Chapter 26: The Poltergeist Polka
A yellow-cloaked Magikoopa lifted his hands to the sky and muttered an incantation. A circle of green and golden light formed in each of his claws. He drew back his arms and fired both of the spheres forward. The purple-skinned Siren dodged the attack by hiding within her shadow. The attack burst on the ring’s floor in a shower of geometric shapes. The nasty wizard stepped forward to look for the remains of his combatant.
“Where’d she go?” the Magikoopa asked.
Behind the reptile, Vivian emerged from the floor and tossed a magenta fireball from her finger. The flame erupted when it hit its target. The Magikoopa screamed and started running around as his rear end burned with the spell. Vivian then withdrew to the floor once more and waited for just the right moment. When the panicked Magikoopa stepped onto her shadow, she pounced up with a strong uppercut and sent the sorcerer into the air. He landed on his barbecued keyster outside the ring.
“Congratulations Vivian, you’ve passed your first qualifying round,” the referee, a portly Pianta, said. “Your next match will be this evening at midnight.”
Vivian blinked. “Woah… The matches go that late?”
“Yes, we don’t stop at all until the qualifying rounds are finished. Otherwise it’d take forever to get to the real tournament,” the green creature explained.
“All right,” Vivian said. She left the ring and found her spectator. “So, how was I?”
“You did great,” Mallow praised. “That guy had nothing on you.”
Vivian smiled. “Thanks. So, when’s your next match?”
“Not until tomorrow,” Mallow said.
“Lucky, I have another tonight at midnight,” Vivian replied after the two began walking.
“They must like you,” Mallow said. “I know I do.” Vivian stumbled to the ground. “Are you okay?” Mallow worried.
Vivian blushed as she dusted herself clean. “Er… yeah. What… what did you say?”
“I said I liked you, you know, how you fight and stuff. It’s very creative,” Mallow explained.
Vivian smiled. “Oh yes. Thank you…”
“Should we go and find where Luigi and Jinx are eating?” the prince proposed.
“Um… we could…” Vivian squinted, her finger to her lip.
Mallow looked at her. “Uh… Would you want to do something else?”
Vivian paused for a moment, thinking. “Um… I guess I wouldn’t mind just, walking and watching the fights. I’m really not that hungry, is all.” Vivian looked at the fluffy cloud. “Er, but if you’re hungry I’d be happy to go someplace.”
Mallow shrugged. “Nah, I’m okay. Let’s go see if we can find some interesting fights.”
Mallow began walking forward. The Shadow Siren stood still for a moment before rushing to catch up.
~*~*~*~
“Oh YUM!” Luigi cried with glee.
“I told you this place was heavenly,” Jinx smirked.
The plumber continued to cram his pasta orimavera into his mouth. The sauce smothered around his lips and into his furry mustache. The waitress, an orange-haired Nimbian, walked up with a grin on her face.
“Anything more I can get you, sirs?” she asked.
Luigi blinked, noodles hanging out of his mouth. He tried to speak but all that came out was linguini. Jinx chuckled. “I’ll have a cup of green tea, please.”
“I’ll be right back with that, sir,” the waitress replied.
“I’ve seen Mario act with more manners than that, Luigi,” Jinx said.
Luigi swallowed and let out a sigh of pleasure and wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. “That was-a SO delicious…”
“Poppie Pianta owns this place. It’s world-known for its fresh cuisine and star cook, Gale Cunninghoul, a Boo,” Jinx spoke. “As I understand it, she’s always wanted to cook against Tayce T… but the older chef seems to be too frightened.”
“Oh?” Luigi asked.
“It’s so strange how diverse the nations of our world can be. Boos here in the Tropacine region aren’t exactly commonplace, but aren’t terrifying creatures of the night either, as they are in the Mushroom Kingdom, save my hometown,” Jinx summarized.
“I guess that’s true…” Luigi thought a moment. “Although there are some Boos that still are wild creatures of the night…”
The Noki returned and handed Jinx his tea. “Here you are, sir.”
“Thank you, dear,” Jinx replied. He sipped his tea ceremoniously. “I suppose you would know that better than most, eh Luigi?”
The green Italian recalled the events of King Boo’s kidnapping of Mario, and how he first met Professor Elvin Gadd. “Yeah… So where do you think Mallow and Vivian are? Her match would have been over by now.”
Jinx sipped some more of his tea. “It is my guess that they’d rather be without us than with.”
Luigi blinked and scratched the side of his face. “What do you mean?”
Jinx smirked behind his cup of tea. “Oh, nothing.”
~*~*~*~
The hazy clouds shifted passed the pale-yellow gibbous moon that hovered hauntingly above the condemned-looking Boo’s Mansion. Various gusts of wind, or what seemed like wind, ebbed forth from the building’s openings and windows. On the rear side of the mansion, a group of trespassers studied the structure from behind some trees.
“That thing’s pretty darn spooky-looking,” Croco said. “I bet dere’s lots of ghosts to get by.”
One of Croco’s flunkies, a tiny Crook, spoke with a scratchy voice. “I wouldn’t wager against you.”
Blue Boo was floating apart from the group, looking down at his feet. Well, he would be if he had feet.
“Casper. Get your blue butt over here,” Croco demanded.
Blue snapped out of his thoughts and hovered to the alligator. “Yes?”
“It’s time for you to go in dere and mingle wit yer own kind. I need you to find where exactly dis Soul Stone is,” Croco briefed.
Blue cleared his throat. “Okay… How do I tell you where it is when I’m inside?”
Croco removed Blue’s top hat and shoved a large antenna with a suction cup onto it. “Dis device will let us hear what you hear. Just don’t let ‘em see it,” Croco warned, putting the hat back on, perfectly hiding the antenna. “Now, after we know where it is, we need you to distract all the ghosts. Get ‘em all in one room or somethin’.”
“All right…” Blue nodded. “Should I go now?”
Croco snorted. “We don’t have much time to waste, so yes.”
Blue blinked and acted as if he was going to say something. The spirit decided against it and turned towards the mansion. He flew around the side, heading for the main entrance. The purple alligator waved his hand to signal his three Crooks to start uploading the frequency.
The doors creaked eerily, even for Blue. He walked into the opened mansion and looked around. The sight was familiar: old, broken furniture, dusty portraits, and a glowing chandelier. Semi-transparent Boos flew above him in and out of doorways and walls. None of them seemed to notice the colored visitor.
“Hello?”
None of the ghosts reacted.
“Um… Hi?”
The ghosts went transparent and finally vanished. Blue frowned. He decided to go forth uninvited. He hovered up the derelict staircase and to the second floor. He then entered one of the rooms, without opening its door. He came inside and saw an empty closet and an antique record player in the middle of the room. Blue was about to leave the room when he saw two Boos fly out of the floor and into the ceiling. The periwinkle spirit scratched his chin and flew up into the roof of the room. He crawled up into the next floor, a large room where he found a bunch of ghosts gathered. He tried his best to blend in (which isn’t easy when you’re bright blue) and see what was going on.
The lovely green ghost named Bow appeared (literally) before the others. She glowered at everyone and all the white spirits bounced away from a huddle and formed a large circle around the female. Blue noticed he was now out in the open, and quickly retreated to the back of the ring.
“Boos and Ghouls… I brought you here to tell you something of dire importance to us and all of Ghost kind,” Bow spoke.
The green ghost sapped Blue’s attention. He’d never seen such a fetching female. Maybe it was the fact that she bore such an unusual color, just as he did… but there was something about her that couldn’t make him look away.
“A friend of mine named Gustofsky flew in to meet me with a message and a particularly rare and precious treasure. He told of a great peril befalling all ghosts, everywhere.” Bow turned around to look at all the Boos within the room. “Someone is seeking out the Boo’s Charm for dark purposes.”
Most of the Boos gasped or moved back a bit.
“We don’t know who or why this person wants our relic, but it exorcised half of the Ghost Houses in Dinosaur Land looking for it.”
More shudders of horror filled the room. Blue wondered what seemed so funny about everything right now. There was some detail he was overlooking.
“Fortunately, Gustofsky of the Yoshi’s Island house escaped with the Boo’s Charm and came here to tell me what had happened.” Bow lowered her face to look at the floor. “The Charm is safe in our possession… but a curse on Gustofsky brought him to his demise.”
Blue heard something in his head crackle to life. “Cobalt, hurry and find out where the stone is.” The antenna shook and moved the hat on his head.
A ghost next to Blue looked at him funny when his hat wiggled. Blue smiled nervously. “It’s…a new hat.”
Fortunately for Blue Boo, another white Boo had asked his question for him. “Where exactly is the Boo’s Charm, Lady Bow?”
Bow looked up. A large cage fell from the ceiling and pounded against the old floor. Inside the barred cell, floated the mystically haunting Soul Stone. It was a silvery gray sphere with a dark purple fog encircling the gem.
“I’m keeping it right here with me, so I’ll know it’s safe,” Bow explained. “Although the source of these attacks happened an ocean away, I know this place isn’t exactly well hidden among the world’s spirit scholars, at least not after we encountered Mario and Tubba Blubba. That is why I’m arranging an escort to the Seaside crypt. I’m going to store it with the tomb of the Grand Reaper. No one will find the Boo’s Charm once it’s there.”
Blue’s hat began to wiggle again. “You need to get her and the rest of dose spooks outta dere. Hurry it up!”
The ghost had to think quickly, everyone was leaving. “Um…” Soon, all that was left was he and Lady Bow. The green ghost watched as the caged stone retracted back toward the ceiling. Blue hovered over to her. “I’m… sorry to hear about your friend.”
The green female looked at him for a moment. “I don’t remember a blue ghost… Who are you?”
“I’m Blue Boo. I just got here,” he explained.
“Blue Boo? Very original,” Lady Bow remarked. “Where did you come from?”
“I uh… lived in Gusty Gulch for a while, then I decided I wanted to meet you,” Blue lied.
Bow flashed a smile. “Oh-ho, everyone wants to meet me… I’m almost… flattered.” The ghost began to fan herself.
Blue had to keep going. “Um… In fact, I… uh, I was wondering if you’d like to… dance with me?”
Bow laughed proudly at this. “Oh! What a sorry soul!” she exclaimed. “You know what, you’re so pathetic, I’ll throw you a bone.”
“Really?” Blue said, thinking in the back of his mind. “There’s a record player just downstairs, we could…”
“Bring it up here and I’ll grant your request,” Bow said.
Blue’s eyes darted around the room. “Um, it would be a lot easier if we just went down there…”
“No,” Bow spat. “I will not leave this room while the Soul Stone’s to be protected.”
“Er… okay.” Blue sank into the floor and started to think. “Man… How will I do this now?” The spirit’s eyes fell upon the record player, and what lay next to it. A sinister grin molded on his face. “This ought to do the trick…”
Blue returned to the third floor, lugging the record player in with him. Bow looked at him expectantly.
“I certainly hope you didn’t bring that same old record those Boos are always playing…” Bow complained.
“Nope,” Blue smiled. “I brought what I like to call, the Poltergeist Polka.”
Bow looked up curiously. “Huh?”
The record player started spraying out the delightfully silly music, notes frolicking in the air. A ring of white Boos appeared to enwrap the two dancers. Bow rolled her eyes and put out her hand, which Blue courageously took. The two quickly began to spin within the circle. The other Boos clapped to the beat. Faster and faster Blue and Bow spun like a blue and green yin-yang. As they spun, they started to lose control and bounce against the ghosts surrounding them. With a pained squeal, the Boos flew in the opposite direction and vanished one by one. Blue and Bow spun more and eventually all the surrounding ghosts were gone so they had nothing to hold them back. They shot right out of the third floor room and into the night sky outside the mansion.
“Dere he is,” Croco said. “Let’s get in dere and do dis quickly.”
The lavender lizard leapt from his hiding place and dashed towards the door, his minions scurrying behind.
After a few moments (and some distance between them and the mansion), Blue and Bow stopped spinning, one hand holding the other’s with their free hands pointing outward stylishly. They joined hands again and began to rock back and forth to the music that followed them. The two then separated and spun alone. The green ghost flashed a mischievous grin as she grabbed one of the floating music notes and hurled it at Blue. A cymbal crash was heard as the note burst into tiny notes. Blue shook himself to his senses and smiled. He grabbed a note himself and tossed it at Bow.
Croco scratched his chin. “How are we gonna get dere?”
“Hey Boss, check this out!” one of the flunkies exclaimed, jumping up and down on the old couch. “It’s really springy!”
Just then, the Crook landed on a discolored cushion and SPROING! The cushion shot upward with a huge spring attached to the bottom of it. The Crook cried out as he flew through the air. Desperately, he clenched onto the bottom of the chandelier and his weight pulled the hanging ornament downward.
“Agh! Boss! Help me down!” the Crook whined.
“No, you stay right dere. I’ve got an idea…” Croco schemed.
Lady Bow flipped upward, dodging the oncoming B Flat and grabbing several sharpened A’s in her grasp. She spun around and shot them forward at Blue. The ghostly grifter evaded them and fired a large treble clef at his foe.
Hovering out of the Forever Forest, the old soul that was Bootler appeared quite annoyed. “Dear me, where is that awful racket coming from? I leave for one hour to get some shopping done and…” A lone double note smashed into the ground next to him. “My ghoulness!” He stared up into the sky, seeing his lady dancing and playing with a blue ghost he’d never seen before. “Lady Bow! What kind of recklessness is this?”
Croco and his two other minions jumped on the mismatched cushion and sprung upward and on top of the lowered chandelier. There, they started climbing up the long chain.
“What about me, Boss?” the hanging Crook whined.
Croco didn’t answer; he was already climbing the chain. The nervous Crook began to sweat as his arms’ strength gave way. With a loud cry, he released and fell to the floor. SPLAT!
“Lady Bow! Lady Bow!” Bootler shouted amongst the rather noisy polka melody. “Lady B-OW!” An F natural smashed into the ghost’s forehead and made him delirious. Tiny music notes danced above his head.
Cymbal crashes were heard all over the place as musical notes exploded in the fierce scuffle between green and blue.
“You won’t win this fight!” Bow taunted.
Blue flung another triple note at her. “We’ll see about that, Bow!”
Bow smiled, liking the sound of her name out of his mouth. She vanished to avoid the dreaded triple note and launched her secret C Sharp towards her enemy.
Croco and his two flunkies had entered the third floor room where the record player was still playing, firing out magical notes that soared to catch up with the two dancers.
“Ugh, you think he could’ve picked a better song than this…” one Crook sneered.
“We don’t have time for that. Where’s the stone?” Croco asked.
“I see it! There it is!” the second Crook yelled.
The alligator growled, finding the Soul Stone caged far above them. “We gotta get it down from dere…” Croco eyed one of his minions. “I think I’ve got just the thing.”
Blue grasped an F and Bow held a G. Like sword fighters, the two came together and swung their notes at each other, ending in the sound of the notes playing. They joined their free hands together and engaged in a complicated waltz of swordplay and polka music as the free floating notes began to swarm around them and fire themselves at the joined pair. The loud cymbal crashes awakened Bootler from his stupor.
“Oh… Where am I?” Bootler looked up and saw his mistress at play once again. He groaned. “That is very unlady-like, Ms. Bow.”
Blue slashed his F note forward and sent Bow spinning backward. “Take that!”
Bow frowned and rolled forward into the air. Blue sliced but she leapt out of her roll and met his F with her G. “I’ve only just begun to fight.”
The pair rolled out of the way of more firing notes, that invariably smashed into the approaching Bootler.
SLAM! The Crook smashed against the bottom of the suspended cage and fell down to the ground. Croco hurled his other crony upward and smashed him into the cage. He rapidly did this with the two henchmen until his arm grew tired.
“Grast it all!” Croco cursed.
One of the cronies stood precariously and suggested, “What if you threw us on TOP of the cage, Boss?”
Croco jumped. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” He grabbed the suggesting troop and launched him into the air. “Bombs away!”
The Crook aimed his best and grabbed onto the rim of the cage’s topside.
“Yeah! Now climb up dere!” Croco commanded.
The Crook winced trying to pull himself up. He was very weak from the pummeling he had received being tossed up at the bottom. He felt his fingers turn to putty and he couldn’t hold any longer. He screamed as he fell but felt the recoil stop him suddenly. His hands had now grabbed onto the inside of the cage’s bottom.
“It's… giving way!” the Crook shouted.
The bottom side snapped from the pressure and swung to one side, ripping off from the rest of the suspended cage. The Crook and the bottom panel flew to the side of the room and the Crook was smashed in the event.
“I got it! I got it!” the single remaining Crook exclaimed. The Soul Stone plummeted down into the grubby critter’s hand. “Ha ha! I got it, Boss!”
The loud sound of a chain rattling filled the room as the suspended cage crashed to the ground on top of the Crook. He was now captured inside the cage.
Croco rushed over. “Hand me the stone!”
“Okay.” The Crook grabbed the stone and pushed it through the bars. “Now get me out of here… Boss?”
The purple alligator had left the room.
“… Boss?”
The energetic F and G notes clashed once more in a symphony of swordplay as the colored spirits fought with one another.
“Why are you smiling?” Bow asked.
“Because I know something you don’t know,” Blue replied. “I am not left-handed!” Blue tossed his note into the air and grabbed it with his true dominant hand. (Or fin thing… whatever Boos have.) He started to gain ground on the now less skilled female. “Prepare to lose, Bow!”
“I know something you don’t know, as well,” the lady stated. “I keep an extra note for the crescendo finish!” Bow whipped out a sparkling bass clef and hurled it towards her foe.
It exploded and left Blue helpless as the surrounding notes fired at him and built up an amazing crescendo of sound as the final measures of the song were played. In one final gong of sound, the song died out and Blue’s hat was knocked square off his head.
“Lady Bow! Lady ~!” Bootler called.
Bow looked down. “Oh great, I’m in trouble…”
“Lady Bow! I must say that was a terrible display of your noble status!” Bootler denounced.
“Oh come on, Boots, I was just having fun with this guy here… Blue?” Bow asked, staring a little awkwardly.
Blue blinked. “What?”
“Er… What’s that thing sticking out of your head?” Bow questioned.
Blue grasped the top of his head. “Oh no! My hat’s gone!”
The voice of Croco crackled to life and the antenna starting wiggling. “All right, Cobalt, we’re clear to go! I got the Soul Stone, now let’s go and give it to Blackjack.”
Blue almost turned completely pale. “Um…”
Bow gasped. “You… what… but… YOU!”
“Gotta go!” Blue said before turning transparent and dashing away into the forest.
Bow flashed red and steamed from the ears. “NO! THAT JERK! HE TRICKED ME!”
Bootler tried to calm his lady down. “Now, now, my lady, let’s calm down and be rational…”
“RATIONAL? THE ENTIRE SPECIES IS AT STAKE!” Bow screamed. “IF THAT GETS INTO THE WRONG HANDS WE’RE DOOMED!” The green girl hovered outward, looking over the forest. “I’LL FIND YOU, YOU BLUE BRAT!”
Chapter 27: The Storm
“And they plan to leave the island how?”
Wendy O. Koopa looked to the dusty ground. “They are not sure.”
Serena T clasped her hands before her chest. She thought carefully on the matter. “I will go and find Madam Sorcia. You stay here with the others and perform in the ritual.”
“Yes, Mistress Serena,” Wendy obliged.
The fair Mushroomer glided into the temple archway and disappeared from Vermik’s sight. The fire was growing taller now, and he wouldn’t have much time left before he’d have to escape. His eyes followed Bowser’s daughter as she joined the other women, along with the converted admiral. What was it about this place that was so disturbing?
Something dark flew into the wizard’s peripheral vision. He turned and discovered Arajiin, the sinister raptor soaring in the orange skyline. It would be night again soon, and the bird would call its partner to find him and the other resistors. Vermik felt a flame lick the sole of his boot. Kammy had to hurry with whatever she was doing.
~*~*~*~
The elder witch garbed in the dress of the Ovarians stepped along the rim of the cleansing pool. She stared into the water. The way the torches’ fire reflected off it… it was wrong. Kammy sensed somewhere deep inside her that the pool wasn’t composed of real water.
She came to the end of the large hall and found the doorway already opened. Mists poured through and clogged Kammy’s lungs as she entered the chamber. She heard a putrid sucking sound.
“What in the world?” the Magikoopa asked.
The mists cleared and revealed a horrific sight. Green vines like a Blooper’s arm coated the moist walls of the shrine; they disgustingly twisted around the hanging bodies of General Jagger and the Amazee Dayzee girl and entered their bodies through their mouths. Kammy felt bile rise in her chest as a glowing marsh of substance found its way from the captives’ interiors and through the vein-like weeds towards the center of the mass, where a humongous flower bulb with fiery petals stood immensely. The bulb searched about the room like a predator as tiny vines slithered across the walls and floor towards the new intruder. Kammy turned her head to each side, the noise of the oncoming attack bouncing in her ears. The glowing petals then separated with a juicy split as a jaw of razor sharp teeth emerged through the blooming flower. The head of the massive bioform tore itself from the wall and lowered down before the Magikoopa. Its hideous mouth opened and the venomous saliva oozed from its throat. The monster opened wide and let out an eagle’s screech.
Columns of thorny vines shot at Kammy, but the witch quickly dodged the first onslaught. The hatless mage flipped backward and ricocheted off the wall behind her. With claws unleashed, she zoomed toward the center of the beast with great agility. Like a ninja’s blade, her primal weapons tore through the pulsating creature’s many throats. Black sludge spilled onto the floor and coated the stone tiles like tar. Kammy was quick to avoid the molten substance and leapt high into the corner of the room, making her perch on one of the monster’s support vines. She squinted through her glasses and watched the black goo bubble. Her mind told her there was something alive in there.
SLAM! Kammy was hurled into the air as the massive support vines ripped from the wall’s surface. A slew of a thousand tinier tentacles struck the airborne witch and gripped her painfully. The Magikoopa felt the vampire snakes coiling up her neck and forcefully opening her jaws. Oh no you don’t.
A pink aura conceived around Kammy and with all her force she emitted a shockwave that burned the snaring vines. The gray-haired elder fell to the ground and fired a pair of magical daggers from her wrist. The energy blades sliced the vines holding up Jagger and Petal; the two fell to the floor, still unconscious.
The Magikoopa rushed over to see Jagger’s condition. “Blast. This thing’s drained him of his energy.”
Kammy’s head shot up as a choir of demons sounded. Her attention was grasped on the black goop; it had assembled itself on the broken part of the flower’s neck and morphed into a spiny new set of vines.
“It can heal itself. Perfect.”
~*~*~*~
Bowser marched through the corridors of the temple with his reluctant sons in tow. He came to the lobby room that exited to the mountain’s plateau to find Madam Sorcia awaiting him. Sorcia was now wearing a collared purple dress with sleeves extending down to her wrists and a bottom dragging along the floor.
“I cannot allow you to go any further,” Sorcia threatened.
Bowser growled, smoke coming from his nostrils. “You will stand aside or be victim of complete annihilation.”
Sorcia’s dark red eyes began to glow with white light. “Insolent male, you live to destroy and bring death upon Ovaria’s daughter! You will obey or be forced execution.”
“Hey, nobody talks to my dad that way!” Bowser Junior snarled.
“Yeah!” Iggy agreed.
“Who do you think you are, lady?” Roy bellowed.
Sorcia glared. “Hormone-driven wretches!” The black-haired beauty fired her hand in the direction of the Koopalings and watched as a wall of wind knocked them off their feet. “Pathetic.”
A fire grew inside Bowser’s throat. “Big mistake.”
The white-eyed human smiled as her long hair slowly spread out from an excess of static electricity.
~*~*~*~
Vermik kicked off his melting boots and watched them fall into the fire pit below, which, unfortunately, wasn’t far off for him. The black-cloaked sorcerer curled his toes and bent his knees with all his might to avoid the climbing fire. His distraction wouldn’t last too much longer… he’d half to shapeshift very soon.
And then, fortunate smiled upon the degenerate.
Thunder rumbled. The rain quickly gathered and became a mongoose to the fire’s serpent. Vermik let his legs slide down and he relaxed as the storm’s tears began to eat away at the fire. He smirked, hearing the women shriek.
“The sky is crying!” one shouted.
“It’s Ovaria! Our mother is saddened!” another cried.
Vermik’s grin faded. There’s something peculiar about that reaction…
~*~*~*~
As the beast was recomposing, the sorceress lugged both Jagger and Petal to safety in the other room. With full force, Kammy charged back in, fireballs in both hands. She cried out and heaved her double inferno at the plant monster. In a flash of flame, the demonic weed burst ablaze. Its blossoming jaws murmured in pain as the vines shriveled up and were reduced to ash on the floor. Finally, the monster’s foundation gave way and its bulb fell just before Kammy on the stone ground. It moaned horrifically before the fire smothered it to nothingness.
The clever Koopa smirked, patting both hands together. But to Kammy’s dismay, a sliver of blackness squirmed out of the dusty mesh and started coating the ashes. Her jaw wide, Kammy stood before the completely reconstructed and reinvented floral guardian. Now that it wasn’t limited to its corner, the black ooze had shaped the creature into a quadruped entanglement of pulsating vines and leaves. The mouth of the monster was elongated and equipped with poison-tipped fangs. A shriek blew the gray hair back as Kammy was left dumbfounded before the beast swatted at her with its front leg.
The Magikoopa flew through the air and into the next room, where she landed in the pool of water. Kammy came to fairly quickly, but awakened to sharp jolts of pain everywhere in her body. She felt her bones dancing with her organs and her muscles fluctuating. Kammy’s lungs filled with the curious water that deprived her of no oxygen. Her clothing deteriorated before her, leaving her dressed in but a graying shell. Kammy felt her issued sandals melt passed her toes. She watched her glasses swirl into tiny pieces right before disintegrating. It was a very brief moment that her eyesight was impaired before her retina reconstructed itself…
~*~*~*~
Bowser heaved a column of fire from his lungs, aiming for Sorcia. The flowing-haired woman spread her fingers apart before two shining bolts of lightning fired out of her opened palms and collided with the billowing inferno. The two intense spells cancelled each other out and knocked both combatants backward. After the initial thud to the ground, the tyrant climbed to his feet but already too late. The wild-eyed human was floating in the air above the Koopa.
Sorcia laughed, her hair still on ends. “You oaf! Your basic brawn is no match for my superior sorcery!”
Bowser snarled, trails of smoke again fleeting from his nostrils. With another great vomit of flame, a massive fireball was hurled into the air towards the woman. Sorcia swirled around with a gust of wind and dodged the pyre. Bowser began to build the magma in his throat again and opened his jaws for a wider beam of heat.
“Silly dragon!” Sorcia snickered. “I can douse those coals in your belly.”
Sorcia’s hands moved out before her and began to emit a flurry of rain. The flames burning in the back of Bowser’s throat drowned in the downpour of water droplets and caused the king to choke. He placed one hand to his neck and the other to his bent knee. Sorcia smiled and tilted her head back, letting loose a wave of air turning the tortoise on his shell. Her eyes returned to their normal color and she gently floated to the ground. Bowser gave a groan of pain as she glided next to him. Her delicate hand ran along his cheek and she bent down over him.
“I’m so sorry to see you like this, Bowser…” Sorcia sighed. “I really liked you… I did. But you had to go and make the same mistake that you did centuries ago.”
Bowser squealed, struggling to pick himself up. A blast of wind shoved him to the ground and kept him there. Sorcia’s glowing white eyes haunted the Koopa. The violet-clad female lifted her leg over the large beast and she sat upon Bowser’s chest, slowly unfolding her body until she was lying on top of him. Her right hand slid down his face and nestled in his fiery mane, her left hand running down his smooth yet solid chest. Her legs within the long dress gripped around either side of Bowser’s hips, rubbing up and down the outside of them. She bent closer to her face, her eyes still alight with electricity.
“I’ll always love you, Gaba…”
“What are you ta…!” Bowser found himself cut off as he was victim of a very static-charged kiss.
Night had settled in over the waters of the great Western Ocean, named for its location relative to the Mushroom Kingdom. Although Plit’s largest waterbed is the Eastern Ocean, the Western Ocean is the most frequently traveled and highly populated. Among the waves of west were such specks of dirt and rock as Mushroomia, Sunshine Islands, the Tropacine Archipelago, uncharted islets, and of course the destined Suttina.
Johnny’s pirate brig sailed by starlight, sweeping almost silently through the dark water. The red banana-wearing Chud took helm of the ship while a blue bandana by the name of Barney peered through a telescope tall inside the crow’s nest. Barney had a mighty overbite, his fang-like teeth covering any trace of a bottom lip. The sea-based lifeform squinted with one opened eye and surveyed the area in front of the ship. He removed the telescope from his gaze.
“Chud!” Barney called from above. The second anthropomorphic shark looked up. “Here, catch!”
Chud extended his fin and caught the falling telescope. Immediately the red-bandana peered through the eyepiece into the sea before the sailing ship. He saw a thick formation of clouds brewing ahead and a thick fog to accompany it. Flashes of electricity were seen behind the billowing thunderheads but no noise accompanied them. Chud wasn’t positive, but it looked as if a mess of precipitation was lying in wait for them as well.
“Looks pretty bad, doesn’t it?” Barney shouted.
Chud removed the telescope. “Yeah, but we’ve seen worse.”
“You gonna wake Johnny?” Barney asked.
Chud thought a moment. “No. He needs his rest. We can handle this.”
“Arright,” the other shark responded.
Chud set down the telescope and placed both appendages on the helm. Silently he drove the ship into the veil of fog.
~*~*~*~
Apprentice snored loudly, sleeping in his socks and shell. He had left his apron hanging in the room to dry and possibly to lose some of its strong ocean scent. His head rested on the rounded top half of a chest, seeing as there were no available pillows for the stowaway. The youthful tortoise made to turn in his sleep but met with a grim fall and a hard wood floor to accompany it. Groaning, Apprentice opened his eyes and started rubbing his aching snout.
“Ouch… Wh-where am I?” The Koopa looked all around the swirling room. He finally came to look at a burning fireball in the opened doorway. “Whu... who... Who are you?”
“Hello there, I am Ashley E. Podoboo! Pleased to meet you!” the flame explained.
“Ashley… E?” Apprentice wasn’t sure if pain was pounding in his nose or his skull. “Where am I?”
“You’re on a pirate ship, silly!” Ashley chided.
Apprentice furrowed his brow, taking note of the pink hairbow inexplicably attached to the Podoboo’s head. “How… I mean, oh yeah! I remember now…” White flashed before his eyes, the Apprentice remembering the ocean. “The sharks found me…”
“What’s your name?” Ashley asked.
“My name?” The Apprentice put his hand to his head. “Uh… Well, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know your name?” The fireball jumped. “Wow! I never met someone who didn’t know their own name! Are you from the south?”
“What?” The Apprentice shook his head and stood up. “Er, what are you doing in my room?”
“Well I was just strollin’ through the hall and I heard a loud crash. I came in and saw you’d fallen out of bed,” explained the Podoboo.
Apprentice rubbed his nose again. “Of course…”
“That must have REALLY stung!” Ashley exclaimed. “I mean, I wouldn’t know, not having a nose and all… but woah! That must smart!”
The Apprentice rolled his eyes. “Yeah…”
“So, why are you on our ship, No-Name?” asked the ever-curious Ashley.
“Uh… I don’t know,” replied the Apprentice.
“Wow! You sure are one clueless Koopa,” the Podoboo stated. “How’d you get in such a fit?”
“I DON’T KNOW!” The Apprentice shouted.
“No reason to get sour over the matter, just curious is all,” Ashley explained.
“Ugh… I think I want to go to sleep now,” Apprentice said, crawling back into his uncomfortable cot.
“You’re tired? Boy, I can never sleep at night on this ship. It’s always so mysterious… it’s like being on a real pirate ship!” Ashley beamed.
“This is a real pirate ship,” Apprentice snapped.
Ashley giggled. “So Nameless knows a thing or two after all!”
“Look, Ashley, I’m very tired and I want to get some sleep.” The Apprentice sighed. “Could you please leave now?”
“Oh…” The fireball grew silent. “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t realize…”
“Yeah, that’s okay. Just, if you could…” The Apprentice was cut off.
“I didn’t wanna make a bad first impression! Oh shoot, now I’ve done it! All I wanna do is MAKE friends and I always wind up making everybody angry. It’s just like back at home… Nobody liked me but my family!” Ashley sobbed.
“Oh… well, yes, I didn’t mean, but… please don’t… I…” the Apprentice stumbled.
“Why don’t I just SHUT my big darn mouth already? I can never leave well enough alone! All I want is to have somebody to talk to! The pirates scare me and that Russ T. guy’s always busy… If it weren’t for that Dimplestick fellow I’d be all alone!” Ashley whined. “… I’m sorry!”
Apprentice waved his hands nervously. “No, please! Please, it’s fine! I’m sorry I got upset! I like you, I do! Please don’t cry!”
Ashley sniffed. “You… You mean it?”
“Honest.” The Apprentice nodded his head.
“Golly! That sure is great, Mr. No-Name! Now I’m sure to have a much better time on my search with you as my friend! We’ll be able to talk and have lots of fun on the open sea!”
The Apprentice sighed; he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. As he lay back on the hard surface of the chest-top, he couldn’t help but feel something familiar about the fiery little girl talking his ear off. He forced a smile and tried to relax, listening to the incessant blabbering of the blaze, not taking notice of the fog passing by his window or the lightning in the sky.
~*~*~*~
A single candle illuminated the captain’s quarters, which housed two cots, one for Jonathon Jones himself, the other for his child nephew, Dimplestick. Both blue sharks were fast asleep when Chud entered the room. As the lean fish bent over the larger pirate’s bed, five flashes of lightning were seen from the circular window in the captain’s wall. Johnny’s yellow eyes opened wide.
“Captain, there’s a problem with the waters ahead…”
~*~*~*~
As soon as Johnny arrived on deck he could see the problem. It looked as if the ship was heading straight into a hurricane. There was fog all around and the billowing clouds whirled above in the air, alighting with veins of electricity. The growling thunders, however, were lost behind the howling winds that tore three large gashes in the major sail.
“It happened on us so suddenly!” Chud shouted to the superior sealife. “It started as a little fog but it kinda built up like this while around us!”
“Can we turn the ship around?” Johnny yelled.
“I’ve got all available hands I could find trying their best, but it seems the storm’s too strong. It’s pulling us in!” Chud hollered. “What do we do?”
Johnny thought for just a moment. “Land. Find land. We must anchor!”