Chapter 46: I Surrender
Redip’s sword connects with Mario’s hand as he holds it up with what energy he has left. The sword presses against the metal and pushes it towards Mario's face.
Redip: How you can still do this is beyond me, but it is very clear this is your end.
Mario: Maybe so... but I won't go down without stalling you a little longer.
Redip: Go ahead! I have loads of time! I plan to make this slow and painful for all of the trouble you've caused.
As Redip’s sword gets closer Warth rampages onto land and swings his fist at the two, Redip barely dodging and Mario just out of range. Redip turns to Warth and begins to shout at him in rage.
Redip: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!
Warth: GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Redip: Oh yes, yes, I totally understand your ear-busting jibberish.
Warths eyes flicker colors as he fights for control of his body. As he does so he mutters several words.
Warth: Mario... tried to save... Stul!
Redip: He did what?
Warth: He... tried to help!
Redip: Meh! Stul was useless. All she did was obsess over her beauty and flirt with guys.
Wrath gasps as Mario slowly crawls into an alley. Redip turns to Mario as Warth’s eyes turn red, and he swats Redip through a building window. Warth proceeds to kick the building so it caves in as Redip climbs out a side window and jumps into the nearby building. As Mario enter the alley he proceeds to find a window to climb in to hide, and goes in the same one as Redip by accident. As Mario crawls to the stairwell, Redip, who is behind him, starts moving in.
Redip: Heh! One traitorous sibling is nothing to the glory that will come from your head on the tip of my sword.
Redip tries to impale Mario, who rolls aside and crawls into an elevator of what now seems to be an office building. Redip runs up the stairs as Mar T. enters the building with Senior. As the quartet run their way around, Warth’s screams can be heard from outside as he peers through windows on all floors trying to find Redip and Mario. Mario’s elevator opens up on the top floor as he crawls out and shoves a wheelchair in the door to stop it from shutting. He then makes his way to the stairwell to the roof.
Mario: I... need more time!
Mario reaches the roof and sits behind the rise of the stairwell to rest and hide. Looking around, he eyes Warth, who stares at him with rage in his eyes before nodding.
Warth: Your words... GGGGRRRRAAAAAHHHH! YOU BETRAYED THE FAMILY! GGGRRRAAAAAHHHHHH! REDIP, YOU BETRAYED OUR TRUST!
Mario panics and shivers as Warth appears to be developing a hatred of Redip for not caring about Stul. The door around the corner blows off its hinges as an enraged Redip storms onto the roof and into Warth’s view. Warth slams his fist into the roof, trying to hit Redip, but misses and gets his fist stuck. Redip looks at Warth and shakes his head.
Redip: Tsk tsk! What to do with you? You were one of the best of us, but because he tried to save Stul you turn to his side! For shame! You're no more than a softhearted, mushy pile of nothing! May you rest in peace in the Overthere now. Jaydes won't accept you for your kindness, but neither will I or the family.
Redip pulls out his sword and begins to slash at Warth’s wrist as he screams violently.
Redip: A big wrist you have, but soon I'll shave it to the bone!
Redip pulls the sword back for a bigger swing, and it is grabbed by Mario! Mario, who is now barely standing, punches Redip in the face, causing him to back up. Mario then begins to pound on him before Redip uses his shell to defend, then he kick Mario in the knee, causing him to kneel down. Mar T. and Senior arrive on the roof just as Redip hauls Mario up and holds him over the roof, prepared to drop him. The two run up and Warth throws out his other hand but Redip performs a side jump and dodges the two-way attack with ease. As Redip lands, Warth swats again and hits them both, so he drops Mario and slides along the edge. Mario, looking over the edge of the thirty floor building, gulps before crawling toward Redip who gets up slowly.
Redip: Gaah! This new world, my healing abilities... They are hindered to that of the living. I am no more than a living mortal now, or so it seems. Curse it all. Curse this world. THIS IS YOUR FAULT!
Redip turns and takes a violent swing at Mario, who grabs the sword and smiles.
Mario: It is my fault... that you lose.
Redip: Hrrm!
Mario twists the sword and Redip gets nudged slightly to the side. In doing so he falls off the edge, but he grabs onto Mario’s hand and begins to drag him over too.
Redip: GAH, YOU FOOL! I'LL TAKE YOU WITH ME!
Mario: Let go, Redip! You'll never pull yourself up!
Redip: I don't want to! I'll live! I know I will! But you, you won't!
Mario: Face it... You will... Your life is like mine now!
Redip: Grrrrr! I'll still take you down with me!
Redip begins to apply more force and Mario is slowly pulled closer to being off the ledge. As his upper torso hangs off the side and Mario hangs on with one hand, Redip swings and grabs onto his foot, dragging Mario off. Mario quickly grabs the edge of the roof to hold himself up.
Redip: You moron! How long can you hold yourself up with my weight pulling you down?
Mario: Not... long!
Mario’s hands begin to slip as Senior and Mar T run up. Mar T grabs Mario’s wrists and tries to help pull him up as Senior smiles and stands on the ledge, looking down at Redip.
Senior: You've done many bad things, it seems. I may not know you but I know enough to know you need to fall, and just you.
Redip: Good luck making that happen, old man!
Senior: I need no luck. Just this little thing the military gave me, called a gun.
Senior pulls out a gun and takes aim at Redip.
Redip: You old coot, you'll never shoot me!
Senior: That would be hard to not do. With you hanging on, you can't dodge. So to you, I say farewell.
Senior fires a bullet, puncturing Redip’s eye with the glass shard. The shard shatters and Redip’s head hangs back.
Redip: You...
Redip loses his grip and plummets the full way down and crashes into ankle-high water flowing from a giant sewage pipe. Laying there, his head tips to the side and faces the opening as the water spills out on his face. Senior pulls Mario up with Mar T. and helps him to his feet.
Mar T: Mario, are you all right?
Mario: Heh... Yeah, I'll live. I just need to keep off my feet. Sorry! I really am! I wish I could have helped.
Mar T: You did, Mario. You did help us a lot.
Senior: That turtle thing is no more.
Looking over the side, they see the water flowing by and nothing below.
Senior: HE'S GONE!
Mario: Haha, don't worry. I'd go into, detail but it would be hard... but... he turns to ash and bones instantly upon death!
Senior: Wha? Ummm, if you say so. I wouldn't know about the species on the other side of the pipe!
Senior hugs Mario as Warth appears behind them and picks them up. He smiles at them and talks, his voice more clear as he seems to have gained a little more control.
Warth: Mario... I... am sorry for doing what... I did... so long ago to you and your brother! Dad... Redip... he said you had to die because you'd try to stop us because we were... good and you bad... Now I see a different side to Redip... My brother is evil and I doubt my siblings and even dad as well...
Mario: Warth... I understand.
Mar T: You do?
Senior: Hush! Don't make the thing kill the three of us!
Mar T: Geeze!
Warth: I... I surrender... I am too large for the warp pipe and so I'm stuck here... away from home... I will... let the military have their way and their experiments on me... I have no other use for life... A single step could kill fifty people to an entire apartment of them... I don't want to see death... no more.
Mario shudders as he kneels down and frowns.
Mario: Thankfully for us all, I am a forgiving man, and while what you did was far from even close to acceptable, your mind was littered with your dad and brother’s words. That I've seen in a lot of people. Manipulation is a terrible and evil thing, and for some reason I believe your word.
Warth smiles and lowers the three to a different area of the city closer to the warehouse.
Warth: Consider it... a two for one special. Please hurry home... Your brother must be in trouble with Dad, Edger, and Holts.
Mar T: Th-thank you so much!
Mario: I don't know what to say other than thank you.
Mar T: Senior... what about you?
Senior: I... I don't know!
Mario: Oh Dad, please come with us. Please!
Senior: If I go the military, will try to track me down. They'll know I came with you and went with you. It'll only cause them to intrude on the other side of the pipe.
Marios eyes water slightly as he hugs Senior.
Senior: Don't you dare! You stop crying and go save Luigi! He needs you now!
Mar T: I'm sorry, Mario, but he's right.
Mario: I… I know!
Senior: You'll go?
Mario: Yes, I have to.
Senior: And you'll come and see me when this is all over?
Mario: Yes.
Senior: Promise?
Mario giggles a bit and nods, causing Senior to smile. Mar T. walks over to the warehouse as Mario slows up behind him. shaking in sadness. Senior, by his side, helps him to the pipe and drops him in. Mar T turns to him.
Senior: I had to! One more word and I would have begun to cry as well.
Mar T: I'm sorry we have to go.
Senior: Think nothing of it! Just getting to see him again and to meet you is worth a lot to me.
Mar T smiles and tips his Mushroom-shaped cap to Senior before jumping into the pipe. Senior smiles as he backs up into a puddle of water.
Senior: Rain? No...
Senior turns and gasps as everything
goes dark.
Chapter 47: An Unfriendly Reunion
Finally going back to Luigi and Bet T, we see them somehow still alive and on the run from what was thought to be death!
Luigi: Come on, Bet! We need to hurry.
Bet T: Where are we going?
Luigi: The last place they'll think to look.
Bet T: And that is?
Luigi: Their base!
Bet T: It's near, I hope!
Luigi: Oh, it is very near.
The duo rush through the woods as Danet’s voice begins to echo all around them and they begin to see illusions of him all over the place, grinning and laughing.
Luigi: Hurry! Ignore it all! It's our minds playing tricks on us.
Bet T mutters and sobs a bit as they come to a clearing. In it is the warehouse where they first guided Redip to look for more troops. They run into the wreck and begin to look around.
Going to the warp pipe to Earth, we see Mario and Mar T. walking away from it with Mario shaking a bit.
Mario: I can't believe he is gone... Gone like that!
Mar T: Don't worry! You'll see him when this is all over. Come on, we need to find the others.
Mario: Yes we do!
The two walk into the woods while being watched by Holts, who grins and disappears. He then reappears near the building.
Holts: I may be infuriated with Edger, but... this may finally be the chance we've been looking for. His return doesn’t bode well for Stul, Warth, and Redip... But with him... and... possibly Edger… Yes, the portal can be reopened... Yes, I need to get Mario here!
Holts goes underground again while laughing.
As Mario and Mar T continue on, they see a twig arrow pointing to the east.
Mario: Wha?
Mar T: Odd! Who do you think set it up?
Mario: I don't know. Should we follow it?
Mar T: Let's not... at least not now.
Mario: All right!
The two ignore the arrow, and we see an angry Holts in the tree near them. They continue down the trail until they reach a tree knocked down and blocking their way.
Mario: A roadblock! What do we do?
Mar T: That tree is big, and one fireball could take down us and the forest... I guess we go that way!
The two turn and go west as Holts gets enraged and falls out of the tree. Soon, the two again find another odd thing, this time it is “Mario” spelled in rocks with an arrow below it pointing east.
Mario: This is for us!
Mar T: Yup! Let's go!
The two turn east and move at a faster pace, as we see Holts sigh and go underground.
Going back to the warehouse, Luigi and Bet T. are seen heading down a flight of stairs to the basement. Upon reaching the bottom, they push open the large double doors they come to and proceed into a large open room that has a huge symbol of a flaming pitchfork on the floor. There are two stretcher beds on large metal poles on each side of the symbol.
Luigi: What in the name of God is this for?
Bet T: I have no idea, but it is scaring me. Come on, we need to hurry on before they catch up.
Luigi: Right!
The two run across the room to the next door, which is locked. Luigi lets out a grunt and pounds on the door.
Luigi: DARN IT!
?????: It's a shame, isn't it?
Bet T: Huh?
Bet T and Luigi turn to see Danet and Edger.
Luigi: NO! HOW DID YOU FIND US SO FAST?
Danet: Please! You never escaped our sight the entire time since you ran from us!
Luigi: Impossible!
Danet: Possibly, but then us being here would be illogical!
Edger: Hahaha! This room... It is where we plan to fulfill our desire!
Bet T: You mean with the River Styx water.
Danet: Exactly. The River Styx water has a chemical compound unknown to anybody, or so it seems. It is known to have the power to eradicate the dead from existence and even memories. But we've learned that it has the magic power it to destroy the inhabitants of any world it is in. By bringing it here... it would automatically be set to kill any living being! The water will be dumped over the kingdom, and all will rot and die!
Luigi: You can't do that!
Edger: Oh, but we can, you see. We need this. We need death to bring together the life energy we will use to undo our curse and revive ourselves. We'll be all that lives, and we will rule over all in revenge for our deaths.
Luigi: You'll never pull it off.
Danet: Oh, but we will. You see, all we need to open the portal to the Underwhere is to sacrifice the body of a being from both worlds. We plan to use you for this world, and we plan to use the soul of Stul, who likely is dead now but willing to be the sacrifice from the Underwhere!
Bet T: What about me?
Edger: You? We have no need for you. You can watch the ceremony and then we'll dispose of you.
Luigi and Bet T. back against the door, as we see Mario and Mar T approach the warehouse in confusion.
Mario: HERE! They came HERE!
Mar T: All the signs led us here.
Mario: I don't know about this.
Mar T: We have to hurry before Danet finds us, and them.
Mario: You're right! The least we can do is hide in here.
The two run in, as we see Holts appear from underground and walk in.
Going to the side, we see Rennis with his hands over his mouth and almost in tears.
Rennis: I... that... That was my brother and those two people... They were running from Dad! I need to see them... I need to meet those two!
Rennis runs up to the door and slowly enters.
The quartet all make their way towards the stairs and in their entry groups, head down. Mario and Mar T, going down first, reach the bottom first and enter the sacrifice room, where Luigi and Bet T. eye them and scream!
Luigi and Bet T: OH MY GOD! MARIO!
Mar T: ... AND MAR T!
Luigi: Oh, right!
Bet T: MAR T! YAY!
The two run by a confused Edger and Danet, who turn to see the group of four together in a hug. Edger gags and Danet laughs as he slams the door shut using some wave of energy and locks them in.
Danet: It looks like luck brought us something even better than Luigi. It brought us Mario!
Edger: Yes it did!
Mario: YOU!
Danet: ME?
Mario: What is this place? I demand to know!
Danet: Watch the language. I am a princess, after all!
Mario: You're a monster!
Danet: Ouch! How rude!
Danet grins and walks towards Mario as Holts emerges in between them.
Holts: HEEEEERE’S HOLTS!
Luigi: YOU AGAIN!
Holts: Hello Greeny, hello Dad, hello all!
Danet: Holts, finally. What is the report?
Holts: Well the red and doctor are here. It is to be expected that Redip, Stul, and Warth are all dead.
Danet: WHAT?
Mario: Oh no! Warth is alive! He just saw your evil and is on our side! He sees that he was meant to die and that being reborn is wrong!
Danet: I doubt that! Either way, it is all bad. No matter... After this sacrifice I'll have all seven of my kids back with me, dead or living dead.
Mario: I can't allow that.
Danet: Oh? I'd love to see you try to stop us! This is not a reunion you'll get to like, for this one will seal you in the Overthere forever.
Mario runs at Danet and fires a stream of fire at him. Danet smiles and sighs as the flames burst and spread apart from him. Danet swats Mario in the head, knocking him unconscious
Danet: So quickly we reunite, and so quickly this ends. Edger, Holts, deal with the others.
Edger: Will do, Dad!
The two proceed towards the others as Danet picks up Mario and levitates his body up onto one of the stretch beds, to which straps pin him down.
Danet: YES! YES! FINALLY! AHAHAHAHAHA!
Danet laughs evilly as the others back into the wall as the duo approach.