Pre-Script: Shifting Sands Riding Winds of Change
The wind was howling madly, swirling thick sheets of sand through the cloudless skies of Desolation Plains. The land, quite aptly named, stretched on for miles in every direction, making up a good chunk of Sarasaland's southeast corner. Apart from sparse packs of Pokeys and a handful of gutsy Monty Moles, the Plains were completely uninhabited. This made sense, considering there were no plentiful food sources to speak of, and the only water available was located deep under the earth in small pools. Finding ones way around would result in a quick problem as well; small hills decorating the Desolation Plain's sandy surface provided the majority of its landmark variation.
Despite this, a figure in a faded, tan-colored robe that fluttered violently in the wind seemed to be navigating their way across the desert in a very precise manor. Bearing a hood, the figure seemed quite keen on keeping their identity a secret, though only the Gods knew why, for the area surrounding the shady character was quite obviously deserted. Cursing as the heavy breeze blew off the figure's hood for what could have been the hundredth time, he let the head-covering bit of clothing stay hanging at his back, revealing the large cranium of a Yoshi whose skin possessed a dark shade of green. The Yoshi halted its trudge, stuck his right hand into his billowing robe, and pulled out an odd-looking gizmo that bore a resemblance to your average compass. It was small, round, and possessed a small, rotatable needle that rested at the tool's center.
Mulling something over for a moment, the mysterious dino gave a bit of a nod and twirled the needle of his gizmo with the tip of this finger. After making several rotations, the needle suddenly halted in place, where it pointed directly forward. The Yoshi gazed down in satisfaction as the compass began to glow a bright neon green. The object then violently ripped itself from the robed creature's grasp and magically levitated itself above a patch of sand that looked exactly like thousands of other patches that stretched across Desolation Plains. The object stopped perfectly still in the air for a moment, gave off a tiny wave of greenish sparks, then swooped downward and plunged into the depths of sand bellow it.
Nothing happened for a moment as the Yoshi stood motionless. Then a loud crack pierced the soundless area and the compass-like object appeared suddenly in the air and returned to the robed dino's outstretched hand. Stowing the odd, magic-powered gizmo, the Yoshi glanced down in front of him just in time to see a large portion of the sand shift to either side, revealing what appeared to be a narrow pit. Without a second’s thought, the dino stepped forward and leaped gracefully into the chasm. Chilly darkness swept by him for a few seconds, then the dino felt the bottoms of his feet slam harshly onto a solid surface. Seemingly unaffected by the fall, the Yoshi glanced up into a pair of torches that hung on either side of a stone archway. Beneath the arch was a long stairway that dipped downward into a vat of darkness.
The Yoshi strode forward and stepped into the darkness, which seemed to swallow his entire existence. But the dino pressed on, the only sound coming from the soles of his boots connecting with the cold, stone steps. After nearly half an hour of preceding in this fashion, the robed Yoshi raised two invisible arms to his sides and sent out two orbs of bright crimson light from the surface of his palms. The spherical light sources rose steadily into the air, bathing the surrounding area with a sea of ominous, blood-colored illumination. What appeared in the darkness was not a small, musty stairway, but instead a huge circular room, its curving stone walls lined with several evenly spaced torches.
The robed Yoshi withdrew a very old bit of parchment from his robes and took a quick glance at it. Written there, in a hasty scrawl, was a list of colors written in a circular pattern. Without glancing up from his parchment, the dino aimed a palm at the closest torch and ignited it with a flash of pink flames. Moving to the next torch, the Yoshi sparked it to life as well, creating a dancing batch of navy blue fire. The dino mage then proceeded to follow the ring of torches, lighting them each with a differently colored flame. He finished by ignited the final torch with a flash of bright yellow, then tucked his scrap of parchment away. Soon, the sound of two large objects grinding together blasted through the circular room, and a large stone pedestal rose from the center of the floor. The grinding ceased, then there was a slight pause before a blast of emerald light erupted from the top of the pillar and quickly disappeared into the thick stone above.
As the pillar lowered, accompanied by more grinding noises, the Yoshi mage swept around and briskly left the premises, a look of intense satisfaction playing across his face.
Chapter 1: Trimming Sheets
The sun was dipping majestically below a surface of calm water, casting brilliant rays of pink, yellow, and crimson light. The cascade of color illuminated a large cruise ship that slowly bobbed up and down upon the sea. The majority of its hull was colored a dazzling red, and two immense smokestacks jutted from ship's top, releasing tiny wisps of unclean gas. Below these was the deck of the vessel, which was decorated by groups of snazzy slot machines, small bar counters, plastic palm trees, and a staggeringly large pool area. At either side of the ship were multicolored neon lights that spazzed flashing, multicolored lights, showing anyone within a five mile radius that the cruise ship had been christened the Luv Bote.
"This is so embarrassing," Mecha Guy whined as he and his green dino comrade, Yoshi, strode along the deck of the Luv Bote.
Yoshi shrugged impassively as he grabbed a frozen fruit beverage offered to him by a Mushroomer waitress and took a long swig of it. "Oh, I don't know. I'm rather enjoying myself."
"I'm just glad I'm wearing a mask," the traveling Shyster mechanic garbed in yellow muttered, shooting a nearby video poker machine a disgruntled look. "All these flashing lights would've given me a seizure in seconds."
"Hey, you said you wanted to come after I told you I had an extra ticket," Yoshi reminded the Shy Guy, downing the last of his fruity drink and handing the empty glass to another waitress, who was at his side immediately.
"Yeah, I suppose," Mecha Guy grunted. "Four tickets for a week-long cruise aboard the infamous Luv Bote. Am I correct in assuming that it was one of your shoddier prizes for winning that race back on Yo'ster Isle?"
Yoshi snorted. "Hardly. You should've seen some of the junk that was in that little gift basket thing that they gave me. You know those food processors you always see on those stupid half-hour infomercials?"
"Yeah?"
"I got a coupon for one those," Yoshi told the Shyster. "Five dollars off."
"What a deal."
"I thought so. Oh, hey, look!" Yoshi suddenly motioned toward a small, circular table covered by green felt and surrounded by several stools, all of which were unoccupied. "Free chairs at a poker table! You want to gamble a bit?"
"If you insist," Mecha Guy replied, pursuing Yoshi as he moved forward and plopped down at the table. Mecha Guy sat as well and stared dully across at the dealer, who was a short, male Mushroomer that possessed a lick of greasy, black hair that fell from under his Mushroom cap and was plastered to his forehead.
"So," the dealer asked, gracefully cutting and shuffling the cards in front of him, "are you two a couple?"
Mecha Guy shot the dealer a horrified look while Yoshi hastily replied, "No, no. Not us. We're just sort of... escorting a pair of lovebirds. They insisted that we come along. We're not... together, or anything."
"Oh, really?" the dealer said. "That's a shame."
"Is it?" Mecha Guy questioned darkly.
Yoshi roughly elbowed Mecha Guy in the side, causing the Shyster to tip off his stool and fall to the floor. Wearing a scowl behind his mask, Mecha Guy stumbled to his feet and returned to his stool just as a trio of Koopas dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses took three of the unoccupied seats around the poker table. Forgetting his newly acquired anger at being knocked from his seat, Mecha Guy briefly examined the new arrivals and exchanged a nervous glance with Yoshi.
"Ante up, boys!" the dealer instructed zealously. "It's a pair of coins for starters!"
The five players withdrew two sparkling gold coins and placed them at the center of the table as the dealer cut the deck a final time and passed out the first hand. Mecha Guy's hand proved to be useless, and he folded as soon as the first Koopa in black tossed in an additional three coins to the pot. His two comrades folded as well, leaving Yoshi, who had nothing apart from a pair of threes. Shrugging, the dino saw the raise, and exchanged three of his non pair cards with the dealer while the Koopa – who was wearing a smug grin – exchanged no cards. Yoshi snatched up his new cards as the dealer passed them to him, and, to his delight, one of them was an additional three.
"I'll raise five more," the Koopa in black said immediately, taking out the proper coinage, placing the gold on the table, and sliding it to the center. Yoshi eyed him carefully.
"A bluff," Yoshi predicted, grabbing up five of his own coins from a sack hidden under his saddle and throwing them into the pot. "I'll see your bet, and raise three more."
"Ooooh, this guy's a high roller," the Koopa in black taunted, and his two comrades chuckled. "Okay then, pal, if you think I'm bluffing, then match this." From his shell, the shady Koopa withdrew his own small sack of coinage, jingled it lightly in his hand, then tipped it, causing its entire contents to spill out onto the table.
"How much is that?" Yoshi questioned, eyeing the large lump of gold.
"Fifty coins exactly," the Koopa informed with a smirk.
Yoshi whistled. "You aren't messing around, are you? Fine. I'll see your fifty," he snatched up a large handful of his own coins and dumped them onto table, "and call."
The expression on the Koopa's face was unreadable. He glanced down at his cards, then suddenly zinged them directly at the dealer's eyes while one of his partners drew a large leather bag from his shell and slid the massive pile of coinage out on the table into the sack with one quick motion. The dealer squealed and ducked behind the table while Yoshi quickly rose to his feet, where he was immediately shoulder-slammed in the gut by the third Koopa. While doubled over, the Koopa in black threw Yoshi to the ground and darted after his comrades, who were already scampering swiftly away from the table.
"Thieves!" Mecha Guy shouted, dashing after the trio of Koopas and waving his signature bright red toolbox in his right hand. "Thieves! On the main deck! Making a getaway toward the back of the ship!"
If anything, though, Mecha Guy's wild yelling had the opposite effect that he had been hoping for. Instead of rushing to his aid, the frightened crowd of nearby lovers quickly rose to their feet and made a beeline for a safer section of the ship, either flooding into their rooms or hiding below deck. Mecha Guy cursed as the group of Koopas continued to distance themselves from him. They were much more agile then Mecha Guy, and the Shyster was additionally weighed down by his toolbox, which he would need for weaponry purposes.
"Bloody cowards," Mecha Guy grumbled, eyeing a pair of Goombas that peered timidly out at him through one of the room windows. As he tried to increase his pace, the Shy Guy suddenly tripped on a discarded martini glass and fell forward, plowing his body into the floor. He quickly glanced up, watching helplessly as the trio of Koopas turned a corner and disappeared.
~*-*~
Several dozen feet below the ship's main deck, a Crimson-skinned Yoshi known as Torshi was sweating bullets. Thousands of figures were swaying rhythmically before him in a room lit by glittery disco balls and flashing lights as a loud drumbeat pounded his ears. Feeling sick, Torshi staggered toward the nearest wall and slumped himself against it, panting. He then spotted, with a surge of thankfulness, the juice bar; a well decorated table bearing an unimaginable arsenal of liquids that stretched nearly fifty feet across and lined the back most wall of the dance area. Stumbling towards it, Torshi smacked cleanly into two different people before reaching the drink table, where he snatched up a mug of mango juice and downed it.
"You okay?" a soft voice came from behind Torshi, and the crimson dino felt a gentle arm lay itself along his shoulder blades.
Torshi turned and met the large, radiant, blue colored eyes of an attractive female Yoshi who was yellow in color. She smiled at him and he returned the grin, shifting his feet as he replied, "I'm all right. The atmosphere down here's just making me a little woozy."
"Would you prefer we return to the upper deck?" Alishi, the female Yoshi who Torshi had saved from Lemmy Koopa during the Yo'ster Island Summer Festival, asked quietly. "Get a little fresh air, maybe?"
Torshi needed no time to think his answer through. "Yes. Definitely."
He quickly returned his empty mug to the table surface, took Alishi's hand, and guided his partner across the dance floor in the direction of the elevator. The pair of Yoshis were forced to dodge by several wild – and most likely drunken – dancers, and no less then four rowdy breakdance circles before they reached the sliding red door that granted access to one of the ship's many elevators. Torshi quickly prodded the circular up arrow button, and waited a moment for the door to ease open. The two dinos clamored inside, and Alishi entered in their destination by selecting the "Deck 1" level. The door closed slowly and the elevator shuddered for a second or two, then began to rise. Annoying music flowed in softly from a trio of speakers lining the ceiling, and Torshi glared down at his boots.
"So," Alishi began after several dozen relentless seconds of awkward silence, "are you enjoying your time here?"
Torshi swallowed, glancing up at his partner. "It... hasn't been bad. I guess."
"Not bad, huh?" the female Yoshi echoed, the shine in her eyes diminishing noticeably.
Torshi caught on, and corrected quickly, "Oh, well you've been wonderful, Alishi, it’s just that this whole Luv Bote thing is a bit too... commercial for my tastes. I know, I know, it sounds stupid coming from a Yo'ster Isle native, 'cause we get tourists all the time, but-"
"It's not stupid," Alishi cut in with a whisper, leaning her head toward Torshi's ear.
"Glad you think so," he whispered back, putting his arm around Alishi.
The elevator, which had slowly begun to decrease its speed, came to a sudden halt. With a light clank, the bright red elevator door slid silkily open, and the pair of Yoshis exited together. They strode slowly to the edge of the upper deck and stopped at the railing, where Alishi rested her head on Torshi’s shoulder as the two of them gazed out at what remained of a glorious sunset. Just as the sun fully disappeared and Alishi turned and looked up at her partner in a very romantic sort of way, a pillar of shining emerald light erupted from the dusky sky above and collided violently with the crimson Yoshi. Alishi was blasted back several feet by the sudden impact, and Torshi, who wore an expression of complete shock and agony, collapsed against the guardrail.
Alishi leapt to her feet and cried out, but it was too late; Torshi had slid forward from his slump on the railing, causing his limp body to enter a breezy freefall through the salty air. Several long, drawn out seconds passed, then Torshi's body plunged into the sea.
Chapter 2: The Realm Beyond
Mario sat on his knees, gazing out at the dreary scene that played out before him through the dusty glass of a small, rectangular window. The sky was a layered mass of murk, completely incased by thick gray clouds. Precipitation fell in the form of tiny raindrops that barely made a sound as they pinged off the roof of the plumber's humble abode. Others met the smudged glass surface of Mario's window, creating vein-like webs as they dribbled downward. Shifting his gaze, Mario watched the gentle breeze bat around individual blades of glass that had been soaked by the rain. As the plumber moved his glance back up, he saw that a tall, green blob was reflecting off the glass.
"How long have you been up?" Luigi asked gently, leaning his slim form against the nearest wall.
"Awhile," Mario responded vaguely, still peering through the window. "Sleep doesn't come to me very well these days."
"I've noticed," Luigi responded truthfully, still using a delicate voice.
Mario had no reply to this, and simply scooted closer toward the window. His slow breath was now fogging the surface, and Luigi shot the back of his brother's head a look of concern. Ever since Mario had returned from his trip to Plateaus, the tall plumber in green had noticed several significant changes in his demeanor. The look his brother had been wearing the day he returned – with the corpses of his allies draped across either of his shoulders and an odd staff clutched in his hand – was one Luigi had never seen before. Post-Plateaus Mario also ate, spoke, and moved less, and rarely left the house for more then an hour at a time. His face was pale and peeked, eyes gaunt and foreboding, and waistline rapidly decreasing. Whatever it was that had happened on Plateaus, Luigi didn't know, but he didn't like it at all. It seemed to have left an emotional scar on his once cheery, fun-loving brother.
"Funeral's today," Luigi informed, his voice barely more audible then a whisper.
"I know," Mario said. "Fitting, isn't it?"
Luigi paused a moment, during which he attempted to unclog his throat, which had suddenly sealed itself slightly. "How so?"
Mario made a tiny nod toward the window. "The rainfall. Sort of symbolizes grief, you know?"
"I suppose," Luigi agreed awkwardly, then asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
"No."
"You want any?"
"No."
Luigi was on the verge of shouting at Mario, telling him to a get a hold of himself, when the plumber in red slowly rose. He turned and made for the door.
"Going somewhere?" Luigi questioned with a cocked eyebrow, no longer trying to be polite.
"Just taking a little walk," Mario replied cryptically. "In the rain."
"You'll get wet," Luigi pointed out.
"I know."
The green clad plumber sighed. "The funeral starts in an hour.
"I'll meet you there," Mario told him, gripping the knob of the front door with his gloved hand. He turned it and lightly swung open the door, acknowledging his brother with a small a wave and adding, "Bye."
Mario crossed the threshold and the door slammed shut, but Luigi did not avert his gaze for several moments. Then, shaking his head, he turned and sauntered into the kitchen.
~*-*~
A windy squall billowed through the air, and a small Boo wearing a lengthy, brown stocking cap felt the piece of clothing attached to his head dislodge and soar through the open sky. Swearing, Rio, the yellow-colored specter, whipped around and dove for his escaping cap, snatching it from its quick decent before it reached the watery surface of the Ogral Ocean bellow him. The spirit from the continent of Plateaus threw the cap back on his head, made another midair turn, and pressed forward, the breeze continuously tearing at his body from all sides. Howling in annoyance as another gust gripped him and thrust him backwards, something odd in his existence seemed to click, and Rio watched in confusion as a greenish mist began to leak away from the surface of his body.
Rio's irritated howls soon turned into triumphant cheers that were barely audible over the torrent of the shifting winds. At long last, it seemed, the anti-teleportation curse Kamek Koopa had cast upon the yellow specter so very long ago had lifted, and the Boo was free to disappear and reappear as he pleased. Feeling lighter then air – and realizing at the same time that this wasn't far from the truth as a new squall swirled him about – Rio focused his spiritual power and concentrated on a far off location.
Pop.
Rio had vanished.
~*-*~
The scene that lay before Mario was dreadful, and the plumber had the sudden urge to vomit. He had stepped into the Toad Town Cathedral and, in a very nightmarish way, it reminded him horribly of the Watching Shrine, the very place Aid and Ehcon had lost their lives. Soaked to the skin and unaware that everyone inside of the building was staring at him, Mario sloshed toward the nearest sitting area, dripping a large volume of rain water onto the carpeted floor of the building. He sat himself down on the leather-padded bench that was closest to the door, one of many that filled the room and stretched from one side to the other. The plumber gazed about at the interior of the building, and suddenly wished he hadn't; the marble pillars that lined the room, the pedestal raised by a circle of stairs, even the surrounding benches... it was all too similar.
But then his eyes fell forward, and this was ten times worse. At the head of the room, the bodies of Aid and Ehcon had been placed into an identical pair of wooden coffins. Each had been propped up at the back, each faced the row of benches, and each – Mario felt his eyes start to sting – was open completely, revealing the long dead forms of his old comrades. Quickly tearing his eyes away, Mario glared down at his boots, where a small puddle of rainwater was beginning to form. Shifting his glance to the center aisle, Mario observed a short, bearded Mushroomer draped in several pounds of black velvet robes stride somberly forward. The plumber's eyes followed the Mushroomer until he got within a yard or so of where the coffins stood, then Mario shifted his gaze resolutely toward an obscure corner of the room.
"Friends," Mario heard the Mushroomer in black say, and he shuddered, "we have gathered here today to mourn the passing of two individuals who lost their lives far to quickly for the liking of many. Though much of their tail remains shrouded in mystery, their great deeds and achievements will be forever treasured and remembered. It is important to remember that, though lost life causes great separation, we can still feel the ever present warmth of the…"
Mario ceased listening, partly because it was all so superficial (none of the people inside the cathedral, apart from Mario himself, had actually known Aid and Ehcon), and partly because something odd had caught his eye. If could have been that his grief was making him hallucinate, but the plumber swore that for a split-second, he had seen the glowing crimson eyes and yellow-colored features of a certain Boo he was fairly familiar with. Giving a mental shrug, Mario stared back down at the floor and allowed the words of the Mushroomer to engulf him. Blinking his now dampening eyes, Mario leaned forward and added a salty tear to the ever expanding puddle that seeped out from beneath his boots.
Chapter 3: Rise, Koopas!
Lord Bowser, vile king of all things Koopa, stomped purposely down one of the many long, stone halls of his castle while two heavily armed Koopatrols equipped with blades almost as long as themselves marched obediently at his side. The torches lining the hallway cast ominous shadows of death and pain along the cold, stone walls as the Turtle Tyrant passed, and the Koopa King smiled in smug content. This is how the Grand Lord of Evil is supposed to travel, Bowser thought to himself, growling at a tiny Goomba who was slinking through the hall nearby. The Goomba squeaked, eyes bulging, and scampered away, tripping over his own feet several times before disappearing from view. Bowser laughed a merciless laugh, then, glancing to his right, halted abruptly.
The Koopa King had stopped at a pair of large, scarlet colored, stainless steal double doors, their surface lined with evenly spaced bolts that, Bowser thought, gave the doors a good decorative flare. Two additional Koopatrols, these armed with slightly less powerful weapons, were sent away as Bowser gave them a casual wave. The Turtle Turant's personal Koopatrol guards then stepped up, grabbed a hold of either side of the double doors, and wrenched them open. Bowser never made so much as a tiny cringe as the sound of metal grinding against stone pounded through the hall.
As the doors locked in an open position, Lord Bowser entered his personal thrown room. The walls were practically layered with the expensive metals, and sparkling crystal chandeliers that were over fifty feet across hung in rows from the ceiling. The throne itself, stationed at the back of the room, would probably sell for over one hundred coins a pound on its own; it had been constructed of pure, solid gold, and perfectly round emeralds the size of Bowser's fists lined the elevated armrests. A foot of so to the right of the throne and perched on a blood red cushion that stood on a short, wooden stool was the Koopa King's crown. It, too, was made entirely of solid gold, and its oval-shaped base was decorated by ten narrow spires that were tipped with more polished, marble-like emeralds.
Bowser majestically lowered his girth onto the thrown, and immediately a pair of simultaneous cracks could be heard as the Koopa King's two highest ranking Magikoopas, Kamek and Kammy Koopa, appeared at his side. Kamek then raised his wand and, with a quick flip of the wrist, Lord Bowser's crown slowly rose from its perch and gently set itself on the Turtle Tyrant's head. Nodding and flashing his knife-like teeth, Bowser was about to make some sort of official proclamation when another crack echoed through the large throne room, causing the Koopa King to jerk back in surprise. The sudden movement upset the crown, which tipped off Lord Bowser's cranium, fell several feet, then bounced off the side of the throne and hit the floor, where it rolled around in a tight, wavy circle before spiraling to a stationary position.
"Well," the new arrival, a Magikoopa in a dull, pale green robe, stated, "it appears that the Intercastle Teleportation System set up recently by Master Kamek seems to be working spiffingly."
"How dare you interrupt the official Royal Throne Seating!" Bowser roared at the Magikoopa, leaning forward in his expensive seat.
"My apologies," the Magikoopa in green said with a smirk. "I had no idea this cliché business of 'Royal Seating' still took place."
"It's quite all right, Aterix," Kamek cut in heavily, warily eyeing Bowser, who seemed ready to launch from his throne and strangle the green-garbed Magikoopa. "We were nearly through, anyway."
"It is not quite all right, Kamek!" Bowser growled loudly. "This is tradition! We cannot allow it to be interrupted by slimy, lower class spell-users who don't know their place!"
"Please, Lord Bowser, if you would calm down," Kammy suggested, "perhaps we could here what Aterix has to say. It's probably something important dealing with our new expedition, and–"
"You're not taking me seriously!" Bowser bellowed, rising to his feet and sending the glare of death to everyone in the vicinity. "You're just ignoring... you're just... just... defiling... ARG!!!"
In a fit of fury, Lord Bowser threw himself from the thrown and stomped moodily off, nearly sending the scarlet steal doors off their hinges as he slammed them shut.
Aterix, the Magikoopa in green, cocked an eyebrow. "What's with him?"
"He's been in a foul mood ever since he returned to Plateaus and found out that his kids were running amok," Kamek explained with a shrug. "He's probably just mad himself for leaving them alone and feels responsible."
"Right," Aterix said, who had made his last statement for comedic effect and had no real desire for the answer.
"So what news do you bring?" Kammy questioned, slumping away from her position next to the throne.
"Our scouts have finally determined the rough location of the Crimson Pillar," Aterix informed. "They have traced it to the continent of Plateaus, hidden somewhere in the confines of Xittzi Mountains."
"The Xittzi Mountains," Kamek echoed with a mutter, racking his brain. "They exist in the Wind Region, correct?"
"Indeed," Aterix confirmed with a nod. "The scouts also have a strong suspicion that the piece required for identifying the Crimson Piller's exact location can be found somewhere in the mountain town of Juagan."
"Ah, the fabled location of The Trek," Kammy stated.
"The very same," Aterix said. "So, knowing this, what course of action do you plan to take?"
"We'll have to consult Lord Bowser on that," Kamek replied. "And probably the head of the Koopa Transportation Department."
"That could be an issue," Kammy predicted.
"How so?" Aterix questioned.
Kamek snorted. "Furious as Lord Bowser is with pretty much everyone, he's even more ticked off at the KTD. Apparently he was yelling at them for making their choppers so easy to access, even after he told them to beef up their security once before."
"Hopefully he'll be able to overcome his grudge for them, then," Aterix said. "Though I doubt he'll be able to contain himself from exploding at them."
"Oh, I think he will," Kammy disagreed. "Lord Bowser likes his power, and he knows through us that Crimson Pillar can grant him a great deal of it. I feel a minor disagreement with a sect of his political setup isn't going to halt his progress."
"But you said he was beyond furious with them," Aterix pressed.
Kamek shrugged. "When dealing with Lord Bowser, that's nothing out of the ordinary."
~*-*~
"I hate you," Iggy Koopa growled.
The bespectacled Koopaling was leaned against the worn stone of a dank prison cell, his spiky, blue-colored shell puncturing the hard surface. Sitting in the opposite corner of the cell was Lemmy Koopa, the surface of his skin, like his brother’s, smudged with blotches of dirt and grime that had accumulated from several weeks of time spent in the dungeon. Flicking a small pebble that had been resting on the prison floor through the steel bars that confined him, Lemmy glared up at his brother.
"I should start counting the number of times you say that," Lemmy said dully. "That was, what, the twentieth time? The thirtieth? Fiftieth, maybe?"
"Shut up," Iggy snapped.
Lemmy gave his sibling and odd sort of smile. "You can blame this on me all you want, Iggy, but if won't make it go away." He paused, then added, "But I suppose if it makes you feel better–"
"I said shut up."
"Aw..." Lemmy chided. "Lack of proper food making little Iggy angry-wangry?
"That's it!" Iggy shouted, temper flaring as he pushed himself from the wall and lunged at his brother.
~*-*~
Thr grounds of Castle Koopa were large and sprawling, and possessed the largest spread of healthy grass in all of Dark Land. They were, more often than not, cluttered with troops being worked rigorously by their superiors, sparring with swords or practicing up on their archery. At this time, however, the area was nearly desolate. It was break day for the Koopa Troops, after all, and most of the soldiers saw enough of the grounds during their training to become considerably sick of them. The only Koopas currently occupying the area were a half dozen Boomerang Bros, five of which had their arms folded and were watching the sixth squint forward and take careful aim.
"Hoops" was a common activity played amongst the Boomerang Bros. of Castle Koopa. The object of the game was to throw one's boomerang and try to sail it through a series of hoops that were set up along an open area. Points were awarded based on how many hoops the thrown boomerang passed through, the difficulty of said hoops, and whether or not the boomerang hit the ground on its return trip. Each projectile-hurling Koopa would throw one at a time, and the spectators would often bet on the outcome.
After spending a great deal of time studying the hoops set out in front of him, the Boomerang Bro that the others were observing took several steps forward and hurled his weapon. The boomerang made a smooth wooshing sound as it arched through the air, passed cleanly through a far off hoop, then took a sharp curve. As the crescent-shaped projectile was returning to its owner, however, its edge caught on one of the near hoops and clattered to the ground. Several groans and a whooping cheer came from the crowd of onlookers, and the thrower swore under his breath and jogged forward to retrieve his weapon.
"Ha," the Boomerang Bro that had been cheering said smugly as his comrades forked over small pouches of coins. "Told you Zindy was inconsistent. Always biting off more then he can chew, eh?"
"You just lucked out," one of the other Koopas spat in annoyance. "He doesn't usually miss like that."
"And yer up, Whyrl," another Bro informed his gloating comrade. "So stop braggin' and throw."
"All right, all right," Whyrl complied, stowing his winnings and drawing his boomerang, which had been placed in a leather holder attached to the Koopa's belt.
Stepping forward in a manner something similar to a strut, Whyrl twirled himself into place and gazed forward at the set of rings. Licking his lips, the Boomerang Bro narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue as he went through a set of mental calculations. After a minute or so, Whyrl seemed satisfied with his examination and readied himself. Then, just as the Koopa was arching his throwing arm back, something sudden, painful, and emerald-colored slammed into his cranium, knocking him cold.