Hello, all! This week, we'll examine what's been up with a few people I haven't touched on in a while. I have nothing else to say, so read on to find out what happens!

Disclaimer: Paper Mario belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

Chapter 26: The Rescue: Part 1

Hatesong Tower

Almondo began to stir as he rubbed his sore head. "Ugh. Where am I?" He glanced around. He was in a room with nothing but darkness to accompany him. He walked around, trying to find his way around the pitch-black room. "Hello? Is anybody there?" He tried standing up, but something tugged him back to the floor. He sighed as he stared at the chains wrapped around his neck. He tried tugging, but he ended up coughing. He sighed. How was he gonna get out of this rabbit hole now? He was glad to be alive in the first place. What about Éclair? Where was she? The last thing he remembered was arriving at the Waffle Kingdom for their wedding when something went wrong. Crêpe's face came into mind as he went through the flashback. He stomped his foot. "That bastard! He'll pay for whatever he did to me!"

A door opened above him as a Luff stuck his head out. "Will you keep it down? Some of us have important plans to make."

Almondo scratched his head. "Who are you?"

"I don't have to answer any of your questions. Now, if you can pipe down-"

"No, I won't! Tell me who the heck you are and what did you do with my fiancé! Tell me now!"

"Sorry, but I'm gonna keep you in the dark about that." He snickered as he closed the door. "That's a good one."

"You bastard!" Almondo stood up and ran, but the chain tugged him back to the floor. He stood up and yanked on it, but it wouldn't budge. It was steel. Of course it wasn't going to. He sighed. How was he gonna break steel? He couldn't; his arms clearly weren't strong enough. Maybe that Luff had the key? How would he get him down here? Maybe insult him? Make a lot of noise? That could be enough to draw his attention again. He ran around, yelling 'Let me out!' over-and-over until the Luff entered the room again and sighed.

"Be quiet, will you?!"

"Let me out of my chains!"

He growled. "I said-" As he approached him, the Chestnut King grabbed him and slammed him into the ground, causing him to scream in pain.

"The key," he growled. "Give it to me!"

"What key-" Almondo twisted his knee, a satisfying crack echoing in the room. "Ah!"

"Wanna try that again?"

"There is no key! I swear on my life! Please, let me go!"

"I will when you give me what I want. Can you destroy this cuff around my neck? It's killing me." He nodded. "Good. Do it." The Luff held his hand out and chanted. The cuff dissipated. "Good. Now, tell me who you are and where my fiancé is."

The Luff ignored his questions. "Help!" he shouted. "Someone, help me!"

More Luffs charged into the room, readying themselves as they stared at Almondo.

He huffed. "I should've known you were going to call for more of your friends."

"Drop him now!"

"I think not. I'm gonna find my fiancé. You can't keep me in here any longer!" He threw him at the other Luffs as they tumbled on top of each other as he scurried out of the room, dodging blasts as he charged up the stairs. He emerged out of the room, the other Luffs noticing his presence. He dodged their blasts and ran outside, the rain pouring as it soaked his clothes. The Luffs backed him near the edge of the cliff as he nearly fell off as some pebbles tumbled down the mountain.

"That's far enough," a Luff said. "You have nowhere to go. Surrender!"

Almondo eyed a suspicious rope tied to a rock. "I think not. Almondo out!" He grabbed the rope and slid down as he held on, the friction burning his hands as he dropped many feet below. He landed on his butt. "Ow!"

The Luffs were not too far behind as they jumped down, skipping the rope entirely. Almondo growled and glanced around. Where was a ship? There must've been one since he came here somehow. He ran around the tower and spotted said ship and sighed with relief, hopping on without a second thought. He went below decks and hid behind a crate. Waiting out for the Luffs to depart would be the best time for him to leave.

"Who'd be here?" a voice echoed. The door opened, causing Almondo's stomach to churn. He grabbed the thing closest to him, an empty glass bottle. He ran at the person and screamed. The person, a brown sailor with an eye patch and a wooden leg, screamed back. "Who in the blazes are ye?! Ye scared-!" Almondo covered his mouth as muffled footsteps echoed from above. The door opened the door as the Luffs entered.

"The screaming was in this direction," a Luff said. "Find them. They can't hide forever." The Luffs split into different directions. Almondo approached one from behind and knocked him unconscious. He hauled the Luff out of the window and repeated the process with the others, albeit with different ways. One-by-one, they flew out until the leader was the only one left. He slowly approached him, the floor making quiet creaks, causing him to stop before continuing. As he was within striking distance, he raised his fist, but the Luff caught it as he swung it without looking.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He whacked him back, sending him into a wall. He screamed as the force gave him the impression of cracking his back. "Do you really think I was not going to see you?"

"Kinda," Almondo said, stretching his back. "I mean, it worked for the others. I guess all minds don't think alike."

"Of course not. Now, obviously you're trying to escape, and I won't allow that. You woke sooner than expected, but I'll make sure to rectify that once when you're properly captured, so if you don't want me to sink this poor ship to the ground, surrender now, or else."

"How about no and tell me where the heck my fiancé is now!"

"You're the princess's fiancé?" The Luff scratched his chin. "How interesting. I bet Whiro didn't know that. Now you're even more of a threat to the Luffs. I shall stop you myself!" He whipped at the Chestnut King. He dodged as the rope hit wood. He flinched. If he couldn't get him off the ship, the only mode of transportation would be gone. He charged at the Luff and grabbed him and ran upstairs before throwing him off.

He glanced at Hershel. "Can you start the ship up?"

"What?!" the sailor exclaimed. "You'd be outta ye mind! I ain't gonna do that!"

"I can swim!"

"In these waves?! Ye'd be crazy!"

"Do it now!" Almondo jumped off the boat and faced the Luff as he stood up. Hershel sighed and untied the main sail.

"Your friend's leaving you behind?" The Luff scratched his chin. "How both interesting and rude. Now you're in a race against the clock to try to defeat me and catch up to your friend. That's a good plan you've got there, but it's also risky. I wonder how good your time management and fighting skills are. I'm willing to bet they aren't up to par against me!" He whipped his rope around a rock and stomped his foot, causing the rock to launch in the air before the Luff swung his body in a circular motion, throwing the rock at Almondo. He dodged out of the way as it crashed into the mountain, causing others to fall off which the Luff whipped at the Chestnut King. Almondo growled as he dodged. The ship was a ways away, but the Luff covered every area of escape. He didn't fight often. How was he supposed to defeat a Luff with more years of fighting experience? He glanced at the rope still dangling down. He smiled. Two could play this game. He grabbed and tugged it, the rope snapping as it fell in front of him. "What good will that dumb piece of rope do for you? You don't even know how to use it."

"So? I don't care. I'll do anything to reunite with Éclair, including defeating you!" Before the Luff could react, Almondo swung the rope with surprising accuracy, hitting him in the nose. He followed up with a punch and picked up his whip and lassoed it around his legs with the help of the magic powered by it, and with all his might, slammed him against the mountain, knocking him unconscious. Almondo dropped the rope and smiled. He ran to the edge. "Sailor! Turn around!" The ship turned around and made its way to him.

Hershel held out his hand. "Grab on, sonny!" Almondo grabbed it and the sailor pulled on the halyards, the ship swinging starboard as it went on its way through the loud cracks of the thunderstorm.

The rain had finally subsided by the time the sun started to rise. Almondo woke up with a yawn and a stretch as he walked to the deck. "Mornin', sonny,'' Hershel said. "Or should I say 'yer Highness', bein' you'd be a king and all."

"Nonsense. Almondo is just fine."

"OK, Almondo." Almondo sighed. "Couldn't sleep, eh?" He nodded. All he could dream about was the wedding he and Éclair were supposed to have. How did things go wrong so quickly? All he wanted was to be with the love of his life, and because of Crêpe and the wolf people, that couldn't happen. He shook his head. No. It could still happen. All he had to do was to make the enemy vanish, but how? He sighed. Focus on step one. Worry about the rest later.

"Tell me, who are those people? What do they want with Éclair?"

"Woo wee. That be a very long tale."

"But you know who they are, yes?" Hershel nodded. He could tell why he wanted to know. "Then tell me everything."

"OK, sonn- I mean-"

Almondo laughed. "Sonny is just fine."

"Now ye'd be makin' me brain fuzzy. Which it be?!"

"Anything but 'your Highness'."

"Finally, a simple response!" He sighed. "Ye'd better get comfortable. It be a long tale. Here's how it all started…"

One hour later...

"Oh, so that's why they're after my fiancé. We have to stop them." He sighed. "Does Whiro know I'm a king?"

"Probably not. The Chestnut Kingdom wasn't established till after, so I don't think so. Plus, Whiro was mainly after Wafflington than anybody else. I think you'd be in the clear."

The Chestnut King sighed. Well, at least he still had the element of surprise on his side. "So, what about this Luigi guy? Is he still alive?"

"I don't know. I've been hidin' on the ship to wait for ye, so I don't know. I hope he be OK.

"We oughta see for ourselves. We need to head to Waffle Palace. Where are we?"

Hershel examined the ocean through a telescope. "From what I can tell, Rumblebump Volcano be in the west, so the Waffle Palace must be in the east. Wait a sec. Sonny, you can't be-"

"If he's still alive, we have to rescue him! I also have to get my sweet Éclair! I have to!"

"Sonny, you barely managed to survive a fight against one Luff. There'd be hundreds at the castle! It be a death trap!"

"I don't care. I'll sneak my way in. I'm gonna make sure to get them both back, no matter what. Take me to Waffle Palace now." Hershel sighed. There was no use changing his mind now. The ship turned to the kingdom. Hours later, they reached a dock where Hershel secured the ship. He touched Almondo's shoulder.

"Please don't be too reckless. Think about yer actions carefully." He nodded. He jumped off the ship and began sneaking his way into town, using as much coverage as he could. The sights were not very pretty as Almondo wandered. In the center of the plaza stood a large statue of Wafflington that was being taken down piece-by-piece by the Wafflers. Two oddities that joined them were two bloopers. They whacked pickaxes on the structures as others would pick up said pieces and put them in one giant pile. Almondo growled. The Luffs were even worse in his mind if they were enacting slave labor. He erased the image out of his head and wandered on. Luffs were stationed in specific parts of the town, particularly in high places to keep a bird's eye view on the entire town. One false move could alert everyone. Using what cover he could, he started from one place to another until he stared at the entrance to the palace. Two guards stood in front of the castle with spears. Almondo picked up a nearby rock and chucked it, causing the guards to veer their heads and run in the direction of the noise. Almondo chuckled and ran inside. The entrance hall was empty, but that didn't mean there weren't others nearby. He silently crept down the hallway.

Whiro smiled as he stood on the balcony below. When he first arrived, he hated the very sight of anything having to do with Wafflington, so he gave orders to have the statue that stood in the middle of the town be stripped down to the finest piece of gravel along with anything else that resembled the Waffler or the monarchy in general. He had also received great news as well. Three days had passed since the Luffs' arrival, and the areas were already under their control. Luigi's 'death' played a major part in that; it was without doubt that the plumber had influenced many people throughout his journey. He had considered moving the princess's execution to tomorrow. Everything had lined up in place, all except for one thing: the plumber. Luigi wouldn't give a single ounce about where he was from. Not even a beating would make him spill the beans, and it frustrated the Luff. It didn't matter; he would reach his threshold eventually, and Whiro was a patient man. If necessary, his kingdom could be the last to be conquered, but the sooner he would spill the information, the sooner he could meet his end. He walked into Éclair's room. The princess was locked in her room ever since the Luffs arrived. The windows were barred to prevent her from escaping. "How are you, my princess?" She stayed silent. "How about you say 'I'm good. How are you?'"

"What do you want?" she growled.

"Just trying to have an exchange of pleasantries. There's nothing wrong with having a friendly conversation."

"'Friendly'? You keep me locked in my room. You force slave labor on all my citizens. You killed innocent people! There's nothing 'friendly' about you at all! You ruined my wedding and my life! You just love tormenting people for your own amusement. Is that it?"

"Nonsense. I haven't hurt you in any way. I don't keep you chained like an animal."

"Like you have with Luigi?"

"You don't know how much of a threat that boy is. Just like you will be at the end of the week, he too shall meet his end. Try not to feel too bad for him. He had it coming. As a matter of fact, I need to pay him a visit. If you excuse me." He walked out of the room and to the lower levels where the plumber was held in a cell of his own away from everyone else. He entered as Luigi laid on the ground. Two Luffs stood beside him. "How is the boy?"

"I think he's ready to talk," one Luff said.

"Good. Leave us." They nodded and left. "So, have you thought about what I asked?" Luigi heaved, glaring at him. Whiro flinched a little at the sight of his face. Scars and dried blood formed on his nose and around his eyes. His ripped hat laid on the floor, caked in dirt, and his clothes were ripped, exposing skin.

"You can't-a make me talk," he growled. "I won't put my friends in danger! Go to hell!"

Whiro shook his head. "Cursing. How naughty. I suppose if nothing is getting through to you, perhaps a different way will. Luff, bring the girl here."

"What are you doing?"

"Exposing your weakness. Crêpe laid the groundwork for it. Now, I'll do anything to expose it to get what I want."

"No! Get your filthy hands off me!" The Luff threw Soufflé to the ground. "Please! Help me!"

"You might not know her personally," Whiro said, "But she is an acquaintance of Éclair." Luigi made a silent gasp. "That I know will be enough to get the ball rolling."

"Resist! Don't give them what they want!"

"Be quiet!" Whiro kicked her. She coughed. "Tell me where you're from, or I will kill her." A knife formed in his hand. She screamed.

"No! Don't do it!"

"I said 'shut up!' Tell me now, Luigi!"

Luigi's heart pumped. He couldn't tell them about the Mushroom Kingdom. He couldn't. If Peach were to die because of them, he would do nothing but blame himself. He knew the love she and Mario shared. That was why he wanted him to go with her on their treasure hunt, so they could grow and be happy together. Luigi didn't want to be a third wheel. If the Mushroom Kingdom were to die, he wouldn't bear it. Most likely, he would try to join the heavens. But what should he do? What can he do? What-

"Sir!" A Luff ran into the room, interrupting his thoughts. "Someone is attacking the castle."

"And why didn't you take care of the problem first before telling me?!" Whiro growled.

"They already are. Most likely, they're after Luigi."

"How? How did the information leak? How?!" He sighed. "Take care of the problem." He grabbed the plumber. "You're mine." He left, Luigi's screams echoing.

Almondo kicked a Luff back before punching another. He didn't have a whole lot of hand-to-hand experience; his movements were sloppy as he punched. A Luff knocked him into a soldier armor set, a sword falling into his lap. He smiled. He did have many years of sword-fighting experience. His parents taught him when he was little before they died, so he remembered every technique they taught him, even though he didn't physically fight a whole lot. He picked it up and swiped at them, causing them to be drawn into the wall as he stabbed them one-by-one. Truth was, he didn't want to kill them. He could picture him getting along with them, but after learning about their tale, he couldn't let them live. He hated the fact that he was taking lives, but he hated that they threatened to kill Éclair even more. All he wanted was a life with her, but they threatened their relationship. He had no choice. He pinned one to the wall. "Tell me where Éclair and Luigi are this instant!"

"You can't make me talk." He slivered his skin. He screamed.

"Do you wanna die like your brethren?! If not, tell me where they are now!"

"OK! The boy's in his own cell on the lower levels of the castle and Éclair's locked in her room on the third floor! That's all I know!" Almondo nodded and ran off to the stairs that led to the cells. He slid underneath a Luff between the legs and punched him into another. He ran down the end of the hall and ran across a suspiciously opened room.

"He's already gone," Soufflé said, standing up and coughing. "The wolf man already took him."

"Where?"

"I don't-" Luigi's screams echoed. "You heard that?"

Almondo nodded. "I did. We must go after him! Can you run?"

"I think so."

"Good. Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and ran.

"Hey! Injured person here!" Luigi's cries continued to echo as the duo ran down the cell block.

"Hey! Your Highness! Please, don't leave me!" The two stopped to see Crêpe glancing at them with a solemn expression.

Whiro stomped his foot. He and Luigi were in a room away from everyone else as he walked around and kicked a vase of flowers. Soil covered the floor. "I don't understand. I don't understand! I had everything under control! My race had every area under our control, and by the end of the week, the princess was supposed to die, but someway, somehow, someone leaked the information about your fake death and I'm furious!"

"Or they-a made a lucky guess."

"I didn't ask for your input, boy. So tell me. Was it you? Did you have some spy hear the news and bust you out at the right moment?"

"It wasn't me. I swear."

"All lies!" He kicked him.

"Please!" the plumber cried. "I swear it wasn't me! I was locked up! I couldn't get to anyone even if I wanted to! You have to believe me!" The Luff sighed. He was right about the last bit.

"Fine. It doesn't matter." He blew a hole in the wall, drawing the attention of some of the Luffs.

"Sir," one said. "Why are you leaving? You haven't killed the princess."

"She's not my top concern right now. He is." He pointed to Luigi. "This castle is under attack, and you decide to check on me instead of dealing with the problem! I taught you better! Now move!" The Luffs ran away.

"Where are you taking me?" Luigi asked.

"Somewhere they'll never find you. I was a fool to keep you locked up here. Once when the perpetrator's been apprehended, you're next. You proved too much of a threat to stay alive. I should've finished the job when I had the chance, but no worries. There's more than one way to skin a cat." He held up the Marvelous Compass. "I forgot I could easily ask the compass about the information of your kingdom. After the Waffle Kingdom's fallen, yours is next. I want you to see everything that you ever adored burned to the ground. I have come too far to have my plan fail. Get moving." He shoved the plumber out of the hole with him following behind.

Thanks for reading. The content for this chapter was a bit larger than expected, so I decided to split it into two chapters. Almondo has escaped Hatesong Tower with Hershel, but things haven't gone to plan. We'll see what happens next time with Crêpe and the fate of the mission. See you later!