Chapter 18: Going undercover
She climbed down the rope rather fast. If she slipped, she could possibly fall. That would mean that she would have to be in a bigger cast or something and that would not be good AT ALL. She was about halfway down when she heard something above her.
"OH SHIT. SHE'S ESCAPING!"A parakoopa trooper yelled from the roof. "SOMEONE GRAB HER BEFORE BOWSER NOTICES!"
So much for taking it slow.
She began climbing down as fast as she could. When she reached the bottom she jumped down and ran. Her run took her into the town surrounding the castle.
It was a truly beautiful little town, full of Koopas and Goombas and Parakoopas. They all seemed really happy. It was evident that all Peach had told her about Darkland was a lie.
Around her, Street vendors were calling out their goods trying to get people to buy them. She must have landed in the market district.
But she could hear loud noises coming from the direction of the castle.
She had no time to explore at all. She began running through the Marketplace quickly, jumping over Goombas and sidestepping around Koopas and Parakoopas.
She remembered the last time she had run like this was when her father, who had gone missing after he went exploring something that had appeared in the Deserted Sands of Daisy's kingdom, had put her through one hell of a workout. The two used to go running in the early mornings before official royal business began.
Those had been good times.
She skidded around a corner and hid behind a dumpster. She would wait until they ran past before trying to head to the center of the town. Maybe she could get a train back to the Mushroom Kingdom. It was not very expensive and she did have a passport in her bag.
As the last of the Paratroopas passed,she began to painfully retract her wings. It hurt like hell and she could not help letting out a cry of pain. She clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent further noise. Wetness covered her back. It was either sweat or blood. She was too scared to look and find out.
As the wings fully retracted, she dug in her bag. Mushroom player. Books. Paper. Pencils. Manuscript. Her straps. Wincing, she pulled off her shirt and began pulling the straps off herself that were already on. No wonder her wings were hurting like hell. She tossed the used and fraying straps into the dumpster she was behind before pulling her shirt on again. She pulled out a jacket and put it on, zippering it up. She would need to hide the wings for the time being. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the alley she had run into.
She approached one of the vendors, a Koopa with a blue shell who was selling jewellery.
"E-Excuse me sir.."She began nervously.
The Koopa gave her a once over.
"Im thinking this choker for the pretty lady." He said smoothly holding it up.
The choker was a red metal version of Bowser's face. It was held by two strips of black velvet.
She stared at it before tossing him a few coins for it. She would give this to Wendy if she ever saw her again.
"Im a bit lost,Sir. Do you know how to get to the train station?'' She asked politely. Her father had told her once that when one was in a different country, one should always be polite. After
Grinning widely, Koopa gave her the directions. It was actually quite close, which was a relief. It would be easier for Raven to escape back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
With a big smile, she thanked him and headed off.
She needed to get home before Peach had a cow.