Prologue: Deathnify Waits for No Man
"Another day," the short Bean wearing a black jacket, black jeans, and a red trenchcoat chuckles as he walks down a long flight of stairs into the basement of the Church of the Stone, "another death."
This Bean's name is, at least to the members of the church, C.P. Cornello, but he is much better known to the rest of the world as Popple, the rogue thief who stalks pirates in hopes of killing them for his own gain... or at least that's how he used to be. Now, he spends his time on other matters... much more important ones at that. As Popple walks down the lengthy staircase, he counts out what he's achieved thus far.
"Hmm... that Toad in the grocery store... that alligator... that Boo girl... some Yoshi... Black Scorpion 5... a Jawful... just one more, and I know who that's going to be," Popple sneers as he descends the stairs. He finally reaches his destination, an old wooden door that lies at the bottom. The Bean grips the doorknob and turns it, pushing the door in before entering.
"Ninjal!" the Bean yells to his right-hand man, "It is time at last! Go get you-know-who and bring him here alive! So help me, if he dies before he gets here I will-" but Popple stops in mid-sentence, knowing the green Ninji is not likely to mess up.
"Got it, boss!" Ninjal salutes before disappearing in his trademark cloud of smoke. Popple coughs due to the smoke, but upon recovery sits down on a small stool in the room, anxious for his hand-picked apprentice to return. Anxious to achieve creation of the stone.
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"Beldam!" Ms. Mowz shouts out while her, Eggo, and Koops give chase to the oldest Shadow Siren. Goombella is not with them at the moment (she's at home taking care of her newborn daughter), and Vivian is currently back at the place where the heroes set up camp, getting everything packed up for them to move on. It is around 6:30 in the morning, a light snow falling all about the ground and coating it in a white powder. The day is December 18. The heroes continue to chase Beldam through the snow as she slides forward, confusing them by her neither entering the Shadows or turning into a bat.
When the heroes got up several hours ago, they didn't go out in an attempt to find Beldam; though that's what their main motive for being out and about at this time of year is, they had actually gone out for firewood. But none of that matters now, as their goal is right in front of them, seemingly begging to be finished off.
Eggo, seeing an opening during the chase, thrusts an egg forward. The projectile hits Beldam in the back of the head, knocking her face-first into the snow-coated ground and putting an end to the chase, at least for now. All three walk over and take the opportunity to hold Beldam down.
"So, I guess this is how it ends?" Beldam asks sarcastically as the three hold her down. "Very well."
Suddenly, all three heroes jump off as they feel an icy tingle. They look to see that Beldam is freezing herself, seemingly deciding to end things on her own rather than allow the good guys to do the job. After all but the black hat atop her head is frozen, the Beldam ice-sculpture shatters, a purple vapor rising from the ice and seemingly entering the hat, though none of the heroes think much of it.
"We did it!" Koops exclaims. "We finally did it!"
"Did what?" they hear behind them. They turn to see their friend Vivian, and all three practically collapse upon realizing, all at the same time, that they just killed their friend's sister just one week before Christmas.
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Kooper Koopa sits in a small chair in his living room, sighing out of boredom as no events worth checking out have gone on for quite a while. This is starting to become to become quite monotonous to Kooper, what with basically all major evils destroyed, Ludwig not up to much of anything, and no major geographic events going on either.
"I really need something to occupy myself with," the Koopa mumbles before standing up and walking into his storage room, where he keeps trinkets from past trips gathered.
"Books, rock samples, maps, huh? I don't recall getting this..." The Koopa picks the object up, recognizing it as the staff he saw lying among the rubble from a fire two years ago.
"Now that I think about it... I remember grabbing this now." Kooper sighs and places it back, turning around to see a short Toad with a yellow-spotted green hat and short blonde hair poking out from underneath it. The Toad also wears a buttoned-up shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes sir, I believe you can. See, my name is Blanka Micha, and this guy I know's been talking crazy about how he wants to go out and get some excitement. Knowing this guy, his idea of excitement is causing decapitations left and right, so I was hoping you could go out and do what you can to stop the guy before it's too late." The Toad has an odd accent, like a southern twang of sorts.
"How do you know this man, and can I get a name?"
"I know him as a... business partner. I buy things, he sees to it they are guarded. And his name... Dante Noferis."
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"So, who all have you rounded up so far?" Kooper asks of Goombario over the phone whilst juggling both a pen and a pad of paper as well as the phone, on the paper studying details given to him by Blanka and underlining those most important to the case.
"Well, I've called everybody. Sushie is visiting her daughter, Parakarry needs to work, Bombette has a cold, Watt has plans, and Lakilester is busy taking Lakilulu on a vacation. So that means there's you, me, and Bow."
"That should be enough for a simple murder mystery."
"I definitely hope so. Otherwise, this guy could cause some serious trouble."
"It won't happen. Call Bow and tell her to be here as quick as she can get here. You're close by as well, so come here as well. I'll review the case then."
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"This... has... to... stop..." Prince Peasley of the Beanbean Kingdom pants as he stumbles into the Beanbean Castle. A concerned Lady Lima watches from the archway leading into the throne room.
"What's all this about anyway? Why are these guys so obsessed with killing you?"
"It's a long story. You remember when I disappeared two years ago?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well, as I've told you before, I had been kidnaped by a guy named Popple, a.k.a. the Pirate Hunter, and escaped with a sneak attack and stole his boat. What I didn't mention is that he is a leading member of some cult, the Brothers of the Stone, who believe in using some mythical stone to make a world of gold. They're the ones who've been hunting me, as they see me as a threat to their rather ridiculous goal. He is the sole owner of the knowledge containing its alleged creation, so naturally they're all at his beck-and-call."
"Something has to change," the old Bean says in response. "Maybe if you eliminate the Pirate Hunter, the rest will fall."
"That's a good idea. In fact, it's a capital idea! Go send a charter out announcing a 100,000 coin bounty on Popple's head!"
"100,000? That's a bit much..."
"Exactly. It will allow us to eliminate him as soon as can be arranged." Lady Lima nods in response, then hurries off to carry out the task. As Peasley stands in the doorway, satisfied with the idea of finally getting Popple out of his hair, he begins to cough from smoke filling the room. He feels two arms grabbing hold of him, and both he and the Ninji behind him disappear in a blast of smoke.
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Iron. He hates the substance, mainly due to his history with it... No matter. The man dismisses the particular material of the lock on the door of the church and walks inside after shattering it. He sees a huge pillar up front, and a huge mural of a red stone surrounded by animals hangs above it, casting its gaze down upon the pews within.
"Well, Deathnify, looks like you hit the jackpot," the man tells himself, sitting down in a row of the seats and inspecting the place more thoroughly. No expense had been saved on the church; all of the walls are painted fabulously and many fine pieces of artwork hang above it. The pews are well cushioned, the material of the lining of which is not surprisingly painted gold. The floors are marble, and all the building appears moreso as the sight of a rich king's court than a bunch of greedy outcasts' church. Most noticeably to Deathnify, there is an X of swords on one wall. Not a painting, like a lot of places have, but actual swords, held into the wall with indentations and the top sword held over the bottom with a clear piece of tape. It'd probably be a very nice and popular place, if not for the fact that it's located in the middle of woods claimed to be haunted by the vengeful ghosts of Cackletta and Fawful, as well as the fact that it is owned by a radical cult.
"Shame I'm gonna have to mess this place
up," the demon snickers as he pulls himself up, grabs one of the two swords,
and gets to walking down a long flight of stairs, "but immortality has
a price."
Chapter 1: Catch Your Deathnify
"So then she just shattered," Ms. Mowz explains to her friend, finishing up a very tense explanation. They are all sitting on logs at their campsite, Beldam's black hat lying on the ground before them.
...
"Vivian?" Eggo asks, concerned as are the others. "Are you all right?"
"I don't know how to take this," she responds, her voice sounding like she's a bit choked up and might start crying any minute. "On one hand, she wanted to kill me. But she was my sister. But it had to be done. But she..." The Shadow Siren stops and buries her face into her hands, exasperated.
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"Is everything a go?" a young Koopa girl asks of her minions. She is wearing a long, flowing green robe with yellow lines appearing on it like some sort of connect-the-dots-like design, forming something of a spider web. She wears a purplish pink metallic helmet, and long blue hair emerges from within it and forms a ponytail that hangs above the girl's head.
"Everything is bouncing!" Mack replies while studying a list of needed materials, while Bowyer and Sharm both sit on a bench dishing out orders to more miscellaneous men.
"Sister of yours she is how?" Bowyer asks of his Shaman companion, confused to this day about how Shwerm and Sharm are related.
"Adopted sister," Sharm replies. "Now get back to work. It is time we carry out the plan." Yes, the plan. It isn't an ordinary plan but an evil plan. And not just any evil plan, but an exceptionally evil one.
"All right, so we've got it down to this," the Koopa girl points out. "Mack, Bowyer, you two go out and fetch for me a Starman, a Crescent Moon, a Magic Lamp, a diamond necklace, and a Philosopher's Stone. Sharm, find the spell we need."
"Problem," the bouncing knife points out, causing all eyes in the room to turn to him.
"Problem? What kind of problem?"
"First of all, where are we supposed to find a Starman and how are we supposed to keep its effects going until we get it back here?"
"There are ways. Don't come in direct contact."
"All right then, what about a Magic Lamp? Those things disappeared years ago, and could be extremely hard to find."
"Go to the Dry, Dry Desert. There should be one there for sale in town somewhere."
"Okay, and what about this Philosopher's Stone? It takes forever to create one, and even if we had the time, none of us knows how!"
"I hear two guys are going after it right now," the Koopa replies. "Wait until one of them gets it, then steal it when he least expects it."
"Nyah!" Bowyer interrupts. "A Crescent Moon no one has been seeing since 1991 the year at least!"
"Ugh," the Koopa witch sighs. "Just go and do it!" She turns to her brother and sarcastically remarks, "You have horrible taste in flunkies."
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"So you finally decided to join us, Mr. Bean?" Popple taunts Peasley while staggering around the room gleefully. "Good for you! You have the unique honor of being the last in my quest for the stone!"
"You're insane, you know that?" Peasley snaps while tied with chains into a chair in the small basement room. Ninjal has already left, at Popple's request.
"Insane for gold! Gold, food, and power! It's a trinity of greatness, and it's all one stab away!" Popple walks toward Peasley, raising his sword and laying the blade just an inch or two from Peasley's throat before pulling back and lowering the weapon to his side. "But I'm not going to do that, because I want you to suffer! I want you to know just what the world would be like if I was in charge, since you'll be dead whenever I actually am."
Both suddenly hear a voice behind them, saying simply in a twisted yet intellectual voice, "You're a twisted little freak, Popple." This causes the Bean to turn, noticing the 5'10" demonic Deathnify standing in the doorway, one of the swords in his left hand.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Popple asks, diverting attention away from Peasley.
"I have many names. Dante Noferis, Speed Deathmask, the Demon of the Mist, Death-Defiance. But you can call me Deathnify."
"What a stupid name. I guess it's fitting for you to have a stupid name, since you look like some time of demented mime, you freak!"
"Freak. I've heard it a lot, really. I was a freak when I was the only 5'10" guy in a pack of 6'7" and 6'8" demons. I was a freak when I won a tournament of said demons, and even beat their warlord. I was a freak when I spared that warlord due to my personal sense of honor, despite all he had put me through. I was a freak when I singlehandedly slaughtered 90 percent of Ludwig's army. But considering how much of a gluttonous, lustful, self-loving, overbearing, vengeful, wicked, maniacal, greedy, envious pig you are, I can't say you're in a position to judge me."
That bounty really didn't take long... Peasley smirks while watching the events unfolding. Deathnify suddenly leaps at Popple, launching into a frenzy of back-and-forth swings of blades, steel meeting steel in a clash of titans.
"No one can best me!" Popple taunts while starting to gain an upper hand, fighting with a furious frenzy unmatched by any other.
"I guess I'm no one then!" Deathnify shouts back while trying to put up a fight of his own but ultimately doing well in merely blocking Popple, much less attempting to launch a counterattack.
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"So here's all the info I got," Kooper
tells Bow and Goombario before laying down the notepad in front of them.
His name is Dante Noferis.
He prefers to work alone.
He has a paralyzing fear of masks.
He goes by the name "Deathnify".
He believes in the Philosopher's Stone.
He is an intellectual.
He dislikes salt.
He is nomadic, but usually stays within
Sarasaland.
He keeps a log of all events he carries
out.
His birthday is February 9.
He wears leather armor and a blue cape,
and he has white skin that makes him look like a mime.
"Not a whole lot to go on," Bow comments, "I never did like having to fill in the blanks. Takes too long."
"So says she who has an eternity to spend on doing it," Goombario jokes before adding in his two cents. "What is there is pretty solid. We could probably find him rather easily."
"Exactly. So let's hurry up and find this guy before he does anyone in."
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"Die!" Deathnify yells while chasing Popple up the ridiculously long flight of stairs, his sword pointed straight ahead in case Popple slows or falls. He is showing no sign of doing either, instead rushing up at a rate the same as Deathnify. "Die and leave the stone to be my possession and only my possession!"
The two finally both reach the top of the stairs, where Popple immediately rushes behind the altar, crawling through a small crawl space inside that leads to a warp pipe. Seeing Popple's trick, Deathnify follows along by morphing into a Monty Mole. He emerges to find himself on a highway, where Popple stands before him with the sword pointed. Deathnify resumes his true form and restarts the clash.
"What is wrong with you?" Popple asks. "The stone is within my grasp! Gold is within my grasp!"
"What good is gold when you have immortality?" the demon shouts in response, mainly to express his opinions but also to get over the sound of the blades' constant hitting.
"It's not so much the goods as it is the substance, see?" Popple snickers in response while continuing to unleash a reign of strikes that would overwhelm any fighter not properly prepared to encounter it. "I love the sight of gold, so what would be better?"
"Foolish pest," Deathnify replies sternly. "Gold is nothing. Immortality is the stone's only true gift, its only true offering that makes the ordeal worthwhile." While the demon is saying this, Popple takes the opportunity to jam his sword into Deathnify's left leg, causing the demon to fall to one knee in agony.
"Is that really all you have to offer?" Popple asks before grabbing onto the sword in Deathnify's leg and withdrawing it, drawing a tense moan from Noferis. "How pathetic."
"The leg's... not... going to work," Deathnify mumbles, out of it due to the pain, "but immortality... is... worth it..." The demon manages to use his right leg to propel his body forward, tackling Popple and sending both villains rolling down a small hill on the highway in front of them. They land in a crumpled heap, Popple being the quicker of the two to get up, then grabbing his demon adversary by the hair, all while the people in town watch in awe.
"You want immortality? How about eternity!?" The Bean drags Dante into a small factory just next to them, throwing him into the wall to the left of the door before taking a stab at Dante's left shoulder, surprisingly hearing the sound of metallic clanging when the blade fails to enter.
"Lost it... to Brother... Used steel as a substitute bone..." Deathnify mutters dazedly, still struggling from both pain and blood loss. Popple kicks him in the wound, then begins to climb up a ladder quickly, trying to bait the demon into a trap up above. Deathnify grabs onto the bars and pulls himself up as well, there reduced to fighting on his right knee with the already tough Popple.
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"And... done!" Bow exclaims, laying down a pencil and a sheet of paper in front of Kooper. "Finally. I really don't like doing these concept things..."
Kooper gasps upon looking at the picture, then erases the nose and draws it a bit smaller. He finally adds a large fang to each end of the mouth.
"What was that for?" Bow asks.
"Yeah, for real," Goombario adds in, before Kooper holds up the revised drawing to show the two.
"I know this guy. We met once, at that fire two years back. He told me something about this stick I found... he told me to bring it when we met again."
"You don't think-" Bow starts, but is cut off.
"I do. I think that stick might be able to lead us on our way to find him."
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"What did you send them to get those things for anyway? What does all this have to do with gaining control of Plit?" Sharm asks of his sister.
"I sent them to get them because they are necessary in order to make the Da Carta Hat, which can alter reality."
"Alter reality? How's that?"
"Well, it basically grants wishes. Raising the dead, achieving immortality, winning the lottery, it's all possible with this wondrous device! Of course, by the time you've gotten the stone, there's no real point in it normally, but it can do something for us the stone cannot."
"I know whatch're thinking, Shwerm."
"Exactly. And, word of advice, I prefer Kaguya. Much more of a super-villainess name, don'tcha think?"
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"Why-" a kick to Deathnify, "won't-" right-foot stomped onto Deathnify's corresponding hand, "you die?!" Popple grabs Deathnify by the hair once more, laying his head on the bottom of two safety bars.
"One little thrust and it is over. I'd say you count, huh?" Popple asks, laughing. Just as Deathnify's eyes start to close, Popple turns his attention to a man who presumably owns the plant, staring at him furiously.
"My factory! I'll see both of you in
cour-" but he never finishes, thanks to Popple and a well-placed throw
of his sword. Popple sees something forming in his hands, and begins laughing
hysterically, which allows Deathnify, with his last ounce of strength,
to rush forward and use his metallic shoulder to send Popple flying off
the side of the balcony and into a vat of oil below, his Philosopher's
Stone being dropped in the process and landing on the floor of the building.
As Popple's screams fill the factory, Deathnify somehow manages to climb
down the ladder and limp to the pipe, though he fails to notice the stone
due to it sliding underneath the vat Popple had landed inside, and he himself
not knowing Popple had it.
Chapter 2: Insanee-ty
"Well, so now what are we going to do?" asks Ms. Mowz of the others while she and her friends walk through the snow-frosted woods some six hours or so later. "We've been chasing her for so long..."
"True," Koops answers. "I guess we might as well return home... for good this time."
"I don't think we're going to have the time," Vivian interrupts. The girl is now wearing her sister's black hat over top of her own. Once everyone turns to her direction, she points them to a hill just ahead of them on which stands both Mack and Bowyer.
"Nyah! Them we found, looks like we did!" Bowyer begins a flurry of arrows, while Mack stays out of it so as to keep the Starman in a small bag hanging on his handle from falling off. Vivian incinerates an arrow coming her way, Koops ducks into his shell, and Eggo and Ms. Mowz both do backflips to get out of the way.
"Leave them be, Bowyer," Mack tells his companion. "Until they start bouncing up the wrong tree, they're of no concern. We need to get that hat!"
"Enough of fairness then all right." Both villains turn and scurry off into the distance.
"I guess that answers our question," Eggo says to the others. "We might as well take them out too."
"Why bother?" Ms. Mowz asks in response. "Those two are so incompetent I doubt they'd be able to pull anything off without Cackletta or Beldam there to help, and both of them are dead."
Vivian breaks in, "Not quite. I heard them say something about a hat. Chances are, they're talking about the Da Carta Hat. We need to stop them from-" but she stops, realizing that there is a small, small chance of using this to her advantage.
"We need to stop them from using it."
"Why is that?" Eggo asks. "It's just a stupid hat!"
"Don't kid yourself. This hat can do anything... they could use it to bring back Cackletta, to take over the world, or to wish us to our graves. Or worse yet... they could bring back their former master."
"Former?" Koops wonders aloud. "What former master? I thought they always worked for Cackletta."
"Nope. Before working for Cackletta, they worked for a guy named Smithy. The Gate was his place of residence, until he launched an attack and was killed during the war in a five-on-one assault that he barely lost. If you thought Cackletta was tough, we'd be annihilated in a fight with Smithy."
"Smithy has nothing to do with our plans."
This causes the heroes to turn to the source of the voice, seeing the cloaked figure of Sharm standing behind them, leaning against a tree.
"You!" Eggo shrieks, still harboring a grudge against the Shaman.
"Relax, I'm not here to start a fight. We're just trying for something a bit more... appetizing than anything you all thought of."
"Like what?" Ms. Mowz asks on behalf of the group.
"Simple, girl, simple. We want to do something that not even such mystical tools as the Star Rod or the Beanstar can do. We're wanting to wipe out all of Plit and rebuild it with only myself, my sister, those two buffoons, and all of our minions. Of course, other beings will be created as well, but they will serve as our companions, until we eventually conquer Earth as well, and then the Shadows."
"You idiot!" Vivian exclaims. "You know exactly what will happen if you combine-"
"Of course I know what will happen. That's exactly why we're not going to combine them, keeping them separate so we may rule over all of reality forevermore." Eggo dives forward in an attempt to attack, but the Shaman pulls himself into the Shadows before giving the Yoshi the chance.
"It's amazing how we just jump from one to another like this," Koops sighs.
"Might as well go after them. Try to stop things before it's too late to do anything," Vivian says, though she is considering allowing them to make the hat and then stealing it before they get the chance to use it. She's not gone yet... Not yet...
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A young, 20-something year-old Toad girl named Toaditra with a pink-spotted purple hat, looking a bit like that of a Shroob, walks through the Glitz & Glamour mall in Glitzville, eyeing the many stores within her sight. Makeup, cosmetics, clothing outlets, it's all a girl's dream, especially someone like hers.
"It's tough being beautiful," she sighs, amused by the idea, then walks into a clothing store. Outside, a short, white-faced man stands, reading a newspaper.
"Here we go," Deathnify snickers, waiting for his chance to strike.
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"So you saw the murderer?" Goombario asks of Prince Peasley as the two, along with several police, some onlookers, and Kooper and Bow stand looking inside the small factory. The bodies of both Popple and the owner have already been taken out.
"I did," the prince responds. "He killed Popple after I put a bounty on him, thereby making him officially just following a government-issued request. But when he came back and untied me, he mentioned not needing the money, and that he had his own reasons. I'm not sure what all of this was about, but it's odd, whatever it is. He had a wound in his right arm and left leg, and I helped him patch those up before he left."
"Weird," Kooper replies. "Apparently, the weapon that killed the owner belonged to Popple. Chances are, he's probably the one who killed him. What did the killer look like?"
"He was kinda short, kinda thin, had a pure white face."
"Did he look anything like this?" Bow asks before holding up the concept sketch.
The Bean nods in response. "He looked exactly like that."
"Good, we're getting warmer," Goombario says to the others, knowing they need to hurry up and find this guy.
"Let's hope someone can catch this guy before he kills anyone else. This one was legal, but I'm sure the rest will not be," Kooper tells his two comrades, drawing a nod from each.
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"Back already?" Kaguya asks, seeing Mack and Bowyer entering her chambers. "Excellent! Maybe you two aren't as worthless as I thought!" She hops out of her chain and runs over, grabbing the bag on Mack's handle and looking inside.
...
"Idiots!"
"Wrong is what?" Bowyer asks for the duo.
"Why bother bringing each back individually? Ugh! Go get the other four, and don't come back until you have every bit of it!" She thrusts the bag onto the floor, then flops back into her chair, Mack and Bowyer rushing out of the room to get the job done.
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"So, how do they go about creating this hat anyway?" Koops asks Vivian as the two, along with Ms. Mowz and Eggo, walk through the thick, snow-covered woods of the backcountry of the Beanbean Kingdom.
"Most of the objects needed are pretty common. A Starman, a Crescent Moon, a Magic Lamp, and a diamond necklace. Then there's the last one..."
"And it is?" Eggo pipes in.
"A Philosopher's Stone. Very rare, very valuable, very powerful. There's an extremely specific way to get it, and if you mess it up in the slightest, you have to restart. With how incompetent those two are, it's pretty safe to say they wouldn't be able to create such a stone."
"Then where's the problem?" Ms. Mowz asks. "If they wouldn't be able to create it, what does it matter?"
"Well..." How could she say this without giving away why she really wants to do this? "Well, keep in mind Sharm likely could. He's definitely a very organized and very violent man."
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"All right, Bowyer, where can we find a Crescent Moon?" Mack asks as the two wander their way through the woods on the other side of the lake leading to Kaguya's hideout.
The two suddenly hear a voice emanating from just above them, sounding like someone waiting for an opportunity, "I know where to find one. Why do you ask?" Both look up, seeing a purple Crazee Dayzee sitting upon a tree trunk looking down at them.
"Nyah, being are you who?"
"My name is Insanee, and I'm willing to offer my... services, if you're willing to do something for me in return."
"What's your bounce?"
"Simple, knife, simple. Two years ago I lost the thing that made me an opera starlet. So all you two need to do is to get it back for me, and I'll help you do whatever it is you're doing."
"Didn't Beldam take that from you?" Mack asks, seeming to recall being told about something like this.
"You know that witch?"
"Not personally... We used to be enslaved by her, but we were freed and I'm pretty sure she's dead now."
"What happened to my jewel?! I need it!"
"Nyah, to the ocean floor thrown it was a Yoshi by him!"
"Uh... do what?"
"He said a Yoshi threw it to the ocean floor. However, what we're working on will let you bounce that way anyway."
"Fair enough. All right," the Dayzee continues before hopping down from the trunk and landing on her feet. "What do you two need to find?"
"Nyah! A necklace of diamonds, a moon of the crescent, a lamp that is magical, and a stone of philosopher's needing we are!"
"Translator?"
"We need a diamond necklace, a Crescent Moon, a Magic Lamp, and a Philosopher's Stone."
"Crescent Moon, coming up! Let's head over to Woohoo Hooniversity, and I'll show you just where you can find one of those!"
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Toaditra walks throughout the mall, and just as she's about to head up the escalator to the second floor, she spots something by the elevator that makes her heart jump into her throat. Standing next to the elevator, in all his glory, is the ever-famous Zip Toad. She rushes over to the elevator, practically jumping out of her skin at the idea of meeting a Toad she considers so amazingly handsome. She reaches his side as he stands, waiting on the elevator.
"A... are y..you...?" she stutters out, drawing a nod from the other Toad.
"You betcha. Try to keep it down though, don't like to fight the crowd." Both Toads step into the elevator once it finally arrives. On the next floor, Deathnify steps out.