Chapter One: Devious Intent
The Colonel
I was running as fast as I could to the throne room, my heavy metal boots clanking as they made contact with the cold hard stone floor. King Bowser would probably not kill me if I was a minute late, as I was one of his top ranking officers and he needed me in good condition so I could be ready at a moment's notice; but I still remembered how I was put in the dungeons for a week with minimal food. Not going to risk THAT again...
My haste was so great, so many disasters happened along the way. A Goomba servant carrying a bowl of stew fell to the side, the bowl miraculously staying upright. My shell's spines caught on a particularly expensive-looking tapestry, ripping the magnificent red and gold embroidering to shreds. And of course, some of the fabric just had to stick to my shell.
Great, wasn't it? Ohh, the king was going to kill me for this one. As I ran, I reached back and tried to pull the cloth off. Thankfully, a Koopa Troopa was resting amongst a wall.
"Hey, you," I said as I approached him. "Could you help get this off my shell?"
I reached around to my back and pointed to my steel reinforced shell, the glorious fabric still clinging to the spine. The Koopa pulled it off and I quickly ran into the throne room.
In the center of the long chamber, a long gold and marble table had been set for our meeting, with equally grand chairs for only the finest of King Bowser's men to sit in. He was nowhere to be found, but all seven of his children were here.
"Ahh," said Ludwig, who was not far from me. "You're lucky you got here, this is just about to start! Have a seat next to me!"
I sat down next to the young Koopa, who was tinkering with a small handheld machine hooked up to a miniature robot in the image of King Bowser.
"That's pretty interesting, but it's hardly going to help us get the plumbers, will it?"
"It's just a prototype. Believe me, the finished version of it is going to be about thirty feet tall! Ha ha haa!"
I admired the robot as Ludwig tapped some on-screen icons with his stylus, which caused the robot to do various things. It converted into a small Bowser tank and out of the mouth came a small pipe. Ludwig tapped another icon and a diminutive stream of flame came out of it.
"Well, if it's working this well, I can't wait to see what the finished version can do. You've really got a talent for this sort of thing, Ludwig."
I looked around the throne room. Everybody considered important by the king was here: Kamek, his most trusted advisor and second-in-command; Kammy, who was not far behind Kamek; Ludwig; Iggy; Lemmy; Roy; Wendy; Morton; Larry; and a few other Koopatrols like myself who were also dressed in much more ornate armor than the usual Koopatrol.
Just as we were all getting comfy and chatting with each other, the door to the left of the throne slammed open and in stormed King Bowser, his great feet stamping the ground as he went. Behind him were eleven burly Sledge Brothers carrying a huge, dark, crystal obelisk adorned with runes and surrounded with a gold frame". King Bowser took his seat in the throne, and the Sledge Brothers set the obelisk on a frame in the ground to the right of our table before leaving.
"Koopa Clan, stand!"
We all rose to our feet, instinctively turning to a green flag with an embroidered image of an elderly-looking Koopa on it. This was supposedly what DAD looked like before he ascended to godliness, though nobody really was sure; there were just too many conflicting sketches until King Bowser picked out this one.
"Oh great and mighty DAD, we gather before you today to help better society for Koopa kind! Guard our hearts and our minds as we set out to do your will!"
"DAD bless!" we all shouted before taking our seats.
"Now," said King Bowser as he lay down a sheet of paper in his lap, "we are here to discuss our plans to finally conquer the Mushroom Kingdom for our own! As you all know, Koopas were placed here by DAD, yet our society has grown so much that we're going to be running out of space in twenty years at the rate it's going right now!"
Kamek stood up, letting out a heavy cough before speaking. "And as you are aware, when our clan was first trying to make peace with the Mushroom Kingdom, we were rejected living space by the previous monarch! We were rejected simply because of the fact that we had to fight to gain land for ourselves when we forced the Mushroomers out of Dark Land. And ever since that day, 1,700 years ago, we have been beaten time and time again when we've tried to conquer Plit."
"Right," said Bowser, his heavy voice the complete opposite of Kamek's wheeze. "And our most recent enemies have been the Mario Brothers! Every time we've tried to takeover even the tiniest of lands for our race to live in, they've always been guaranteed to show up and stop us! Even when we were just going after Dinosaur Land, which is only one fourth of the size of the Mushroom Kingdom, guess who beat us!"
"Mario and Luigi!" we all shouted hatefully, spite in our voices.
"But we have a chance now! Even after all my failed attempts, even after I got god-like powers with the Star Rod and was STILL beaten, we now have a fighting chance! Look at the crystal over there!
"This obelisk is a powerful weapon with awesome powers! Kamek, tell them what you know about it!"
Kamek slowly got out of his chair and just as slowly went over to the obelisk. "This obelisk is a Shard of Order. It was created over fifty thousand years ago when our people were still allies with the Mushroom Kingdom and we could leave this valley freely no matter if we were Familikoopist or not. According to ancient legend, this Shard was made when every denizen of Plit bearing magical talent came together in the center of the world, in Ice Land. Together, they all wrought the enchantment that turned an old national treasure... into an object of great power. It was thought lost for many years... until now.
"It took a lot of research to find out about this, let me tell you. On orders from our Lord, I was to find something that could help us conquer the Mushroom Kingdom as fast as possible. I consulted the ancient texts as well as the Keep's massive library, but to no avail. However, a miracle occurred when I opened one book and found an ancient, weathered, rusty old key in it. The key had ancient runes on the side. When I translated them, they read "The Enforcer lies dormant, buried with the ancient master with the sands. I reveal the way."
"I spent many hours trying to find out what this "Enforcer" was. It wasn't until I consulted with our oldest Dry Bones, Raikoopa, that he told me about it. And when I told him what the key said, he hinted that it might have something to do with Tutankoopa. I-"
"Kamek," said Bowser with a yawn, "are you gonna tell us what it can do or not? I don't give a Goomba what you've got to say about where it came from or how you found it, just tell us what you've found out about what it can do!"
"Yes, well..." stuttered Kamek, noticing smoke rising from the King's nostrils, a sign that he was getting furious and ready to breathe fire. "This Shard was quite a mystery for a good week. We could not seem to figure out if it was actually the Enforcer of legend, or just one of the many treasures that was buried with Tutankoopa. However, when I was on top of the crystal in the storage room, I found that the gold panel on top slides open, revealing a hand-crank that opens it!"
Kamek walked over to the crystal, which was mounted on its podium. "Kammy, help me with this."
"What are we going to do?"
"Help me turn the Shard on its side," said Kamek as he drew his wand from his waist. Together, Kamek and Kammy chanted an incantation that caused the Shard of Order to slowly hover a few inches above the ground, then gently turn on its side for all of us to see. Kammy went over and pulled open a gold panel, then turned the golden hand-crank. We could hear machinery crank as a sliding panel opened to reveal...
"Hey, there's nothing there!" said Lemmy.
"Why does this thing have a cockpit if you can't even do anything inside it?!" protested Roy. "Tell me how this garbage is going to help us beat them plumbers!"
"That's what I was getting to," said Kamek. "The whole thing is completely operated by the mind. As long as you're in there, all you've got to do is think about what you want it to do, and it'll do it!"
"And what can it do?" I asked.
"That's a good question, Colonel. We did a few test runs out in Desert Land so we wouldn't be noticed, and we were positively bedazzled by the results! The Shard of Order can do pretty much whatever you want it to do so long as you can imagine it, but it's still got limits. I-"
"Hold on, you," said Larry. "How did an old Magikoopa like you get this thing back to that sandpit, and why would you want to in the first place?"
"Ah yes, I was just going to explain that, young Larry. The Shard of Order is exactly like King Bowser's Clown Copter in that it can fly! It takes off automatically when it senses you are in it, and then you merely have to imagine where you want to go, or at least the general direction! Now, on to what it did in testing. The Shard was able to shoot out an explosive blast that completely demolished a small Nomadimouse camp. In all my years, that was the most destruction I have ever beheld. And that's not all it can do. It can even make things out of nothing, as we found out when we imagined a doomship cannon on top and it appeared!"
"But it surely can't run forever, can it?" piped up a Koopatrol in the back. "It's gotta get its power from somewhere. And what if you crashed and burned in midair?"
"That was a mystery to me as well. However, I came to the conclusion that the crystal is probably photosynthetic, as the whole thing seemed to have a black aura around it when we were directly in the sunlight. When we went into the shade, the aura was weakened somewhat. If I'm right, then something called the Enforcer or the Shard of Order would have surely been made to last forever. Back then, gem crafters and blacksmiths used a technique lost to us today that made their gems and precious metals incredibly strong. As they would do this, they would cast an enchantment on the substance that gave it its indestructibility. So crashing and burning would matter little, as the Shard and its pilot would come out unharmed. That is all."
"This will be most enjoyable to fly around in!" cheered Ludwig.
"And just what makes you think any of you's gonna be riding in the Shard?" asked King Bowser. "This is my own weapon and I'm not gonna let you get this thing captured by the Marios! With this Shard of Order, we can expand from Dark Land! We can destroy anybody who gets in our way! I am officially declaring war on the Mushroom Kingdom and any allied nations!"
We all cheered at the thought of that. It was going to be great, finally having more land for Koopa expansion. Not only that, but when the new government was established, Familikoopists would be protected from persecution!
"Colonel?"
"Yes, King Bowser?"
"After the meeting is over, you are to seek out the Virtuous Squad and give them these orders," said King Bowser, who came over to my desk with a folded piece of paper wrapped in a ribbon.
"T-the Virtuous Squad, my L-Lord?" I said with a stammer. The Virtuous Squad was composed of three expert Koopa assassins who were experts in infiltration and reconnaissance. They were only called upon for the hardest and most dangerous of missions. What I was afraid of was how ruthless they were; Koopas and Goombas that have entered their private section of the Keep often did not come out ever again.
"Did I stutter? I believe I told you that you're going to give the Virtuous Squad these orders!"
"N-no worries, K-king Bowser! I-it will be done!"
"Good. You'd better! That officially concludes this meeting. And beginning tomorrow...
"Plit is ours."
Everybody left the room, going back to their respective quarters. Everyone but me, that is. I just had to get the assignment to deliver a letter to a trio of irascible assassins, and the odds were very high that I was going to be a Dry Bones if I left. I vacated my chair and went through the doorway that King Bowser gone went through, then came to a fork of a corridor to my right, with a long descending spiral staircase in front of me. Gulping, I went down the stairs as nimbly as I could, the walls around me gradually getting darker and darker as I made my descent. When I reached the bottom, it was almost impossible for me to see.
In front of me was a thick, wooden door. My heart was pounding audibly in my chest as I knocked three times on the door.
"Who's out there?" questioned a heavy voice from behind the door. "Ripper, go and see to it, will you?"
Another voice, this one thuggish, questioned me from just behind the door. "Who's there and what do you want?"
"I... I am Colonel Skormorak, here to deliver a letter from King Bowser, w-which contains i-important orders for tomorrow!"
A long pause followed until Ripper spoke. "Come on in, but be quick about it. Or you'll end up like that Sledge Brother we nailed earlier today."
I opened the door and gingerly stepped inside. As I closed the door behind me, a long knife buried itself in the wood behind me. "What was that for?!"
"Blade, watch yourself," said a droll voice from the shadows in front of me. "We have a guest, show him some respect. He is one of the highest ranked officers in the Koopa Clan army and King Bowser would have had our heads for it if he was killed. Now, step forward and speak."
I slowly stepped into the room, trying not to notice the Koopas who were glaring at me through their leather facemasks. They wore a strange suit that was made of some kind of leather, but it was not meant for prolonged fighting, as I could tell by the relative thinness of their suits. These were made exclusively for stealth.
"I am Maelstrom, head of the Virtuous Squad. And what business could one such as you possibly have with us?"
"Like I said," I began, clearing my throat, "King Bowser has sent me down here to deliver you orders for the war that's going to begin tomorrow."
I passed him the letter, and with dexterous fingers, he managed to untie the tight ribbon binding the paper, which fell open in his hands. "Ahh, I see..."
"Leave us," said Blade. "We have important business to attend to."
I left the room, relieved that I had made it out alive. I began to walk up the stairs but then I heard loud laughter from the three assassins behind me. How could official orders be that funny? I knew Bowser didn't send me down to deliver them a funny joke.
Curious, I pulled off my armored boots slowly so that my footsteps would make no noise, and crept over to the door. I took off my helmet and put it under my left arm as my long, brown hair fell, the bangs partially covering my eyes. Slowly, I put my head to the door.
"-id you just hear something, Ripper?"
"Nah, that Koopatrol's gonna be the last one today. So, Blade, whatcha thinkin' about them orders?"
"It's going to be ever good fun. I can't believe that King Bowser would let us know before the rest of the whole Koopa Clan that every soldier is going to be able to kill as they please tomorrow! Ahh, it fills my wicked heart with happiness..."
"Even women and children?" questioned Maelstrom.
"Even them. But I can't blame King Bowser. We were here on Plit long before those stupid Mushroomers, and we rightfully own it! The only one we can't kill is that stupid princess... We've got to capture her."
"D'you think if I was the one to capture her, King Bowser would let me keep her pretty little head as a trophy?" asked Ripper.
"You are one disgusting Koopa, Ripper. Why would you want to keep that ugly thing? It's bad enough that you still have that Toa-"
I pulled my head away from the door, my eyes wide with shock and my jaw wide open.
I climbed the staircase, a series of tormenting thoughts on my mind... We often had killed Mushroomers before, but it was always only when necessary so we didn't tick off Peach, in order to avoid a full-scale invasion of Dark Land. And whenever we fought, we ALWAYS kept the women and children alive. Why was our king resorting to such violent measures now? If I were him, I would be using the Shard to intimidate the Mushroom Kingdom and only use it as it was necessary with enough force to get the job done.
Whole families would be devastated if this war was allowed to begin. With the Shard, our King would be craving more and more power: I knew this. I knew he was greedy and I knew he was violent, but I had always accepted it under the moral concept that he was doing what he had to for the betterment of Koopas. Well, he wasn't. This war must not be allowed to ever begin, because something was ominous about that Shard...
I could feel it in my bones. Well, I wasn’t going to be on this side when this happened. If King Bowser really tested the limits of the Shard of Order, like he'd be bound to do eventually, there was no telling what foul consequences could befall Plit.
I picked up my boots and, with my helmet still tucked under my arm, crept up the long stairwell, silent as a mouse. When I reached the foot, I put my boots back on, but left my helmet tucked under my arm. In my rage, I slammed a gauntlet-covered fist against the wall behind me.
"I have to do something!"
I slowly walked down the corridors, imagining all sorts of things I could do. I could steal the Shard... nah, it wouldn't work. King- nah, he's no king of ours any more. Bowser, that is, would have undoubtedly posted at least twenty guards, most likely more. While I was good with a hammer, I could not possibly kill twenty Koopas by myself. I needed allies.
"Wait... That's it! Allies!"
Excited at the prospect of the idea I had just came up with, I ran back to my room in the barracks. I quickly pulled off my shell and inserted items I would need for a journey: some food, water, my map, and other personal items. I would never live in this keep again.
"I can get to the Mushroom Kingdom and warn them in time. I don't know how much good my efforts will be against that Shard, but at least I can warn Princess Peach."
"Traitor! "
Bowser stormed into the room with two Koopatrols in golden armor behind him. Great, the Honor Guard was here as well... If they were here, my odds of survival were very low indeed. These were veterans who had mastered every aspect of combat and were not hesitant to use it. These guards were always at Bowser's side, ready to die for him if necessary.
"And what makes you believe that?" I said, my hand instinctively reaching for the wooden handle of my hammer.
"Because when you was listening in on the Virtuous Squad, you weren't quiet enough..." said the Koopatrol to Bowser's left. "You failed to realize that these aren't ordinary Koopas! Didn't you think that if they are considered King Bowser's trump card, they would be blessed with magic? Their senses are one hundred times sharper than any normal Koopa, and they heard you no matter how much you tried to be quiet."
"You are a traitor, Skormorak!" roared Bowser with his head in the air, a long stream of fire coming from his mouth. "And traitors will die!"
"Your plan won't succeed, Bowser! You will be stopped!"
I drew my steel hammer and ran forward, slamming it into Bowser's gut. He recoiled for a minute, then swatted at me with his claws.
This wasn't good! Bowser was standing between me and that doorway! I had to improvise!
I ran forward and with all the strength I could muster, brining the hammer down over the head of one of the Honor Guard Koopatrols. His helmet caved inwards from the sheer force of the blow as he made a gurgling sound, then fell to the floor. I ran under the gap below Bowser's arms, taking off down the Keep hallway. I had to get to the warp pipe room, and fast!
My heavy metal boots thudded and quaked as I ran down the hall. Quickly, I ducked through a doorway that had been left open and climbed into a crate, then shut the lid on it.
"Where'd he go?!" I heard from outside.
"Let's check in here, my Lord!" said a Koopatrol. I sat still in the crate in dead silence as I heard the door creak and open.
"Nothing here! He got away! Koopson, go and alert Kamek! Tell him to put the whole castle on high alert! Tell them that all Koopatrols are to be treated with suspicion until their identities can be determined, now!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
I heard the stamping of Bowser's feet as he stormed out of the room, and the clanking of the Honor Guard's armored boots as he went to Kamek's quarters. I would have to stay in here for a while until the alert was over with...
For the next couple of hours, I lay in silence. I felt the pangs of hunger as my stomach churned and gurgled, its sole desire being a nice, hearty dinner. But I could not open my shell to get out food, for I had not oiled it recently and the creaking might attract guards. When I felt it was safe, I jumped out of the crate and took off my boots, helmet, and gauntlets. The only thing left on me was my armored shell with its possessions, and my hammer.
Quiet as a mouse, I crept down the hallways, avoiding patrols wherever possible. There was one instance when a Goomba caught me, but I quickly silenced him with my hammer. It seemed like everybody who wasn't an infant or elderly was out on the hunt for me; four times I nearly got caught by Larry, whose knowledge of the Keep's strategic secret passages seemed infinite. But I managed to get to the warp pipe room easily... except...
About ten guards were waiting for me inside!
"Heh heh heh, you idiot. King Bowser made sure to beef up security on the warp pipe room," said a Lakitu who was hovering above me on his cloud. "He knew that you'd probably get out of here this way. Put down your hammer and come with me, and our Lord might spare you!"
"I'd sooner die than join you! You don't even know how horrible the war's going to be; you weren't in on that meeting!"
"But unlike you, I have some loyalty, and that loyalty has rewarded me well! Guards! Kill Skormorak and let's bring his head to King Bowser!"
I could not fight all ten of these guys at once, especially that Lakitu floating around overhead who would definitely throw Spinies at me! I made a run for it and hurled myself into the first warp pipe I came to, with little regard for where it would take me…