Chapter 6: The Setting Board
Mario was the first to leave the Toad Town Cathedral. Just as the final words were being said, the plumber in red rose from his seat and trudged for the exit, sparing the room no backward glance. He moodily shoved upon the wooden double doors and, as soon he swung them closed, he increased his pace; the last thing he wanted to experience was a "let's all console Mario" session. As he walked the soggy streets of Toad Town, the plumber noticed that the rain had diminished, and was now no more then a light trickle. Giving his surroundings impassive glances, Mario finally found a place that would suit his needs: a small, grimy back ally situated between two large office buildings.
Mario strode several feet into the ally, and slumped against the nearest wall, positioning himself so that he could not be easily seen from the main road. As minutes passed, it was due to the plumber's state of severe apathy that caused him not to react as something small and yellow popped into existence next to him. Taking several slow breaths before making any movement at all, Mario turned to meet the eyes of his recent Plateausian foe, the cap-wearing specter, Rio. The plumber wasn't alarmed at the sight; he had seen the Boo at the funeral, after all – though it was just for a moment – and the ghost was completely unarmed.
"Why are you here?" Mario asked with distaste.
"Why am I here?" Rio echoed, his features hardening at once. "Why do you think I'm here, you dimwitted plumber? My best mate for the last twenty years of my existence has gone and died! You think I wouldn't come and pay my respects?"
"How'd you get here?" Mario questioned further, not put off by Boo's harshness.
"Teleported."
"You couldn't teleport very well the last time I saw you."
"Some old coot zapped me with a spell that disables teleportation a while ago," Rio explained. "Just wore off."
"Why'd you come and talk to me? Why aren't you trying to slice me open?"
"Different circumstances now, don't you think? I was trying to get the Gems from you guys last time. And yeah, I wanted to talk to you about the staff that the–"
Rio was suddenly interrupted as a blinding pillar of emerald light hammered down on him from the sky, instantly knocking the specter out cold and sending a surprised Mario reeling to the ground.
~*-*~
The Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom, a green-spotted Mushroomer with solemn features, paced restlessly across the meeting hall of Mushroom Castle. Part of him – admittedly, though, it was a very small part – felt guilty for choosing to bypass the funeral. He was a busy Mushroomer, though, and at the moment, more of him was worried about his newest strategic venture. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Chancellor had a formed a Mushroom Kingdom espionage system. It was a team of trained spies whose mission was to constantly monitor the Koopa Clan and report any large undertakings back to the castle. So far, the Chancellor had not heard from them, and it had been over a week since they had originally been dispatched.
He need not have worried, however; the front doors of the castle had suddenly flown open, and the Chancellor ceased his pacing immediately. Through the threshold came a pair of small, male Mushroomers, dressed appropriately in black suits and dark sunglasses. They briskly strode up to the Chancellor at once and pocketed their eyewear.
"We bring news," the first Mushroomer said in serious tone.
"Big news," the second agreed, his voice equally businesslike.
"Well, what's happened?" the Chancellor questioned impatiently.
"The Koopa Clan is on the move," the first spy informed.
"They've built a new battleship," the second said. "Supposedly the largest ever created."
"Where are they heading?"
"Plateaus," the first answered. "Wind Region."
"More specifically," the second added, "the Xittzi Mountains."
"Their motive?"
"Some new scheme of theirs," the first replied. "We're not quite sure what it is."
"We know they're looking for the Crimson Pillar," the second chimed in.
"And what do they plan to do with this... 'pillar' thing?"
"We don't know the specifics."
"We just know it grants some sort of 'grand power'."
"Then they must be stopped," the Chancellor said resolutely. "Do you not agree?"
"We've a plan already underway," the first spy informed.
"Indeed," the second said. "One of out agents has infiltrated their craft."
"Excellent," the Chancellor praised. "But we'll need more resistance."
"Do we?"
"In what form?"
"A form that doesn't concern you," the Chancellor said irritably. "I appreciate your help. You are both excused."
The two Mushroomer spies nodded silently, turned, and strode out of the castle.
~*-*~
"Rio..."
A familiar voice drifted softly across a vat of blackness.
"Rio..."
The yellow specter struggled with his consciousness, tugging at his mind and telling it to work properly.
"Rio..."
"What?" the Boo managed finally.
"You've been stricken by the Emerald Pillar..." the misty voice informed.
"Have I?" Rio responded. "How lovely. Who are you?"
"Can't you recognize my voice?"
"Well, yeah. But it belongs to a dead man."
"And what realm is this?"
"I have no idea," Rio replied truthfully. "How is that relevant, anyway?"
"Worry yourself not."
"I... wasn't worrying."
"You've been stricken by the Emerald Pillar," the voice informed once more, seemingly ignoring him. "Now you are destined to take part in a mighty clash of forces grander then any before it."
"Brilliant."
"Follow the plumber..." the voice instructed. "Follow him and your destiny will be fulfilled."
"You know what," Rio said hastily, "I don't think I like this whole–"
~*-*~
The conference room of Mushroom Castle had filled in a hurry. The news brought by the spies had traveled fast, and a meeting between the leaders of the Mushroom Kingdom was already being held. At the head of the room stood the Chancellor himself, positioned next to a map of the Wind Region of Plateaus that was being displayed on the wall by a small projector machine, which bore the trademark M.M.M. Five additional figures occupied the area, each sitting around a small circular table situated at the center of the room. The first was Mario, who had his elbows on the table surface and was staring toward an uninteresting corner of the room. To his right was Luigi, whose gaze shifted constantly between his brother and the projected image. Sitting opposite the red clad plumber was King Toadstool, a glazed look on his face and waving paddle ball racket in hand. The fourth figure was General Sportuas, a young, female Mushroomer who was the newly appointed military leader; and last was Princess Peach, who glanced about in a way very similar to Luigi.
"Right," the Chancellor began, turning to face the group, "I've called you all here because I've just received some startling news regarding the Koopa Clan delivered by our new espionage team. According to our spies, they've built a new powerful aircraft and are using it to travel to the Wind Region of Plateaus, where they'll supposedly uncover some kind of great power. I feel it's impertinent that we stop them."
"Does anyone know how they're going to go about obtaining this power?" Peach asked.
"Our spies indicated it was obtained through something called the Crimson Pillar," the Chancellor replied. "How it goes about granting the power, though, we're not certain."
"What do you want us do about it, then?" General Sportuas asked. "What are your plans?"
"The espionage team has already infiltrated their airship," the Chancellor informed, "but I feel we should send another force to deal with them, just in case. I was thinking of sending Mario, Luigi, and perhaps a few others to the Wind Region aboard the Mecha Chopper and that other aircraft Mecha Guy built before he set off to Yo'sters Isle."
"Sounds reasonable," Sportuas said with a shrug.
"Anyone have any objections to this course of action?" the Chancellor questioned the group.
"Not at all," Luigi said enthusiastically. "I haven't left Toad Town in ages."
"No problems here, either," Peach said.
"WORLD RECORD!" King Toadstool exclaimed, raising his paddle ball racket high above his head.
"Yeah, whatever," Mario muttered.
"Well, I guess it's settled, then," the Chancellor said. "Except... General, how many men do you wish to send? And will you be coming as well?"
"I'd say we should send about ten," Sportuas replied. "Five for each ship, probably. And no, I'll need to stay with the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom army. Even with the Koopa Clan temporarily sidetracked, we'll need to keep up a decent defense here at the home front."
"Ah, yes, that would indeed be wise," the Chancellor agreed. "I'd request you to pick ten of your men willing to accompany Mario and Luigi and have them waiting at the front gate ready to go at eight tomorrow morning. If, of course," the Chancellor continued, giving each of the Mario Brothers a quick glance, "the both of you are agreeable to that time of departure."
"That's fine," Luigi said.
Mario simply grunted in agreement.
"If that's the case," the Chancellor said, "then we have nothing left to discuss. Meeting adjourned."
Chapter 7: Merlocked
Merlox, the wise Shaman of Plateaus, could sense the attack coming only seconds before it hit. He had been smoking peacefully in the bedchamber of his Ashton home pouring over a detailed volume of magic when his mind sent a trigger of sudden alarm pulsing through his body. Well, perhaps it wasn't so much of a trigger as it was a tiny twitch; whoever was approaching his home with the intent to do him harm was pursuing their goal in a very subtle manor. If his entire house wasn't encased in a magical essence that informed the Shaman of the slightest physical change in the surrounding area, he would have been quite unprepared.
Keeping his pipe stuck tightly between his teeth, the Shaman rose briskly from his position on a leather armchair that sat by a crackling fire, and strode quickly for shelter. A split second after Merlox threw himself behind a sturdy bookshelf, the entire wall of his bedchamber violently blasted away in a flume of flame and smoke. Merlox shielded his eyes from the sudden light, and felt dozens of flying debris smash into the shelf that was protecting him. Clearing the smoke with a firm parting motion made by his arms, the Shaman barely caught sight of the intruding figure, shrouded in blackness, before it zipped from view and took cover behind an overturned table.
As Merlox contemplated his next action, he saw quickly that his decision was about to be made for him. Over the top of his makeshift shelter tumbled a small grenade, which exploded a half-second after the crafty Shaman dove out of the explosive's range. He was now in the open, however, though he had been prepared; just as a gun shot rang through the air, Merlox conjured a large, rectangular barrier of magic that intercepted the assail. His opponent quickly switched to some kind of automatic firearm, however, and the Shaman's shield shattered under a violent siege of bullets just as Merlox found new cover in the form of a lengthy sofa. Feathers flew from the piece of furniture as the continuous rain of lead punctured the surface of Merlox's new shelter, and the Shaman quickly probed his mind for a spell.
For the first time in his life, however, Merlox found it difficult to concentrate. The original explosion that had taken out his wall had sparked furious ignition, and the smell of smoke and the increasing heat that radiated from the plumes of flame that licked at his abode were maddening. Additionally, a seemingly constant tempest of bullets were flying his direction, several of them inches away from impacting his head. Gritting his teeth, Merlox was about to scrape the magical thresholds of his mind when the shots firing at him from the corner of the room suddenly ceased. Chancing a peep over the furniture that concealed him, Merlox soon found that a flaming support beam had fallen from the roof directly toward his foe, who had either barely squirted away or had been crushed beneath the architectural piece's flaming girth.
Of course, this meant that his house was beginning to fall apart, and Merlox would have to flee at once if he wanted to escape with his life. Hoping that his opponent wasn't lulling him into a false sense of security, Merlox leaped out from behind the sofa and made a mad dash for the nearest exist. This, however, happened to be the large segment of wall his foe had blasted open to gain entry, and Merlox found it blocked by a fallen grandfather clock that was flaming mercilessly, much like the rest of the room. Turning, the Shaman raced for a hallway to his right, ducking away from a nearby bookshelf that had been tipping toward him. Darting into the hall, Merlox found himself leaking sweat as he frantically looked about for an exit. It seemed all paths were blocked by flaming obstacles, though, so the Shaman retreated to the depths of his mind.
Thought the spell was neither complex or powerful, it was the most difficult bit of magic Merlox had ever used. He felt completely sapped of energy after he released a blast of energy that tore open the nearest flaming wall, but adrenaline kept him limber and swift. Just as another beam of support came billowing towards him from the ceiling, Merlox pelted through his newly created exit and immediately felt a rush of cool air engulf his body. Keeping a quick pace, the Shaman scanned the nearly barren wasteland of the Ashton outskirts for a suitable resting spot, and decided upon a rusting dumpster that stood a few feet away from a nearby cottage. Merlox felt his feet pound across the sulfuric dirt that layered the ground as he made for the dumpster, and the Shaman exhaled a loud sigh of relief as he reached his new shelter, slumped to the ground, and leaned his back against large trash container.
His relief was short-lived, however; less than ten seconds had passed before another gunshot pierced the night air. The flying lead smacked off the metal surface of the dumpster a foot or so away from Merlox's left hand, and the Shaman quickly retreated further behind his cover.
"Show yourself!" Merlox shouted as two more bullets hammered off the dumpster.
"I'd ask the same of you," a cool female voice replied, and another shot rang out.
"You're armed and I'm not," Merlox responded bitterly.
"Oh, but you are," the voice said. "Though not in the same way I am, I'll admit."
"If you speak of my magic, it's hardly a fair comparison at the moment," Merlox informed.
"Not my problem."
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Three more bullets impacted the dumpster, these only inches away from the Shaman's body, which was positioned at the left end of the trash container.
"Why are you here?" Merlox asked hoarsely as he shifted more toward center of his cover. "Why do you want to kill me?"
"I wish to keep the world ignorant," the voice answered. "Though of what I will not say."
There was a pause, during which Merlox processed this information, then the Shaman questioned, "Where did you get such powerful firearms? They're more efficient than any I have ever come across prior to this engagement."
"I made them myself, if you must know. The idea, however, was not my own; the world connected to Plit–"
"Earth?"
"Yes," the voice acknowledged testily. "They use similar weapons there."
"How do they work?" Merlox asked, eager to keep his foe talking.
"Such a blatant stall tactic," the voice sighed. "I guess it's time I flushed you out."
Merlox heard a soft shuffle of footsteps and gazed upwards as yet another small grenade fell toward him over the top of the dumpster. The Shaman quickly created a strong but brief gust of wind by shooting his arm toward the falling explosive. The grenade was caught in the breeze, and drifted back over the opposite side of the dumpster, where it exploded. Merlox heard a yelp of surprise, and took it as his cue to bolt off. His peripheral vision caught a small dash of flame behind him, and he turned for a moment to catch a glance of his foe, whose appearance had been lit by the explosion. The assassin was a female Paratroopa with long, black hair tied back in a ponytail and clad in a long, gray cloak. Her body was covered in an unthinkable amount of weaponry, including two pistols tucked away on holsters that hung on either side of her belt, a string of grenades hooked to a strap of leather that fell across her chest, and an automatic rifle that she held in her hands.
Looking up from a long scorch mark that ran the length of her left arm, the Paratroopa shook off the searing pain and locked her vision on the escaping Merlox. Darting after him, she withdrew a long clip of ammo from her cloak, popped out her now empty one inside her automatic weapon, and reloaded her firearm. She was only able to get off a short sequence of shots, however, before Merlox suddenly darted from the street he been using to escape into a small, shadowy ally to his left. Holding fire for the moment, the Paratroopa quickly reached the edge of the ally and carefully positioned herself a foot or so from the ally's entrance. Waiting a few seconds, she then peeped her head into the ally. The Paratroopa immediately withdrew it, however, and a large fireball whizzed by her a fraction of a second later.
Shifting tactics, the Paratroopa assassin unclipped another grenade from her chest strap, pulled the pin, and lobbed it quickly into the ally. She heard her explosive bounce several times on the sulfuric ground, then a power blast echoed through the ally. Allowing several seconds to pass, the Paratroopa chanced another look. The alleyway was layered with debris and ruble, but even in the darkness the assassin could see that Merlox was nowhere to be seen. She was puzzled; the ally dead-ended at twenty or so feet with an entire building preventing its progression. Scanning the building, the Paratroopa frowned grimly as she saw one of the building's ground level windows ripped hastily open. Dancing across the scattered debris, the assassin darted nimbly through the deserted alleyway and then took flight, sweeping gracefully into the open window.
Her entrance was met with a yelp of surprise. As the assassin touched down inside the building, she immediately cocked her head to the left and found an elderly Mushroomer some feet away, brandishing a cane at her.
"I've had enough of you freaks barging in here uninvited!" the Mushroomer shouted, making a lethargic lunge in the Paratroopa's direction and waving his cane threateningly.
As the disgruntled Mushroomer reached the assassin and swung his cane at her, she met it with an open palm and wrenched the wooden object out of the aged creature's hands. Throwing it passively aside, the Paratroopa wiped a stray strand of black hair out of eyes and aimed her automatic rifle directly at the Mushroomer's forehead.
"Now that I have your attention," the assassin said smoothly, the Mushroomer staring up at her in a horrified manor, "you can kindly tell me where that other intruded went."
"Th-That way!" the aged Mushroomer sputtered, pointing a wrinkled hand toward one of the two doors that existed inside the room. "It leads to the first floor hallway! This is an old folk's home, you know. That's why I'm all uppity because it's wrong to startle the elderly, breaking into their homes and almost given' them heart attacks, and–"
Having heard enough, the Paratroopa kneed the old Mushroomer in the face and beat her wings rapidly, raising herself a foot or so off the ground. She then sprang for the doorway the Mushroomer had indicated and plowed through it. Zipping quickly through the narrow hall that she had just entered, the assassin's wings carved elegantly through the air as she streaked past several dozen numbered doors and toward a larger one that stood ajar. Sweeping through it, a sudden pain erupted through the Paratroopa's body, and the assassin was knocked from the air and tumbled to the ground. On her feet in an instant, the assassin quickly batted away a small fireball billowing in her direction with the butt of her automatic rifled, and rose into the air once more, her wings sweeping out clouds of sulfuric dust from underneath her. As an additional pair of small magic projectiles passed underneath her, the Paratroopa shifted the direction of her gun's barrel down toward Merlox, who was pelting madly down the street he occupied presently and toward the edge of town.
The assassin fired, keeping the trigger held down as she traced her target's movements with the direction of the weapon's barrel. Merlox avoided the first group of bullets by making quick swerves to the left and right, but the shots kept coming, forcing him to pour nearly all of his remaining energy into a grand beam of magic that blasted from the palm of his hand and knocked the bits of lead flying toward him astray. As the remaining bullets fell, the Shaman noticed that the Paratroopa was hastily attempting to reload her firearm, which was once again drained of ammo. Continuing to pour energy into his beam, Merlox thrust his arm toward the old folks' building and swung his blast of magic across its face. Debris hurtled from the building, and a large chunk of metal caught the assassin just as she was aiming down at Merlox. The rest of the building came with it, and the Paratroopa was soon covered in an immense pile of rubble.
"I'm terribly sorry," Merlox apologized in a soft rasp to the occupants of the old folks' home.
And with that, the Shaman turned and limped off in the direction he had been heading. It was then that Merlox was knocked unconscious by a beam of emerald light that hurtled from the sky.
Chapter 8: Roguish Behavior
As the motorboat shared between Yoshi and Mecha Guy collided with something invisible in the darkness, both comrades were flung violently from the craft and splashed into the shadowy water. Yoshi was the first to surface, shivering a great deal as he tread water and scanned the moonlit ocean for signs of his partner. After a moment, he spotted Mecha Guy some feet away, trashing oddly about in salty water and apparently having trouble staying above the surface. As the dino swam quickly toward him, he noticed the problem instantly: the Shyster's heavy tool box was weighing him down. Yoshi reached the Shy Guy, felt around for the rectangular metal object held by the Shyster, and wretched it from his grasp. The dino, staying afloat with relative ease even with the additional weight, grinned down at his comrade as he thrashed about a moment more until he finally realized his ability to stay above water was no longer hampered.
"Um, thanks," Mecha Guy said, looking up at Yoshi. "But dangit, I told you to turn the light on."
Yoshi snorted. "Yeah, you told me all right, about two seconds before we ran into whatever it is that we ran into."
"What?" Mecha Guy exclaimed, raising both arms upward for a moment before returning them to the sea. "Where were those lightning fast hero reflexes, hm?"
"Even if I had applied those," Yoshi replied, humoring the eccentric Shyster, "there was no time to do anything about it anyway. No way we could have steered out of the way fast enough; the ship was moving too rapidly. Besides," Yoshi glanced around at the unlit area, "Rogueport gets quite a bit of sea commerce, doesn't it? Why don't they have any harbor lights?"
It was if the Gods themselves had heard the waterlogged dino; a second or so after Yoshi asked his question, the tremendous sound of an enormous switch being flipped rang through the evening air. Slowly, several light sources came to life some twenty or so feet away from the two comrades' present position. With them appeared the Rogueport harbor area, which had seemingly seeped into view from out of nowhere.
"Got 'em working again!" a gruff voice called from the harbor.
"That's a relief!" responded a second. "Hope no one was hurt!"
Mecha Guy blinked, his sour expression hidden by his mask. "You have got to be kidding me."
~*-*~
"Are you sure Torshi's all right?" Alishi asked for what could have been the hundredth time.
"Yes, we're quite sure," Captain Valshi replied patiently.
Both Yoshis sat comfortably in the Captain's Quarters of the Crooked Gobbler in large, leather armchairs. Several small spires of flame flickered and cracked in a fireplace at the far corner of the small room, which was also home to several intricate pieces of mostly wooden furniture. A small, single bed had been placed nearby a small, neatly polished circular table that stood between the two Yoshis. Additionally, several beautifully crafted watercolor paintings of the Crooked Gobbler itself hung from the walls of the room. Valshi noticed Alishi staring at one of them with starry eyes and grinned.
"That would be Splurge," Valshi informed. "He's the First Mate. Got a bit of an artistic side to him."
"He's very good," Alishi praised, glancing about at the other paintings.
"I'm sure he'd be happy to hear you say that," Valshi said.
There was a pause, and Alishi pried her eyes from the watercolor works and locked them on Captain Valshi, who was staring at her intently.
"So, you're a pirate," she said finally. "How come you haven't, you know, made us walk the plank or something?"
Valshi chuckled lightly. "Ah, well, your view of pirates seems very misguided, I fear. You see, while we are indeed vile cutthroats on many occasions, it's usually only because we benefit from acting in such a way. I see no way we could benefit from making you and your partner walk the plank, so there's no reason for us to."
"Why'd you rescue us, then?" Alishi asked. "Certainly we aren't benefiting you in any way, are we?"
"Well, I believe I owe that," Valshi said with a smile, "to my soft spot for pretty female Yoshis."
Alishi blushed. "It was very kind of you to help us."
"It's not a hassle for us, to be sure," Valshi said. "What happened to you, anyway? Take a spill off that cruise ship up ahead?"
"Torshi did," Alishi explained. "I went in after him, though."
"How'd he slip?"
"He... tripped," Alishi said evasively.
"Ah," Valshi said, a tiny flicker of doubt rippling across his handsome features.
There was another pause, which Alishi broke a moment or so later by asking, "So where's the boat heading now, exactly?"
"We'll be hitting Toad Town eventually," Valshi answered. "In the short term, however, we're about to engage the ship you just vacated."
"Engage?" Alishi echoed. "What'd you mean by that?"
The Yoshi pirate captain smirked. "Just be glad you're not on it anymore."
~*-*~
Dribbling large quantities of water onto the scummy ground, both Yoshi and Mecha Guy pulled themselves out of the ocean and onto the landmass known as Rogueport.
"I'd like to have my toolbox back," Mecha Guy told his partner, extending a hand.
"Here," Yoshi said distractedly, handing the metal object over as he glanced toward the set of long, wooden piers that thrust toward the sea.
"You see their boat?" Mecha Guy questioned.
"Yeah," Yoshi said after a moment, motioning an arm toward a small motorboat docked at one of the piers that was identical to the one they themselves had just crashed.
"Well," Mecha Guy proclaimed, casting the area a weary look, "we're going to have a whale of a time finding those guys, aren't we?"
"Seems that way," Yoshi agreed. "But we've got to start somewhere."
Shaking off some of the aquatic substance that still clung to his skin, Yoshi led Mecha Guy toward the flight of stone stares that led from the harbor to Rogueport's main plaza. Mecha Guy thought briefly that the harbor was oddly deserted; during the various other occasions the Shyster had visited, the area had been teaming with Bob-omb sailors and other such sea dogs. With a shrug, the yellow clad Shy Guy settled on the idea that no one had wanted to stick around during the harbor light malfunction.
"One of these guys probably saw those Koopa thieves pass through here," Yoshi predicted, stepping into the plaza and peering around at the several Rogueport folk that stood nearby, their rough features illuminated by street lamps. "You think we should ask them?"
"Yes," Mecha Guy replied. "Everything around here costs money, though; even information. We'll have to be willing to part with a couple coins if we want to know where they went.
"Whatever," Yoshi said, clomping up to the nearest figure, who was a grisly-looking Goomba.
"What'dya want?" the Goomba growled.
"You see a group of three black-shelled Koopas pass through here?" Yoshi asked.
"No," the Goomba answered quickly.
Yoshi turned to Mecha Guy and shrugged, but the Shyster rolled his eyes and pushed past the dino, drawing something from a pocket or his soggy yellow robe while doing so.
"You sure?" Mecha Guy pressed the Goomba, visibly waving a single shining coin in his right hand.
"Add three to that offer and I'll tell you where they went," the Goomba said, eyeing the gold.
"Done," Mecha Guy agreed. "I'll give you this coin now, and then the rest once we hear what you've got to say."
"Fine," the Goomba said, and Mecha Guy threw the coin at his feet. He skillfully pocketed the gold by flipping it into his pocket by use of his feet, and informed, "They came into the plaza about fifteen minutes ago. One of them was carrying a big sack 'a cash that everybody was eyeing. They didn't stick around much; they headed for the Glitzville Blimp Service right away."
"And that's all you know?" Mecha Guy questioned.
"Yes."
"Very well," Mecha Guy said, forking over the rest of his promised coinage and turning to Yoshi.
"To Glitzville, then?" Yoshi asked.
"It's not that easy," Mecha Guy replied, shaking his head. "There's only one person I know that can get us tickets, and... uh..."
"And... uh... what?" Yoshi questioned, his voice etched with suspicion.
"Well," Mecha Guy said finally, "let's just say this person and I aren't on very good terms."
Yoshi cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"
~*-*~
Torshi awoke suddenly to the sound of booming cannon shot. He jerked his head up and quickly glanced around, his head aching horribly. For a moment he sat there not really thinking much of anything as his brain felt like it was being beaten with a large club. As the pain in his head subsided, he began to digest his surroundings. He found himself in a tiny room lit by a single lantern that hung from the ceiling, a smal,l wooden shelf on his left and a simple, rectangular table to his right. Throwing off the sheets that covered him, he dropped from the bed he had woken up in and tried to collect his thoughts. He had been on the Luv Bote with Alishi... they had rode an elevator to the upper deck... they had watched the sun set... then they had–
Another cannon fired. Since when did the Luv Bote have cannons? Was he even on the Luv Bote anymore?
The crimson-skinned dino stumbled across the room, knocking his shins into several objects before he reached a battered wooden door on the far side of the room. He groped around in the semidarkness for a moment to find the door handle, then swung open the door and crossed the threshold. Salty night air fell over his body, and he could see dozens of shapes – Goombas, Koopas, Boos, Yoshis – scrambling around. More cannons fired, and Torshi staggered to the right and nearly fell to the floor as the surface he stood upon pitched violently.
Then Alishi was suddenly at his side, embracing him and kissing him, and he felt a hundred times better.
"What's going on?" he murmured as soon as he could find his voice.
"Well, after you fell off the boat–"
"How'd that happen again?" Torshi cut in weakly.
"Some weird green light that fell from the sky smashed into you," Alishi informed delicately. "Naturally, I went after you, but when I got to your body, the Luv Bote had already left us way behind."
"Then where are we?"
"The Crooked Gobbler," Alishi replied. "It's a pirate ship. The crew spotted us in the water and brought us aboard."
"Why?" Torshi asked. "What do they want with us?"
"I'm not sure."
"Where are they heading?"
"Captain Valshi said we'd reach Mushroom Kingdom eventually," Alishi answered. "Apparently they're pillaging the Luv Bote right now, though."
"Really?" Torshi stammered. "They're–?"
But the crimson-skinned Yoshi never had a chance to finish his inquiry, for at that precise moment, a lime green-colored Boo in a brown bandana armed with a cutlass had teleported to their side.
"You two need to hide yourselves," the Boo commanded. "Our target's security forces are a little... tougher then we bargained for. They're boarding the Gobbler as we speak, and I don't want you guys to get caught in the crossfire. So hurry, get below–"
But the green specter had been cut off as well by a tiny, golden star that had been streaking toward him and missed his head by inches. Immediately the Boo turned and saw a pair of Mushroomer security officers, clad in gray jackets and armed with Star-pistols, hurrying towards him, their firearms raised. Without a second's hesitation, the ghost pirate launched himself toward the two attackers, hacking through a star shot at him by one of the Mushroomers. As the Boo turned himself transparent to avoid another volley of blasts, then gouged the nearest foe with his blade, Torshi felt Alishi tugging at his arm.
"We have to hide!" she exclaimed, and he followed her as she pulled him along.
In front of them was a large, open part of the deck that was littered with the two combating forces. Beyond all the chaos, both Yoshis could see a large flight of stairs that undoubtedly led bellow deck. Alishi and Torshi exchanged a brief nod and then sprinted toward the stairway, leaping over fallen bodies and ducking blasts from the Star-pistols. Then, with only a quarter of the deck left to travel, a Koopa pirate that had been hit by a one of the numerous flying stars fell to the floor directly in front of Alishi, who tripped over the body and slammed face-first onto the deck. Torshi noticed immediately and screeched to a halt, lunging forward and planting a ferocious kick onto the face of a Mushroomer who had been aiming down at Alishi with one of his blasters.
Swearing, the Mushroomer lost the grip on his weapon and fell to the floor. The Star-pistol clattered to the ground as Torshi helped Alishi to her feet, and the crimson-skinned dino then plucked the firearm from the ground and the two Yoshis kept moving. Torshi was forced to blast an additional Mushroomer out of the way with his new weapon as he and Alishi drew closer to the stairway, and he bowled a final foe to the ground as the two of them swept below deck. They waited just bellow the stairs as cries of anguish and the roar of cannons echoed through the air above them. From time to time, Torshi was forced to take a shot at a Mushroomer looking to join them below deck, but apart from that, the two Yoshis remained unchallenged.
Torshi knew not of how long the battle raged above, but he was aware that Alishi was sleeping in his arms as the sounds of battle finally subsided.