Author's Note: WHOOT! XD I think this one might actually be on time – amaaaazing! Heh heh. Anyway … this chapter has quiiiiiiiite a bit in it. Yeah. No, really, I'm not kidding. So here's a little warning as to some of the stuff in it:
1.) There will be usage of nicknames in this. That is, from one character to another (at least once, and you'll know when you've hit that part).
2.) Prepare for a chilling excursion into the realms of an icy mountain cave with one of the most ridiculous and totally unoriginal names ever known to man. XP I was stumped as to what to call the place, alright?!
3.) Darci's character gets developed a whooooole lot in this. And because of that, I want to make it clear that I'd absolutely love to get some feedback on her; does she earn some respect in your book, even though she's an OC of mine? Or are there some things about her that really irk you so far? Either way, tell me, because I want to know!
4.) A rather funny little fiend will make another appearance as a battle opponent. Joy, right? Well, I dunno, I didn't do nearly as good of a job this time, so I apologize.
5.) Count Rahmet's gonna have a little wake-up call as to what he's up against. )
Now then, with that out of the way, I suppose it's time to let y'all read the story, eh? Well, without further ado, I present to you …
-------------------
Chapter Seven: The Cold, the Strange, and the Feisty
-------------------
( Somewhere far, far away … )
Thunk.
"… Huh?" Peach blinked a few times, waking up at the sound – it wasn't loud, but Peach had never been a heavy sleeper. Her eyes didn't want to focus for a moment, but as soon as they cooperated, they snapped to the source of the sound. "D-Darci, what are you doing? It's late …" As the delicate blonde spoke, she let escape a rather petite yawn.
Darci didn't bother to shift her gaze toward her cellmate for a moment, as she stood frozen, silently cursing herself for letting the fan slip from her hands. She had to keep herself from verbally expressing her anger when the object had hit the ground, and now, as she held it at her side, she was still fighting to control her frustration.
"Just go back to sleep." Was the simple reply; the raven-haired damsel who spoke it sounded slightly sharper than before, though this was quickly controlled.
"Hmmm? But –"
"Just … sleep." Darci said, finally turning a gentle gaze toward the Mushroom Kingdom's princess, giving a soothing half-smile. The tired girl merely gave a nod in response, before lying back down on the stiff bed of hay.
"Ok, just don't do … anything … stupid …" By the time she had finished speaking, Peach was already drifting off once again, much to her fellow prisoner's relief.
'Good,' Darci thought, smirking. 'Now then, it's high time this dreary old fortress had a little splash of fun!'
---------------------------------
"Lordy, its dark out!" The guard heaved a sigh, unable to believe what his partner had just said. He could be so … so stupid sometimes!
"Naw, ya don't say? Its midnight, you dolt! O'course its dark out! Now focus on yer job already, will ya?" The two guards – both of which Dry Bones (basically, koopa skeletons) – had never gotten along well. Complete opposites, but put on the same job; what had the Boss been thinking?
"Awww, now really, it ain't like those babes are gonna be goin' nowhere!" The second guard replied with a chuckle. "I mean, really, they ain't exactly no G.I. Jane, am I right, or am I right?" The ghoul did have a point, the first guard reasoned. This notion relaxed him a bit.
"I suppose yer right." Giving a wheezing chortle, the first guard continued, "After all, what'er they gonna do? Bust out here with some ancient, mighty weapon of mass destruction?"
"Well, boys, that depends on how you define 'mass destruction'."
KA-THWACK! … THUMP!
Darci viewed the now unconscious piles of bones on the floor where the guards had stood mere moments ago. Well, that was easy. Taking a glance around the citadel's hall, she noted the rather dull, dim décor. The Count wasn't exactly a Martha Stewart reincarnate, that was for sure. It was all a bit depressing – something that she didn't appreciate at the moment. It was her versus her captor – and his massive, unfailingly loyal army. But she was determined to make this escape more than just an attempt; she was set on freedom.
Stepping down the hallway, she gave a flick of her right wrist – causing the handheld fan in her grasp to close up once again. It was a fair-sized piece of work, elegantly decorated with a crescent moon design in a black and white color scheme, but still sturdy. The fan had been passed down to each female in her family line, possessing a hidden power: the ability to manipulate the wind. It sure as heck beat a bottle of mace when it came to self defense.
'Now then, let's see here … if I don't want to get caught, I should probably find a way to disguise myself …' She glanced back at the guards, and, with a frown, realized that the soldiers didn't wear uniforms. Only helmets. 'Well, scratch that idea then.' As she quietly roamed further down the hall, something suddenly caused her to panic: footsteps. And they were coming this way.
'Cruuuuud!' Without bothering to think it over, the Eclipso Kingdom's princess dashed into the door nearest her, and as she shut the door silently behind herself, she thought, 'Please, oh please, let this lead to a way out of this mess … !'
-------------------------
( 'Moe's' Pub – inside the Arena Cube … )
'What. The. Heck.' Waluigi couldn't believe this. It had been enough of a shock to run into one of Rahmet's cronies in the middle of some blasted pub in the middle of nowhere, but this? This was ridiculous, to say the least. He had recognized the arena the moment he landed in it. The house-like structure, the eerie decay, the unnerving lights that came from seemingly nowhere … this was the Shadow Sirens' arena.
So who was his opponent? Surely Jed hadn't been in league with them in secret, right? Memories of the last battle he'd fought in this arena came to Waluigi in a flash of images, and in that instance it became all too clear.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of two glowering red eyes, and a feeling of aggravation set in place as he realized that his opponent was none other than …
"Alright, you freak-in-a-sheet, come out here where I can see you!"
And with that, an oddly unnerving cackle rang out in the arena, and the battle began.
-------------------
(MINI-BOSS BATTLE TIME!)
(DOOPLISS: HP – 1)
(FIGHT!)
Ka-thump! Was the sound of Doopliss' feet landing on the ground as he leapt out of the shadows, that stupid, conniving grin set firmly on his face. "It's been awhile, eh, Twiggy?"
"Oh, shut yer yap and let's get this over with already!" The fact that Doopliss was back did disturb Waluigi slightly; he certainly had hoped to never have to see the unscrupulous ghoul again. However, this only fueled the need to pulverize him.
Wordlessly, the shape shifter responded to the demanding snarl by raising his arms, as a violent shaking spread throughout his sheet-like body. Then – poof! The form which Doopliss chose this time around was one that Waluigi hadn't expected. In front of him now stood what could be described as a more child-friendly, under-animated version of himself … and a sight that made his blood boil even on sight. Luigi.
"Let's-a go!" With a cocky sneer, the green-clad imposter took to the skies with a great leap, green fireballs conjuring in his palms even as he spoke. The fire seemed to almost be taunting the opponent, crackling and whirring about. And, as one had come to expect from Waluigi, he gave into the spirited flames' taunting.
Hammer at his side, Waluigi took off at a sprint through the winding corridors of the arena, his long legs allowing him to reach a higher speed than most people could. 'I can't just run around forever. He may have the shape and the abilities of that pansy, but he's still got the determination to wipe me out as he had before.' He thought, trying to work his way out of this mentally. 'Jeeze, what's with people wanting to kill me, anyway? Hmph, I guess it's really not much of a change, thou-… what's that smell?' His musing was suddenly brought to a halt, as he caught a whiff of a rather unpleasant scent. It smelled like … like … smoke.
…. Smoke?
Whipping his head around, he found that the source of the smoky fumes was standing right behind him. And what he saw was not exactly the most encouraging of sights to behold.
Flames enveloped his opponent's form, their bright green glow bathing the entire corridor in an eerie light. But Doopliss wasn't burned, even as the odd flames licked across the copy-cat's skin. And the all-too-pleased grin that split across his face was a tell-tale sign of enjoyment. Using his superb logical skills, Waluigi quickly came to the conclusion that that irritatingly arrogant sneer wouldn't be on his opponent's face if he were being burned alive; and thus, this meant that he had about 5 seconds – maybe ten, if Lady Luck was on his side – to come up with a way to make it out of this thing in one un-scorched piece.
The flames surrounding Doopliss' open palms surged up, almost like a snarling leopard ready to attack, causing Waluigi to jump ever so slightly. Ok, so maybe he was getting his hopes up about the 'un-scorched' part.
And then, it hit him: it was a stroke of genius. Not that those were rare occurrences with him, though. His confidence returned, as well as his snide, somewhat over-the-top pride. Oh yeah, baby, he was back in business.
"Well, are you gonna just stand there lookin' pretty for once in your life, Freak-Sheet?" Waluigi sneered. Doopliss glared. And that's when the flames that surrounded the doppleganging ghoul's 'borrowed' body launched out at his spindly opponent, rushing in on him like a pack of rabid dogs.
But these dogs weren't about to receive a warm welcome if Waluigi could help it. Hammer thrust out in front of him, he gave a twist of the wrist, letting a surge of power burst into the movement. The hammer, following this movement, swept in a full-scale circle in front of its wielder, and kept spinning as long as Waluigi continued to skillfully twist his wrists at a rapid pace.
The flames were met with a sudden gust of wind, causing them to die out before they reached the target. Doopliss scowled. This was not how it was supposed to happen. 'What a persistent moron.' The ghoul thought, eyes seething in loathing. 'On the other hand, that's the problem: he ain't a moron. Hmph. What a pain. The Boss ain't gonna be too happy if I return having failed again … but what can I –'
"Think FAST!" Doopliss retaliated, but not fast enough.
"Aaaugh!" (HIT!)
Doopliss' borrowed figure was now doubled over in pain, his hand clenching his stomach in agony. Receiving a full-on kick to the stomach was one thing; receiving a full-on kick to the stomach that has the added affect of deep violet flames? That was another. Fury began to grow in the wily specter's mind, all of it centered on the man who now stood grinning over his doubled-over figure, hammer now resting at his side.
"And that, kids, is why you don't play with fire."
----------------------------
( Dominata Outskirts – 'Moe's' Pub )
As the smoke unfurled, Waluigi found himself back in the pub. His eyes instantly darted toward Marvin, making sure that the ratty old diary was still there – which, much to his relief, it was. As he went over and picked it up, pocketing it once again, his eyes darted toward the spot where the Arena cube had lay. It was gone now; as was its owner. 'Stupid coward.' He thought bitterly. He hadn't wanted to have to fight that stupid ghost again; he hadn't even wanted to be on this stupid journey. He'd felt this way ever since he'd found out the truth – the truth about the cause of all this, about Count Rahmet. He'd felt almost sick, so lost, so … so …. Whatever the feeling was, he hated it. He really hated it.
"D'ya think that she's alright, Moe?"
"She certainly is pretty; I wonder what she was doing in our closet? Strange, ain't it?" Penny and Moe's voices cut through the man's concentration in an instant. What on earth were they talking about? Shifting his gaze toward the pub's other occupants, he found them all crowded around one of the circular tables (this one was of a fair size) in the pub, an excited air floating about the group. And, was that a pale, delicate hand he saw hanging off the table's edge?
Inching closer to the group, his intrigue was peaked; was there a girl laying on that table? A human girl? Whatever it was that had them so preoccupied, it had apparently taken their attention away from Jed's strange behavior. That, and the fact that both 'Jed' and the bizarre and somewhat frightening newcomer (Waluigi) had disappeared into a miniscule cube; and in a cloud of smoke that had unfurled from said-cube none the less. Silently, he continued to listen.
"Yessiree, it most certainly is real pecul'lyer!" What Franky had been trying to say was the word, 'peculiar', however, his pronunciation had been a bit off. "I reckon she's been in a right bit o' trouble, though. Lookee-here at all them tears in her dress!" As the old toad spoke, he pointed a somewhat shaky finger toward several spots over what Waluigi had decided was indeed a human being of the female sort.
"An' we hadn't been able to get that closet door open ever since that strange, strange man came in here a few months ago." Sue pointed out. Peggy was next to contribute to the conversation.
"You mean the one with the real suspicious lookin' cloak that hid his identity from us, right?"
"Which one? There's a lotta folks who come on in here like that." Penny pointed out. The most pathetic part about this was the fact that Waluigi could tell that they honestly weren't joking.
"You know, the one who was really tall – I mean really tall – an' was asking for this real fancy-like drink that turned out to be a sort of wine."
"Oooooh!" Penny and Sue spoke in unison, but Sue was the one to add the ending statement. "That guy who had those two really strangely colored Boos with him, right?" Waluigi's eyes widened slightly at this last bit. The stranger – it sounded much too much like Count Rahmet to be a coincidence. But what on earth did he have to do with the pub's closet being perpetually locked?
"I wonder …" Moe scuffled over toward the door, trying to open it again; but it wouldn't budge. As he returned to the table, however, he caught site of Waluigi – and quickly alerted the others. "Hey, y'all – the stranger's back! But … where's Jed?" Waluigi suddenly noticed that all eyes were now on him, anxiously waiting to be informed of what on earth was going on in the old pub. And he supplied that information immediately.
"That wasn't Jed. It was a fake." He said, his voice as cold and sharp as ever. Yet this didn't detour the pub's occupants in the slightest – in fact, they seemed even more curious, despite his unfriendly tone. "To put it in the simplest terms possible, it was a shape shifter who was just pretending to be Jed."
"Where did he go, mister?" Peggy questioned.
"I don't know, but he's gone." Striding over to the rest of the group, he was about to speak when something stopped him. The body on the table – he'd seen it before. He'd seen it quite a few times before, though never up close and never first-hand: he had seen it first when he and Wario had gone to the Eclipso Kingdom's castle – but then it was just a painting. An extremely realistic and excellent painting, granted, but still just a painting. And the second time … well, that had been his first encounter with Doopliss; the ghastly ghoul had used his extraordinary ability to trick Waluigi, Wario and Boocifer and lead them straight into the Shadow Sirens' trap. But now, as he laid eyes on that pale yet illustrious face of hers, he found her even more breath-takingly beautiful than before.
The perplexed eyes of the pub's occupants gazed on the scene in confusion. Sue was the first to speak up.
"U-um, mister … do you know this lady?" The teen koopaling asked hesitantly, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side.
"… You could say that." Waluigi replied. "Yeah, I guess so."
Franky caught sight of Waluigi's expression with a slight smile, allowing a wheezy sort of chuckle to escape under his breath; and causing him to receive a glance from the tall, spindly man. Franky then explained his actions – sounding much more composed than anybody in that entire pub had ever heard him sound.
"I apologize, young'n, it's just that ya looked a wee bit peaceful for the first time since ya came in here. Ya really care about 'er, don't'cha, young'n?" Waluigi raised a brow, his cynical tone returning in an instant.
"Uh, right, whatever." With those three careless words having been spoken, he stood up straighter once again, his gray eyes falling back on Moe. "You. Rodent. Get me a glass of freezing-cold water." Though the mole wasn't exactly pleased to be addressed in such a rude manner, he did as he was told – in a hurry.
"Got it." Waluigi took the mug-full of water as it was handed to him, and for a moment, he merely examined the princess' unconscious frame. She really was a gorgeous girl – but in a way that was different than Daisy and Peach's … charm, as others had called it. Darci had a much darker elegance about her; refined wasn't quite the right word, but whatever it was, it was something unique.
'What the heck am I doing?' He scolded himself mentally for letting himself look so ridiculously sentimental. Then, without another word, raised the mug of water above the unconscious figure, and …
SPLASH!
Darci didn't scream. She didn't shriek. She didn't even yelp. Instead, she sat bolt upright, and – as if on instinct – slapped Waluigi across the face. Hard.
"… Ouch …" He said stiffly, feeling the pulsing pain on his cheek – he could guess that there was now a big, red, hand-shaped mark there from the princess' retaliation. "Somehow, I'd imagined my meeting you a bit differently. Then again, in my version, you were still locked away in the Count's clutches and about ten times needier."
"Oh, my gosh – I-I'm so sorry! Soooo sorry!" Darci felt like a complete moron, her cheeks blushing like mad out of embarrassment. She hadn't meant to do it, it had just … happened. Really. "… Though I've gotta admit, dumping a mug-full of freezing cold water on me really wasn't the most gentlemanly of ways to wake me up, y'know." She certainly did feel chilled to the bone at the moment; that helped her stifle her guilt. Before Waluigi could reply to this accusation, Peggy, Penny and Sue all came at her at once with questions.
"Are you alright, miss?"
"Oooh, this fabric is simply amazing; where'dja get this dress?"
"Why were ya in the pub's closet?"
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Darci didn't know where to start. But she finally addressed Peggy's question first, leaving Waluigi to simply standby and watch the three girls flock around her. Moe noticed this, and asked him a question that had come to his mind awhile back now.
"So, buddy. What're you gonna do now?"
"I don't know." Waluigi heaved a sigh, shaking his head slightly as he observed. "But whatever it is, I have a feeling that it will cause this whole ordeal to take an entirely different turn. And, knowing my luck, it'll be for the worse."
-------------------
( Chilly Shivers Ice Cave )
"You know, it's a really bad sign when even a boo can't help shivering." Wario muttered, sincerely wishing that they didn't have to be in the bone-chilling cold. He knew full well that they'd have to stand the unbearably cold temperatures even after they'd made it out of the ice caves, but that sure as heck didn't stop him from complaining. Even with all his … muscle, as he preferred to call it … he was shivering like mad! Not to the point of causing him to stutter, as it was for Mario and Luigi, but it still …
"E-even though it's a b-b-bit colder than we'd pr-prefer it to be, we need to keep on g-going. For the princess' s-sake, if nothing else." Mario reasoned, his gallant nature fueling his every stiff move.
"Uh-huh," Luigi gave a nod of agreement. "M-Mario's right, you know. W-we can't just l-l-let this Rahmet f-fellow have his w-way with the pr-princesses. A-and besides, we n-n-need to catch up w-with W-W-Waluigi." Wario rolled his eyes at this.
"We don't even know where that lunatic ran off to. And, even worse, he took Marvin with him, so we can't even just leave him behind!" He snapped irritably, something that all three of his traveling companions had grown accustomed to.
"We may not know yet, but I'm sure I'll be able to pick up a mental signal at some point soon." Boocifer chimed in, referring to his unique gift in telepathic communications and mind reading. Unlike the others, he was thoroughly enjoying this little romp through the frozen caves. He found the natural ice structures simply gorgeous – breathtaking, in fact. "Keh heh, Waluigi's train of thought is pretty distinctive, what with all the cynicism and pessimism in it. So, it really shouldn't be much of a problem to identify it."
On they trudged through the bitter cold, each step taken as carefully as could be. The ice proved to be – as expected – quite difficult to walk on without sliding across the smooth, slippery surface. From afar, small creatures that were native to Chilly Shivers Cave watched quietly, occasionally seeking a conversational murmur or two from their fellow wildlife. But for the most part, they just watched, unaccustomed to seeing strangers in their chilly home. However, as the time dwindled on, there was one of the cavern's residents who was so bold as to meet these newcomers first hand. His purposes? Well, ok, so they weren't the noblest, but 'noble' had never been a key characteristics of Bandits, had it?
-----------------------------------------------------
Brock had camped out at the top of a high-up nook in the cave's frozen walls. It wasn't everyday that people passed through here, and so, he was – needless to say – fairly excited about this group. Word traveled fast among the ice cavern's inhabitants, and so, he'd been able to set up camp early. Now all he had to do was wait. Talk about easy money! This was the sort of stuff he wished he got a chance at more often.
"But Brock!" If a spectator were to have witnessed this cry – done in a high-pitch, feigning voice – they would probably be slightly disturbed by the Bandit's habit of talking to himself in such a way. "The great and wonderful Mario Brothers are in the group! What are you to do? Oooooh, noooo!" The Bandit let slip a gleeful snicker, delighted at his own devious mind. Taking a mock-noble stance, his voice shifted back to its normal level. "Don't worry, now, I've got a plan!" Brock skidded to the edge of the nook in the wall, leaning over the edge and peeking at the scene below. "Oh, I'm such a genius, I swear!"
The egotistical Bandit's self adoration was brought to a sudden end, as he heard a faint 'psssst!' from nearby. Scowling slightly, he looked up, then around. His eyes finally met with the source of the sound – a parakoopa, native to the ice caves. It was a she-parakoopa, and her sort had grown used to the bitter cold and had adapted to living without heat. Her wings were quite bat like, and her skin was a striking shade of light, piercing blue. And her eyes? Well, even they had grown harsher than the rest of her species. Her pupils were snake-like slits, dangerous and cold (no pun intended).
"What is it, Shiva?! Can't you see that I'm giving myself a hard-earned pat-on-the-back here?" Rolling her eyes, the she-parakoopa, apparently named Shiva, went on with her message. Her voice was almost a hiss.
"Two other strangers have entered the cave; a male and female of the human species. Well, we think. We know the female is. The male has long, pointed, elf-like ears. But we're pretty sure he's human." A wide grin made its way onto Brock's face.
"Eh? Is that so? Well then, toots, looks like its payday! You will be helping me … right?" Shiva heaved a sigh, but went on to give a nod. "Good! That's what I thought! Alright, so here's the plan …"
--------------------------------------
"… and THAT'S why I thought that – hey, are you guys even listening?" Boocifer looked a little put-out upon noticing that he'd been blocked out by the rest of his traveling companions.
"Uh huh … yeah, that's really cool Boocifer …" Mario muttered under his breath. What had it been, two days since the whole affair at Dominata Plaza? And none of them had gotten any sleep whatsoever since then. Sure, Boocifer was fine, but it was really beginning to take its toll on the rest of them – aka, everybody in the group who wasn't a spiritual being and therefore needed rest to stay alive.
"Hey, guys, look at that!" This sudden exclamation from Luigi caused all of them to do as he had suggested, turning to look in the direction of his pointing finger. There, embedded in the walls of thick, thick ice were a variety of differently colored crystals.
"Wow, it's so pretty how they twinkle through the ice li-" Boocifer's childish enthusiasm was cut off by a greedy call from Wario.
"CRYSTALS! There must be a million … naw, a BILLION bucks worth in there!" This remark ended in a conniving chuckle, as Wario looked at the surplus of valuables within the massive wall of ice. Mario merely rolled his eyes at his rival's avarice.
"Mama Mia, is money all you ever think about?" Wario just gave the Italian plumber a blank stare, as if to say, 'What else is there to think about?'. However, before Mario could respond, a voice came from behind.
"Well, that tops the list of 'Stupidest Questions Ever Asked in the History of Forever'." The name which had come to the tip of their tongues at hearing this suddenly went back down them as something about the voice registered in their minds. The words which were spoken fit all the qualifications of something that Waluigi would say perfectly, but there was one slight problem with that idea: the voice was female. And it sounded like an attractive one at that.
"I think I'm having a bad affect on you …" Wario's jaw dropped. And so did Boocifer's. Heck, even Mario and Luigi did a double take. Was Waluigi … smiling? Correction: smiling without any hint of cynical pleasure or wily backing? And who the heck was that hot chick with him?
"No, you're just bringing this side of me out. Finally, thank gawd – a guy I can act natural around!" Something about this seemed strange to the four, as they watched the normally dark, sinister and altogether unpleasant man whom they'd known for who-knows-how-long now (save Boocifer) interact with this sarcastic, sly, witty female who appeared to be a theif.
What had given off this impression about the female was what she was wearing, and the fact that her jet black hair was done up in a thick, long braid which almost went all the way down to her knees. Her eyes – somehow, they sparked something in both Wario and Boocifer's minds, they somehow seemed familiar. But as for her attire? She was clad in a pair of knee-high black boots, a pair of jean shorts which were ripped off several inches about the knee, a black belt with a large, silver buckle, a black button-down shirt with the sleeves torn off, and a black choker with a small diamond charm in the shape of a crescent moon attached. She also had bandages wrapped around her arms, starting a little above the elbow and ending write at her knuckles, and a white ribbon tied at the base of her braid. Lastly, she carried what appeared to be a bow quiver on her back at first glance – but in reality was being used to carry what one would assume to be her main source of self defense – whatever that was.
"What the heck happened after you made a run for it, toothpick boy?!" Wario demanded, being as obnoxiously blunt as ever. "And who's the chick?!" Waluigi rolled his eyes, giving Wario a fairly annoyed glare.
"It's good to be back." He drawled sarcastically. He then proceeded to answer his brother's questions. "In short, I made it to some pub on the outskirts of town, and I was ready to just hide out for awhile when I was attacked by our good ol' pal Freak Sheet at the place. After taking care of that twit, I emerged from the Arena cube to find out that this 'chick', as you insist on putting it, had escaped from Rahmet's clutches."
"… Soooo … she's part of this mess too, now?" Boocifer guessed, looking slightly confused.
"Flighty when it comes to gals, aren'tcha bro?" Wario said, grinning slightly. "And here I thought that you were still under that prissy little princess's charm. Well, good to see you got over THAT little fantasy real quick-like!" There was a hint of honest relief in Wario's voice as he spoke. Waluigi, however, gave a slightly amused sneer at this.
"I don't think that the 'prissy little princess' appreciates you calling her that very much. Am I right, Your Highness?" As he spoke, his dull gray eyes met with the female's gaze. And she gave a slightly annoyed – yet jokingly so – expression in response.
"Oh, come on, I told you to stop calling me that, Wally!" She smiled. But the rest of the group just stared. And stared. And stared some more. Taking notice of this, Waluigi continued his explanation.
"Anyway, listen up, because I'm not going to give you dopes another recap. So, it turns out that when she was hiding from two guards, she hid in one of the doors in the same corridor as the cell they were being kept in, and found out that there was a teleporter there, a teleporter that had been connected with all sorts of places – everywhere - without anybody else's knowledge."
"Mama Mia, Mario, that's like what the X-Nauts had installed to get from the Moon to Earth and back!" Luigi exclaimed, receiving a nod of confirmation from his brother. "B-but that was technology far beyond the level that our world has discovered and produced … P-Princess Darci, do you know how they could have possibly created this teleporter?" Luigi asked, growing even more worried than before. And for once in his entire life, Waluigi wasn't annoyed in the slightest with his rival's concern. Well, that was scary.
"Well, I do have a hunch. But it's only after you mentioned these 'X-Nauts' that I made the connection … there was an 'X' like insignia of the side of the teleporter's main tube, the one that the user would step in and out of. Is it possible that the Count took the teleporter, and altered it to fit his needs? That's all I can think of as a possibility." She shook her head ever so slightly. "This guy is such a pain. He's too intelligent to predict what he would have done, and what he would have avoided; his methods are way too advanced."
"If only the hell-spawn had come from Wario, then he wouldn't be nearly as conniving …" Boocifer sad with a sigh. Had he not became intangible at just that moment, Wario's fist would have sent him flying instead of going straight through the oddly-tinted boo.
"I think I'm going to just take that as a compliment." Waluigi muttered under his breath. Darci gave him a sympathetic look, though only for a moment so as not to let the others catch it.
"Your Highness, I have a question." Mario injected.
"Please, don't call me that; Darci will work just fine." The princess responded, before adding, "And just go ahead and ask; jeeze, it's not like I'm some goddess or something." It was becoming clearer and clearer to the group that the Eclipso Kingdom's princess would have much rather been born into a family of commoners than nobility. Neither Mario nor Luigi was used to this attitude coming from a princess; with Peach and Daisy, they took their duty as heir to their kingdom's throne very seriously. But this girl? She seemed to want nothing to do with that connection, that tie to the crown.
"… Is Peach alright?" Mario asked, quickly being followed up by his brother.
"Yeah, and what about Daisy? I sure hope she hasn't done anything that's gotten her into trouble …"
Darci couldn't resist a smile. Those two hadn't been kidding about their beaus; they really did worry about them twenty-four-seven. It was sweet, really. "No need to worry; they were fine when I left. But there's no way of knowing what the Count's plotting, and that's why I plan to come with you guys –"
"Hooooold IT!" This sudden exclamation from Wario caused Darci to stop, look at him, and then glare.
"What?"
"There is no way that we're going to baby sit some defenseless, prissy little damsel, no matter how irresistibly gorgeous you may be!" Darci's eyes widened slightly as Wario spoke, resisting the urge to gag. Part of her was complimented. But most of her was repulsed. And Waluigi noticed this, and, taking pity on her, he gave his brother a sharp glare.
"Please, I know that it's hard for you, but could you possibly consider thinking out your word choice before you speak? Just maybe? And also, Darci is fully capable of taking care of herself. Trust me." This snide snarl from the lankier of the brothers caused the stouter to take the defensive.
"You two certainly got quite buddy-buddy over the past few days, haven't you? Honestly, toothpick boy, we've got the chick; let's take her back to her nice, rich father who just so happens to have a certain reward for us? Remember? Don't TELL me you've gone soft on me all of a sudden!"
"Past few days? It's been two weeks, you moron! Learn to count! And it just so happens that there are more important things in the world than money!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
While the yelling match below ignited and grew like a forest fire, Brock and Shiva observed from above, quite entertained by 'these silly humans and their petty disagreements'. Brock stifled a guffaw as he watched those pacifistic Mario Brothers trying to intervene, and the even more ridiculous little oddball-boo watch confusedly from the sidelines, unsure of which position to take on the matter. And that new chick? Well, he was still trying to decide whether or not she herself had realized how obvious her feelings for that tall freak of nature were. Talk about 'Beauty and the Beast'!
"Can we attack them yet, Brock?" Shiva asked, just itching to steal every single item of any value whatsoever from the group of quarreling travelers. Brock gave a cocky grin in response.
"Yeah, Shiva. I think now would be a wonderful time to attack 'em."
-------------------------
( Somewhere far, far away … )
A shriek rang out in the empty, spacious dungeon of the citadel; the gnashing of hungry teeth belonging to lethal and revolting beasts; and the steady and melodic moaning of the winds outside the citadel walls. Ahhhh, how the Count loved the sound of it all … the sound of others experiencing the sort of pain that he himself felt inside. It almost made him feel as giddy as a school girl!
"The captives have been taken downstairs, Boss, and are ready for you." Ugh. Other life forms. How annoying.
Count Rahmet's eyes flashed open, keen, slit like pupils focusing in on the speaker. It was Boomarius. Hadn't that stupid specter learned to knock yet? "Boomarius …" The edge that his voice had, oh, how it cut through all the nerves that his faithful servant had managed to gather up before calling upon his master. But Boomarius had learned to hide his fear – it was the least he could do to show his master his respect, his unfailing yearning to do as he wished.
"Yes, boss?"
"… Tell me something. Why did you feel the need to barge in on me like this?" The Count's words (combined with that accusing, impervious gaze of his) overwhelmed the boo, leaving him speechless for a moment.
"U-uh, I, um, well … I just th-thought you had told me to –"
"Told you to what?!" The Count snarled, his calm and passive mood dropping without any warning. "You dolt! I wanted you to bring those spoiled little brats up to this room! How dumb can one possibly be?! I made it completely clear to you what my intentions were, did I not?!" Boomarius hated this. He hated it, hated it, and hated it. Ever since the third princess had made a run for it – and actually succeeded – he had been waiting for the Count to lose it. And now, the time had finally come; and he, his loyal servant, having devoted his entire being to serving his master, was to take the brunt of his anger.
"Y-yes, Boss, you made them clear."
"THEN GET THE POMPOUS LITTLE SNOBS ALREADY!"
The time between Boomarius's retrieval of the two princesses and the delivery was spent either choking down any guilty feelings he had for what he was assisting the Count do, or dealing with the princesses' resistance. Either way, it most certainly wasn't the most enjoyable thing for him to be doing. He could still hear his boss's words ringing in his ears, loud and clear, as he informed him of his intentions: 'You will bring them to me, and I will make them one of my kind.'
'B-but sir,' he had questioned, knowing full well what this meant. 'Surely you don't mean –'
'What else would I mean? It's vital for the ceremony; if I am to get what I want using the hidden power of the Eight Powers, I must make them one of my kind. And why would you care what I do with them, anyway?' Boomarius pushed these thoughts out of his head, not wanting to dwell on them. And as he neared the chamber door, he heard the voice of the feistier of the two princesses, now having lost its get-go.
"Please … please, at least tell us what your boss is going to do to us …" Daisy pleaded, honestly afraid for the first time in a long time. Boomarius gulped, hesitating for a moment. Then, at long last, he answered her.
"He's going to perfect you. Both of you."
-------------------------------
Author's Note: So ends chapter seven of 'Drastic Measures'! This one was quite a bit more serious than the others have been; so I apologize for that. Especially for the last scene …. I had originally rated this 'T' just in case a creepy scene like that would arise, and I guess it happened after all. Anyway, comments are – as usual – highly appreciated, and I love them veeeeery much! Honest feedback is loved as well. Well, for now, adieu! Oh, wait, one last note …. A billion thanks to my faithful readers out there! You guys rock hardcore!!!
