The brick crumbled, and dust fell to the ground. The Ember righted itself and chased after me. A long line of fireballs came from its mouth and they flew at me. I dodged, and the floor was set ablaze with fire. Another stream of fireballs flew at me, and I went intangible, the fireballs harmlessly passing through my body and landing on the floor.
I gasped as a circle of fireballs came from the fireball. They swirled around it violently, and the creature neared me. The fireballs swung in my direction, and I blocked the blows with my sword, and sparks flew from it. I leaped backward, and the ring of fireballs was heaved at me. I gasped, panting for breath. Long arms and legs extended from the Phantom. One arm lifted into the air and pounded down next to me, creating a shockwave, which passed beneath me due to my floating over the ground. The second arm readied to slash at me. I roared, and shot forward like a bullet.
I stabbed the creature, then fell to the ground. It roared in pain and a long tail protruded and whacked me across the room. I stood up, and threw my fans again. The creature this time dodged, but was hit when they came back. It roared again, spikes popping from his back. They shot off into the air, arking and curving and heading for me. I dodged them, but I felt heat at my back, and I yelped as a scorch mark was left. I spun and jumped into the air. I brought the sword crashing down upon its head as it fell to the ground in agony. It jumped into the air, and started ascending towards me.
I got out of the way just in time. It fell with a bang, striking the floor. It turned towards me, and opened its fiery mouth. A long blast of fire shot at me. I held my sword out, and the fire deflected and hit the wall. I smiled and leaped again, aiming my sword at its head. This time, the tail swept me away and I crashed into the wall. The tail held me there as the creature stomped forward. Its maw was inches away from my face, and I was sweating due to the immense heat. It rose its claw into the air. I raised my sword and stabbed it into the hide of the fire beast. It growled and let go of me. I fell to the ground and rushed at the creature, determination in my eyes.
I slashed at the creature's leg and it fell to the ground. It tried to roll on top of me, but I avoided the assail. Fiery wings blew winds of fire at me, and I deflected the blasts with my sword. They hit several places on the wall and floor. The tail lashed at me again, but I simply slashed it away. Keeping my eyes focused on the beast, I jumped into the air, and slashed at its chest. Then, I stabbed it in the forehead. The eyes of the creature dilated slowly, then it exploded in a shower of flames. I sighed as I walked through the door to the next room.
Inside a large tomb was visible. The mark of fire was upon it. I sighed and pulled out my sword. A small tornado of fire appeared from the ground and a creature appeared on the spot. It was a creature composed of pure fire, just like the liquid creature before. Two flaming swords appeared in its hands, and it swung them both ferociously. I blocked the blows with my sword and counter attacked. The thing dodged to the right, and a cascade of fire billowed at me. I rolled and fired off both fans. The creature dodged again, and slammed its hands into the ground.
A pillar of fire burst from underneath me, and I growled. I fell, and then rushed it. Making swift slices with my sword, I tried to sever the creature's top from its bottom. But no such luck. A mallet of flame was brought down on my head. I fell to the ground, where I observed it taking a defensive stance. Fireballs were hurled at me, out of the strange creature. I deflected several blasts with my sword. I leaped, and cut downward. The beast rolled on its back and slashed at me. I threw the sword at its face, causing a direct hit. The creature exploded and a fire gem was seen. I took it, and it got absorbed by the golden fang. Then I went to leave.