NOTES: Here we are! The last chapter featuring most of our Book 1 characters! Without unleashing spoilers, Book 2 will not be as Sage-centric as Book 1 was (although the Four Wands and their corresponding magic types will still play a major role) but will focus more on the conspiracy's effects. It'll be quite different from Book 1, but it will make sense in the end.
Chapter 18 and Book 2's Chapter 1 should both be posted around mid-July. I'm hoping before July 18, which marks this story's two-year anniversary of being published on here.
But for now, enjoy!
Larry scowled as he entered his apartment. Someone's been here, and he sensed it from the disturbed setting around him. His worst realization became apparent when he spotted a note on the kitchen counter where his wand used to occupy. Angered, the koopaling read the letter:
x-x
Larry Koopa,
Due to your noncompliance to our rules, the following item has been confiscated from your apartment:
Koopa Magic Wand
You have been issued a citation due to this violation. If you receive one more wrongdoing citation, then you will be evicted from the Madoso Complex. If you feel like you've received this citation in error, please contact your Landlord, Bowser Koopa of Apartment K601, or call his Office K701 number.
We do not allow this item, nor any items relating to it, within our confines. Weapons are only for those with a Mercenary-aligned security check, in which you lack.
Be mindful of our rules.
Sincerely,
Your Overseers:
King Boo (Council Chairman; Enforcer of the Boo Basement)
Bowser Koopa (Koopa Tower Landlord)
Morton Koopa Junior (Emissary Leader)
x-x
Larry sighed. Did Morton rat him out, or did the Council catch him? Either way, he must get this Wand of the Elements ascended before they confiscate that also.
He returned to his kitchen table and brainstormed ways to unlock the Wand of the Element's full power. He used the manuscripts as hints to find it; maybe he'll also need to use them to figure out the Wand's power.
The youngest koopaling tapped the Star Spirits manuscript with the Wand. He's again greeted by the grisly scene, squinting as the dust blew the rampant wildfire.
He tried using the Wand of the Elements to quiet the air down—nothing occurs. He tried enhancing the scene's supply of water by creating rain; again, no such luck. Lastly, he tried absorbing the fire. The effort worked, but the rate in which the fire spread outsped the youngest koopaling's magic.
Defeated, Larry sighed before ripping the manuscript. A deep desire for that Wand swelled within him; he knew he must get that Wand in the vision, but he didn't know how.
Remembering his conversation at the party, Larry pulled out his MIDST and texted Morton.
Larry: did u confiscate my wand?
Anxiety overflowing him, Larry twiddled his thumbs at the three circles, indicating Morton's typing. A minute later, his response appeared.
Morton: Your wand was confiscated?
Larry: my koopa wand yea
Morton: Phewww, thought u meant the element wand
Larry: haha thank the stars no
Morton: Ill give u access to Floor 10 of the magikoopa tower. Ur job is to find a lectern in there
Larry: what will it do?
Morton: it helps with ur manuscripts. Just use it, u will see
Larry: ok thx
Larry pocketed his MIDST. The Elemental Wand in hand, the youngest koopaling stepped out his apartment, locked the door. And trudged towards the elevator lobby. He pushed the down button and waited.
"Hmm hmm. Fancy seeing you here."
Surprised, Larry turned around and studied the female human's pirate attire.
"Captain Syrup?" he questioned, "What're you doing here?"
"So hostile, Larry Koopa," she sashayed toward the koopaling, "I was just visiting one of my long-time girlfriends."
"Okaaaaay..." Larry breathed out.
"Don't get yourself flustered now, Larry boy," she smirked.
The elevator opened after she spoke, and four koopas walked out. Captain Syrup entered the elevator and calls for the second floor. Larry boards after her and pushes for the third floor.
"Third floor, huh?" Captain Syrup continued smirking as Larry fidgeted under her stare.
"N-no, I have a meeting," he lied—although the excuse did have an element of truth to it. He stares back at her, "And you're getting food after just leaving a friend's house? You're not special enough for someone to cook for you?"
Now it's Larry's turn to smirk as Captain Syrup flinched. The elevator opened its doors when it reached the third floor, and Larry disembarked before spastically waving at Captain Syrup. The pirate grumbled as the doors close before her; Larry couldn't help but giggle to himself.
He walked through the mall, taking in deep breaths of the Koopa Tower fountain's chlorinated scent. Several koopa shops selling shells and clothes line every corner, save for a corridor about thirty feet wide. A sign hung above the corridor, advertising special deals within the Magikoopa Tower.
Larry entered the corridor. Unlike the outer towers, the Magikoopa Tower's portion of the mall contained an exposed Floor 4 above, crowded with various species walking and riding the escalators. A much larger fountain shot blue-tinted water into the air—the spray reached the same height as Floor 4's smooth tile before falling back down. With the fountain as the meeting point, the plaza had eight paths leading from it, each heading to one of the eight buildings.
The elevator lobby stood near the fountain. The koopaling pushed the up button, and the door opened instantly. He called for the 10th floor and closed his eyes as the elevator ascended.
The elevator stopped within seconds, and no longer feeling any movement, Larry opened his eyes. He arrived on Floor 10. He walked out the lobby and to a small room containing a metallic door and a card scanner. Larry scanned his membership card and the scanner's light flashes green.
He opened the door and explored the area. Floor 10 contained no rooms, furniture nor any windows; only a giant space containing the lights and the occasional pillar, similar to a parking garage in Downtown Caldera. Confused, he studied the barren area and spotted a few objects on the floor's north wall. Curious, he approached the artifacts and studied them. They appeared to be ancient artefacts, ranging from statuettes to torches.
One specific artefact caught the youngest koopaling's attention. An ancient granite podium rests amid the other artefacts. This must be the lectern Morton referred to; it looks exactly like the lectern he seen in the first vision involving Tenebris.
In haste, Larry placed the Star Spirit manuscript onto the lectern. The blue light surrounded him and he's back in the wildfire scene with the floating Wand. This time, a mysterious clarity filled his mind, and he's more confident in his ability to handle the wildfire.
Larry stared at the scene. He observed the area. It's a desert; a hotspot for wildfires due to their lack of water. He dug deeper. This may not be an actual desert, but a semi-arid highland climate experiencing a drought. A true desert wouldn't host this thick growth.
He studied the sky above him. It's not blue, but a dark grey, near-black. The fire, smoke and dust may have an effect, but the clouds also appeared to be a producer of precipitation.
It clicked: the upper troposphere's saturated, but the lower troposphere's still dry! It's trying to rain, but the rain evaporates before it hit the ground! The resulting virga generates wind, which accelerates the wildfire. He needs enough water to not only moisten the upper troposphere, but to take away the dry earth's power over the lower troposphere.
Larry pulled out the Wand of the Elements and waved the Wand. A black cloud appeared on scene, dumping heavy rain onto the now-struggling fire. The resulting boost in humidity prevents the wind from polluting the air with dust, while the raindrops washed it from the air. He absorbed the remaining fire using the Wand's manifestation.
He contrasted the scene before and after the action of summoning rain. The gusty winds no longer strip the earth of its life-giving minerals, the earth fails to overtake the air, and the fire's contained. Larry's pleased; all four elements are now balanced. Such balance allowed him to grab the visionary Wand of the Elements. As he grasped it, a surge of power flowed through him, and his understandings deepened. Throughout the charging, Larry's summoned cloud unleashed a lightning bolt, striking the koopa and repelling him back to Floor 10.
"So, you are the intruder," a voice spoke out. Unnerved, Larry turned around and spotted a blue-robed magikoopa frowning.
"Kamek..." Larry groaned, "What are you doing?"
"I'm exploring areas in which I have access to, unlike you!" Kamek shouted, "Now get out of here and give me that wand! You have zero authority to use it here!"
"No!" Larry spat, "I found this Wand, fair and square. I accepted it, and it accepted me!"
Kamek sighed before pulling his wand from his blue robes, "I wish I didn't have to do this, Lawrence, but you leave me no choice."
The magikoopa's wand spat several fireballs, incinerating the artefacts and scorching the floor's ceiling. Fire alarms triggered throughout the floor as Larry stared at the magikoopa, dazed. Despite his ability to control fire, Larry's unsure how to exploit the powers to save him.
"Fire alert! Evacuate the Complex!" Larry heard the sirens' automated voice command. Larry turned from the flashing lights to Kamek, his eyes showing the magikoopa a desperate plea.
"Now, say good night, Lawrence!" Kamek yelled before he pointed his wand at the koopaling. A black energy ball smacked Larry's head, causing him to be blown into one of Floor 10's walls.
A raging inferno surrounded him; the heat threatened to consume him alive. Larry remained unmoving, too weak to exert any power. Through the blanketing smoke, he watched the magikoopa leave the room before everything went black.
Although the party at Ludwig's apartment waned as people head home for the night, it remained strong as poker's played, alcohol's drunk and the holographic television's activated. Ludwig glanced at his MIDST – 11:50PM. He sighed; he should start putting a time limit on the parties, especially tonight due to his drowsiness, but he also doesn't want to be unfair and boot everyone out at midnight. They're still having fun.
"Hey Lud!" Bandy Andy summoned him towards the poker table with DK, Diddy, Wario and Crump, "Royal flush, baby!"
Ludwig raised an eyebrow, "Did you really get a royal flush?"
"Hey! The rules never state that cards on the floor can't be in play!"
"I'm actually quite sure the regulations of poker mention such gimmicks," Ludwig rolled his eyes and distanced himself from the cheater. Spotting the overflowing trash can in the corner coupled with trash that fallen out of the mess, Ludwig exhaled, "Damn, can we get any messier?"
As Ludwig adjusted the trash can, an alarm sounded and flashing lights filled his apartment. Automated voices went off everywhere as the sirens override their speech. Worst of all: this was not a drill.
He needed to leave the Complex—and the planet. Madoso's atmosphere outside the dome didn't contain any oxygen, making survival impossible, while the magnitude of this fire may pass the threshold on what the dome's air recyclers can handle.
"Fire alert! Evacuate the Complex!" an automated voice followed the siren, "Fire alert! Evacuate the Complex!"
Noticing the sudden stampede towards his door, Ludwig jumped out of his guests' way. He's about to follow suit as the line thinned, but a feminine voice behind him caught the koopaling off guard.
"Hey, Lud. Thanks for the party."
Ludwig turned around and spotted Mona smiling as she walked towards him, her indigo dress brushing the crumbs in her path.
"Mona?" Ludwig gasped, "I didn't know you were here!"
Mona shook her head, "I couldn't come out because I'd have to see him," she sighed, "Wario and I are done. Thank the Stars this fire's happening, just so I won't have to live under him."
Ludwig's stunned, although considering Wario's attitude, the result shouldn't surprise him.
"I'd love to hear your recount on what events may have unfolded. However, we're currently in our own predicament," he held out his hand towards her, "Follow me; perhaps we'll exchange words in my ship."
Mona smiled and grabbed Ludwig's hand.
In the Mushroom Tower, Mario exited his apartment Y607 holding Peach's hand. They planned on attending Ludwig's party, but the two decided to relax together with a bottle of aged wine. Of course, the alarm ruined the romantic feel in the air; only anxiety remains.
As they approached the Floor 6 elevator lobby, they spotted Yoshi entering the door to the stairs. Like everyone else, the green dinosaur rushed down the stairs, dodging the other stampeding yoshis coming from above.
"Yoshi!" Peach called out, "Mario! We need to catch up to him!"
Mario nodded and made a dash down the stairs, dragging Peach with him. They descended to Floor 3, where they caught up with their prehistoric friend.
"Yoshi! You're okay!" Peach marveled.
"Yoshi good. Just tired from alarm," Yoshi stated in a calm voice, as if he's delirious over the occurring events.
"I'm glad to hear," Mario grabbed Yoshi's hand with his other. The trio descended the stairs together, slipping through Floor 2 and Floor 1 before exiting towards the Yoshi Tower's hangar and entering a five-man spaceship. Mario got into the driver seat while Yoshi took the backseat. Peach occupied the passenger's seat and they locked the spacecraft before any other yoshis could join them.
"Hold on tight!" Mario instructed. He pulled a lever and the spaceship levitated. Mario pushed another button, and the ship sped through the corridors leading outside the artificial atmosphere.
From the Comet Observatory's tranquil setting, Morton lounged in a lawn chair and stared at his wand, intrigued at the visions it's providing him. Chaos radiated from Madoso, from fires to kidnappings to panic. Likewise, Plit's teetering towards the endless depth of chaos from its ripe grounds for revolution.
"Hmm..." Morton turned to Rosalina, who's also resting in a lawn chair but instead studied the cosmos surrounding them, "Looks like Kamek set the HQ on fire as he was confronting Larry, while Kammy took Roy and Kylie back to Plit. That's quite a step."
"What? Are they okay?" Rosalina snapped from her concentration.
"Larry? Nah, Larry's fine. Roy and Kylie too; they'll wake up forgetting about everything, if anything," Morton rose from the chair and paced around the observatory's makeshift lawn, "After reflecting on it... I'm changing the plan's course. It's no longer the Assembly's plan; it's mine."
Rosalina only stared at Morton, intrigued.
"The Wand speaks to me, and I've been learning from it. And it is correct," he continued, "Order is a farce. An artificial concept created to contain the true power of the Cosmos. The true power of our magic comes from chaos. Think of the erosion of earth from water and air: the classic act against order. That goes the same for everything else: if they try to bend Cosmic power to their wants—they will perish. The magic's desire for chaotic freeflow outweighs anyone's desire for order, and they will be destroyed."
"Then the world will be filled with chaos..." Rosalina sighed.
Morton nodded, "Wars will break out on every hectare of land as the Wand of the Cosmos balances itself and the Wand of the Spirit's unsated desire for blood. But that's exactly what the Magikoopas want to prevent. They want peace, constant order and political power, even if those two Wands remain unbalanced. That'll get Roy killed, and that'll get me killed also, unless the Magikoopas allow us to bypass the Wand of the Spirit's fury by turning us immortal."
"But..." Rosalina thought, "Aren't immortal Sages an abuse of the power already?"
"Something more powerful than the Four Wands is backing the Magikoopas up," Morton stated, "That makes no sense, because the Wands are supposed to be supreme artifacts of the universe. Unless the Celestial Wand lost power when it split, or a fifth piece somehow exists, I don't see how anything can counteract the Sages. But with that piece missing, the Magikoopas face no consequences."
"And the Koopa Kingdom? What about Junior?"
"The plan is bigger than him. If Junior gets in the way, then he'll be destroyed. Hell, it's bigger than me and you."
Rosalina released another exhale, "I don't like where this is going."
"Just trust me on this one, Rosie," Morton promised, "Just keep an eye on what remains of Scholar. And stay here. Don't ever go to Plit."
Before Rosalina's able to respond, only a shimmering pillar of blue light replaced where Morton stood.