Chapter 4: And the Lakitu

Lit with a hellish light by the rivers of molten lava surrounding it, Bowser's castle was as intimidating as ever. Its black spires drew everlasting bursts of lightning from the dark skies above, while burning monstrosities rose and sank again in the lava moat below. Here, at the very heart of the country named Bowserland by its egotistical ruler, an evil scheme was nearing fruition...

You'd think Kamek the Magikoopa, adjutant and chief underling of King Bowser, would be happier about the wicked state affairs. Instead, he was seething with jealous hatred.

"Who does he think he is?" the robed koopa muttered to himself as he paced through the chilly corridors of the castle. "Nobody pushes me out of the way, nobody! Just because that guy knows some tricks, he thinks he can-"

And so on. The strange Lakitu that had quite literally blown into town right after the most recent failed invasion had worked his way from immediate execution for trespassing in the castle, to being Bowser's most trusted advisor. As far as Kamek was concerned, all the usurper had done was make a slightly more efficient warp pipe. Those wretched rings of his. How did that Lakitu learn to master teleportation magic more powerful than any Magikoopa in Bowser's army could manage? Kamek knew that if only he could figure out the Lakitu's secret, he could prove how worthless he was to Bowser and get rid of that pest once and for all! Just look at what he'd been reduced to: Playing messenger boy, a job fit for a Goomba!

Kamek knew exactly where to find the Lakitu, mainly because Bowser had given him Kamek's room! The excuse was that there were only twelve master bedrooms in the castle, and although there was a spare one left even after accounting for the king, Kammy the Witch, and the eight Koopalings, that particular room was on permanent reserve for Princess Peach. No comment there.

The Magikoopa paused outside the large wooden door, thought about knocking, and then decided to just barge right in. After all, by rights it was HIS room! The Lakitu was sitting on his personal cloud in the middle of the room, apparently asleep. Kamek looked at the twisted Koopa-creature with contempt. Black scales, a white shell, and a cloud with malevolent red eyes. He, it, was a freak.

"Hey wake up, Zero Neck Crust!" Kamek shouted. "His Majesty wants to talk to you."

The Lakitu stirred, but didn't open his eyes. The creepy cloud beneath him blinked twice, however.

"What? Why are you disturbing me?" the Lakitu asked, sounding disoriented.

"Bowser wants to discuss how many Koopa Troopas we can send into Princess Peach's castle using those rings of yours. You'd better not keep him waiting. He's not a very patient ruler, and I'd hate to see you get roasted for being late."

"Leave me be. I need to meditate," Xeronexus told the Magikoopa.

"Are you kidding? You don't leave the Koopa King waiting, you fool."

"Can't it wait?"

"No!"

"Very well. Tell his majesty I will join him in a moment..."

"Are you deaf, slow or stupid, Lakitu?" Kamek burst out, losing what little remained of his temper.

"I said I'll come. These-these arts could have disastrous results if left unfinished. It won't take long. Just let me have some privacy."

"Arts? Phah! Fine. I'll tell Bowser you're making him wait. Why should I care? You'll be the one to suffer for it."

Kamek slammed the door after him harder than necessary. Why should he care? He should care because Bowser's lack of patience meant he was more likely to take his frustrations out on the messenger than wait for the perpetrator himself to arrive. Oh well... At least this horrible situation should only be temporary. Once Mario threw a wrench into the gears it would be easy to arrange matters so that Zero the Lakitu would find himself between the plumber and his prize, making the creepy puff-rider's demise a certainty. If that didn't work, then...well. Magic could be a dangerous thing when handled carelessly. If Mario couldn't finish off the Lakitu, then Kamek would take care of him himself while Mario kept Bowser busy. Who could possibly keep track of casualties when the likes of Mario were wreaking havoc?

The Magikoopa allowed himself a quick nefarious laugh, but made sure to stop before getting within earshot of his boss.

-

Xeronexus the skunk ran as fast as he was able to through the deep alleyways of the inner city. If Kamek wasn't exagerrating, he needed a safe place to store this vulnerable animaloid body while he focused his full attention on the Lakitu. It was only thanks to a fluke that these tiny fragments of his essence had managed to survive and find hosts to embody. If one of those bodies should die, he would lose the weak grip on reality he still had left.

From his perspective it had been centuries since Mario and Sonic destroyed Zero-Nexus and set him free. Finding a foothold in the infinite sea of time and space had taken so long. On the other hand, only a few weeks had passed since he tasted the air of both worlds for the first time. It was like waking from a nightmare into a perfect heaven. But the fear remained. All this could still be taken away. Mortality was too fleeting, too...fragile.

This was his second chance. He would never get another.

-

End of Chapter 4.