As we speed along the highway, I notice a number of interesting things. Every so often, there are these station with yellow pads — I believe they are recharging stations for the Pork Beans. I wonder if I could use PK Thunder to achieve the same effect.
There are also some excavators across the lands — perhaps in order to build more roads? I must wonder, why exactly do you need roads — the Pork Beans levitate above the ground, so surely roads wouldn't be needed? Although, I suppose it would be useful to demarcate where the Pork Beans would go, so someone doesn't accidentally get hit by them.
Considering how fast these things move at, being hit by one of these things would certainly kill you.
Speaking of high speeds, the Pigmasks seem to be in an hurry, seeing as they are going at... decidedly dangerous speeds. There aren't any speed limits or anything though, so I suppose it doesn't... wait a minute... there aren't any speed limits?!
Oh Pork... this cannot end well...
Miss Marsh isn't faring too well either... I'm guessing the high speeds rattle her circuits a lot. She's taken to wrapping her arms around me and clinging on to me for dear life, with her eyes closed.
As we keep going, we cross over a rather large bridge above the sea. It's really beautiful, the sun setting, the sea shining... I'd love to just sit here one of these days, perhaps with a book to read...
You know, seeing the sea has just reminded me that everything here, is all on a island. I must say, it's strange that the Nowhere Islands are this large considering it's supposed to be, well, an island. I'm tempeted to say it's almost as large as Foggyland was...
On the right side, is something equally as interesting — the Thunder Tower.
It's very tall — over 200 meters, if I recall. Most of the building is a vertical column, reinforced by metal bars. The top is the most interesting part though — it's a large yellow sphere...
With a giant laser on top of it!
What in the name of... things, is that?! Why is there a giant laser on top of the tower?! This... has gotten very interesting.
"Miss..." Actually... hm... I'm not sure why but... I don't think I should refer to Miss Marsh as such in front of the other Pigmasks. Granted, most of them preoccupied with other things but... best to be safe, I suppose.
"Lil' Miss Marshmallow?"
She doesn't seem to notice that I've said anything... strange, every other time I've asked her anything, she's immediately responded to my question. Although, she isn't exactly in the best of shape right now.
"OH, CO, COMMANDER... MY, MY APOLOGIES, I, I DID NOT REALISE YOU WERE REFERRING TO ME... WHAT WAS YOUR QUESTION?"
"I was wondering... do you know why there is a giant laser on top of the tower?"
"HM... AN INTRI, INTRIGUING QUESTION... MY DA, DA, DATA BANKS INDICATE THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE THUNDER TOWER WAS FOR THE INCREASED PRO, PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY... I, I THEREFORE SEE NO USE FOR SUCH A DEVICE. I APOLOGISE FOR, FOR BEING UNABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH MORE INFORMATION, COMMANDER."
I'm tempted to push a little further, but one look at her and I immediately decide not to. She doesn't seem to be coping well at all. Poor thing.
As we go through several dark caves, we also pass what looks to be a cafe — though it doesn't look like the cleanest of areas. There's also these strange machines that have 4 wheels on them, and this metal shell on top of them. They appear to be land based... so I suppose that would justify the roads.
But then again, why exactly do you need something land based? Aren't the Pork Beans superior in every way, seeing as they levitate and all?
Still, the cafe isn't the filthiest part of the area — soon after, we pass what looks to be a rubbish heap which is rife with all sorts of junk and rubbish. Among the trash, I can see what looks to be a broken Instant Revitalising Device, a Pork Bean (I wonder if it crashed because it was going too fast) and... that's strange...
There's a broken machine here — yeah, that doesn't sound interesting, seeing as this is a trash heap and all, but it's the type of broken machine that's interesting. It's a device that has a number of buttons on it, and a small card shaped slot on it. It's a device that I've never seen before in real life.
Key word being, in real life.
Because I have seen this machine before, and I know what it is — it's an ATM.
But I've only seen it... in Earthbound.
I've never seen an ATM in real life and the currency they used in Earthbound is much different... 'dollars', was it? I had therefore assumed that ATMs were a invention of the past, and therefore shouldn't exist now, because of, oh, I don't know, THE APOCALYPSE!
Now I'm even more confused... things aren't making sense at all...
I don't have much time to dwell on the fact though, since, we make a turn, and soon enough... we reach the Thunder Tower. Up close it's perhaps even more imposing and threatening then from a distance.
The Pork Bean slows down, soon coming completely to a halt before the Major addresses the two of us.
"Right, we're here, Commander! The glorious Tower of Peace and Love! The Thunder Tower!"
Tower of Peace and Love? Interesting name...
"Thank you for taking us here."
"Nah, it's no problem. It's nice to get out of the underground and drive around in the Pork Beans. Word of advice, Commander, if this whole Commander thing doesn't work out for you for some reason, then I advice you not to take a job at the Candaum Underpass. You may very well die of boredom."
"What exactly is the Candaum Underpass for anyway?"
"Oh well, it's just a way of connecting the Death Desert and the Highway together, as well as Tazmily Village."
Yes, I've been meaning to ask about that last one.
"Why exactly do you have a passage to Tazmily Village?"
"Between you and me, Commander, it was installed for quick travel but also as a secret passage, one that the people in Tazmily are unaware of, and would never think of looking at, since it's under a grave, and few would risk disrespecting the dead."
"So this lets you sneak into Tazmily without anyone being able to detect you... but what for?"
"I'm not actually sure... but I heard all sorts of rumours. Some say we're gonna use it to sneak into the place and then kill everyone in there, as revenge. Then, we'll build a new city there, a new utopia for us to live."
Kill everyone there?! That's... well... I'm not sure what to think. On one hand, I feel a sense of... joy and justice, at the idea, for there are many in Tazmily who deserve swift death.
On the other hand, I cannot help but feel that this is... unfair, to those who are young... they don't deserve to die, do they? No, their lives could be changed, as mine was. But if they are killed... then... that gives them no chance of changing, doesn't it?
"But that's not the only rumour I've heard — I've also heard that Fassad's already in Tazmily and is attempting some sort of negotiations with the people there."
Now that's very interesting. Negotiations? If I recall, the negotiations failed last time Fassad tried. But he's still trying again? Hm... Fassad seems very interested in Tazmily. I'm not sure what exactly to make of that either.
"Interesting... I suppose the only person who truly knows is the King then."
"Yeah. But there's no point talking about rumours and uncertainties like this. We'd love to stick around but unfortunately we've gotta go, so see ya, Commander!"
The Major opens the door, letting Miss Marsh and myself leave. Miss Marsh still seems a little rattled from the journey so I (literally) give her a hand, and help her get out of the Pork Bean.
On the walls next to the building are a few signs which point to some areas near the tower — the most interesting one being the one pointing east... to Saturn Valley?
I'm honestly really tempted to keep going east just out of curiosity, but, alas, I can't — I have a duty and all.
Either way, the two of us enter through the metal doors and finally enter the tower.
Inside is... wow! The place is rather interesting — there's all sorts of wires and pipes extending of the walls, as well as these barrels in the ground. There are also some screens and windows on the walls, which are a rather pretty light blue.
However, the light blue maid with me still isn't feeling too all that well — she's wobbling quite a bit.
"I... I... AH, COMMANDER... IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, MAY I HAVE A MOMENT TO GATHER MY BEARINGS... I AM RATHER DIZZY FROM THAT JOURNEY..."
"Of course. Why don't you sit down?"
"YES... I THINK I WILL... THANK YOU, COMMANDER..."
There's a bench nearby, so she makes her way over to it before sitting down, and I decide to sit down by her.
"So, high speeds don't agree with you then?"
"NO... THEY DISRUPT MY SOURCES OF POWER AND CAN EVEN DAMAGE THE INSIDE OF MY BODY."
"Why?"
"THE LEVITATION TECHNOLOGY ON THE PORK BEANS IS NOT PERFECT. IT ALLOWS A PORK BEAN TO FLOAT ABOVE THE GROUND BUT THEY ARE STILL AFFECTED BY THE TERRAIN, WHICH IS RATHER BUMPY. "
"I... WASN'T EXACTLY BUILT TO BE THE MOST DURABLE, AS I AM NOT PRIMARILY A COMBAT ROBOT, AND MY SYSTEMS ARE THEREFORE SOMEWHAT DELICATE... HOW MUCH OF THAT DID YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND, COMMANDER?"
"Well... only a little bit, but that doesn't matter to me — I'm just glad to hear you properly speak again! You were built for... well, you're multi purpose, aren't you?"
"INDEED. I WAS BUILT FOR VERSATILITY, ABLE TO EXERT A RANGE OF FORCES, UP TO 3000 NEWTONS OF FORCE."
"3000 — that's a lot! What could you do with that much force?"
"WELL... I COULD BREAK CONCRETE IN TWO, BEND STEEL, LIFT UP TO 305.8 KILOGRAMS AND BREAK ALL 27 BONES IN YOUR HAND."
"All the bones in my hand?! You can really do that?!"
"WELL, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DEMONSTRATE?"
"I'll pass... I quite like the bones in my hand..."
"AS YOU WISH. YET AT THE SAME TIME, I'M DELICATE ENOUGH TO MAKE A CUP OF TEA, PREPARE A MEAL AND HOLD YOUR HAND WITHOUT MUTILATING IT."
"And of course, there's all the different things you can do as well."
"INDEED. COOKING, CLEANING, REPAIRS, BATTLE..."
"And a great friend! You really are the whole package, aren't you?"
"WELL... I WOULDN'T SAY I'M A GOOD FRIEND, COMMANDER..."
"And I would agree with you. You are not a good friend. You are an excellent friend."
"... COMMANDER... IT IS... NATURAL FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, BECAUSE ONCE THEY DIE... THEY CANNOT BE BROUGHT BACK. BUT IF I WERE TO BE DESTROYED, SO LONG AS MY MEMORY CHIP IS STILL INTACT... I COULD SIMPLY BE REBUILT. SO... IF I MAY ASK, WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME?"
"Let me ask you ask a question — why shouldn't I care for you, Miss Marsh?"
She's silent at that one. It appears I've stumped her.
"I... I BELIEVE I AM READY TO PROCEED. SHALL WE?"
"Sure..."
The two of us start making our way through the various rooms, passing various Pigmasks, who greet us, and kindly point us in the right direction. The two of us keep going until we stumble into a particularly large room, with a giant capsule in the centre of the room, and inside it is a massive ship.
It kinda looks like one of the Porkships... except it's much bigger. It's rather wide, with the Pigmask insignia on the front of the ship, and a number of lasers fitted into the sides. I must say, it's quite the technological accomplishment!
Of course, it's not the only thing here — there's a large number of Pigmask Captains, a few Majors and a Colonel. One of the Majors turns and notices us.
"Hey... is that the Commander?"
At that, the Colonel turns as well.
"Hey, it is! Everyone, take five. Commander, it's good to see you again! And, Lil' Miss Marshmallow, nice to see you again as well."
Again? We've both seen this Colonel before? I start thinking, and then it hits me...
"I apologise if I'm mistaken... but I take it you are the Colonel I assisted during the construction of Mr Genator and Lil' Miss Marshmallow?"
"AH, YES. YOU WERE THE PERSON WHO ACTIVATED ME."
"Yep! I'm actually surprised you both remembered. So, what brings you the two of you to the Thunder Tower?"
"I am here to visit the tower and His Highness."
"WHILE I AM HERE TO BE STATIONED AT MY INTENDED POST — HIS HIGHNESS'S PLAYROOM, WITH THE COMMANDER HERE TO ESCORT ME."
"Escort you? But you could just fl... oh, wait, you can't. So... have you two come all the way from the Death Desert then?"
"Indeed."
"Woah. The two of you have come a long way, haven't you — that's very impressive. And it doesn't look like you two are any worse for wear."
"INDEED. THE COMMANDER HAS DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF FENDING OFF THE CREATURES WE'VE MET."
"So, Colonel, why are you here then? Last time I saw you you were on the 57th floor of the Empire Pork Building."
"As it happens, we were doing some work there, but we needed to go to Thunder Tower to get some parts and stuff, so we could make some adjustments to this."
She points to the Porkship behind her.
"I take it this ship is for special use then. High ranking officials, I imagine?"
"Indeed — this is the Mother Porkship, the largest and most powerful Porkship we have. We only use it for important missions and such. For that reason, it's equipped with improved defences and weaponry compared to all the other Porkships."
"It must be incredibly durable then."
"It is... but unfortunately, it isn't banana proof, which doesn't help given that Fassad likes to use this a lot."
She lowers her voice. "Between you and me, I hope to the Dark Dragon that you really do become the Commander. I detest that man with every fibre of my being."
"I share your sentiments. I must wonder, why exactly is he still with this army, if everyone seems to dislike him to such a large extent?"
"I wonder the same thing. The king must find him really useful, I suppose."
I was hoping for some insight into why Fassad is still here, but the Colonel's sentiments seem to match my own.
"Hm. In any case, what modifications are you making to this ship then?"
"Making it faster."
Okay, that gets a laugh out of me.
"Well, that certainly is important."
"Yep. Its size makes it difficult though. Adding boosters just adds to the load, cancelling out the added speed."
"AND METAL OF A LIGHTER DENSITY WOULD COMPROMISE ITS DURABILITY."
"Indeed, Lil' Miss Marshmallow. It's quite the issue. Do either of you have any suggestions then?"
"What about energy based weaponry? You'd need less ammunition overall."
"Haha, we already did that actually! Though, we need more energy and that's actually why we're at Thunder Tower. We've developed these robotic batteries here, which can store and generate their own electricity, which we can use to power the weapons.
"Welll... what about making it more aerodynamic? You could also try putting some wings or something, so you don't need to use as much fuel to keep it at a constant altitude."
"Hm... that's quite the good idea actually. I'll have to look into that one. Thank you for your help."
She writes this down and I think I see her draw a brief sketch of what it should look like.
"You know, seeing as this ship is for high ranking members of the Pigmask Army, maybe you'll get to ride in it one day, Commander!"
"If I become Commander."
"That's a big if. At the rate you're going, I'd be very surprised if you're don't become Commander. I look forward to working with you one day!"
"Thank you for your confidence, but I still believe it is somewhat premature."
"Well, as you wish. If you're looking for His Highness, you'll need to keep going up, all the way up the scaffolding — be careful not to fall off though!"
"The two of us will get going then."
"Actually, Lil' Miss Marshmallow can't go there now — we need to recharge her and get her registered with the security in the Thunder Tower."
"SO WHERE DO I NEED TO GO THEN?"
"There's a room in the north east — you'll need to head straight down, through the next room, head straight up, then up the stairs and to the right. From there, head down to get to the elevator that leads to the scaffolding.
"Lil' Miss Marshmallow will need to head to the right instead though — there's a room over there where you'll find some more Pigmasks and they'll get her sorted."
"There is one thing though... we've had a few issues with some of the things in the tower. You've heard of the storms, right?"
"Yes."
"Ironically enough, a few weeks ago, some lightning struck the tower, which caused a power outage... and also some malfunctions in some of the robots here. They've gotten loose and are running rampant around the tower. They're not all that tough, but I thought I should warn you. So, yeah, be careful if you run into any of them."
"We will. Thank you for the directions and the warning. Well, the two of us will get going."
The two of us start walking off but as we do, I have this sudden... curiosity that I feel the need to be satisfied.
"If I may ask, Colonel... what is your name?"
"My name? Colonel Rysan."
Hm. I'll have to remember that.
"So... we're not quite out of the woods yet... so to speak. We may very well run into more opposition..."
"YOU SOUND NERVOUS, COMMANDER. DON'T BE."
"It's not quite as easy as that, Miss Marsh."
"NO. IT IS EVEN EASIER. IT'S QUITE SIMPLE — YOU ARE STRONGER THEN ANYTHING IN THIS TOWER. EVERYTHING SHOULD BE NERVOUS OF YOU."
"That's quite the bold statement... how can you be so sure in it?"
"I... I AM NOT QUITE SURE... I KNOW IT IS TRUE. I MAY NOT KNOW WHY. BUT I KNOW IT IS TRUE. I SUPPOSE WHAT YOU COULD SAY IS... I... BELIEVE IN YOU, COMMANDER... AND I THINK YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME."
"I... well, if you believe in me, Miss Marsh... then perhaps... I can as well. Let's get going."
The two of us navigate through this first room, and head through to the next o — WHAT THE HELL!
So, inside, are a bunch of batteries. What's so strange about that?
Well... the fact that they are all moving!
"AH... EVIDENTLY, THE COLONEL WAS NOT LYING WHEN SHE SAID A FEW OF THE ROBOTS HAD GOTTEN LOOSE..."
A few... would be an understatement. There's about... let's see, one, three, six, ten, fifteen of these walking batteries! In addition, there are also five or so of these larger robots with a green screen and two drills for hands.
So then, we're disadvantaged in terms of numbers by a factor of ten. But do you know what?
It doesn't matter at all.
"Ready, Miss Marsh?"
"READY WHEN YOU ARE, COMMANDER."
The batteries and robots all turn towards us, as if they know what's about to happen next. And then...
They pounce.
And suddenly it's a giant brawl, robots flinging their arms madly, batteries dive bombing us with electrified drop kicks, all while the two of us are in the centre of it all... and we aren't exactly faring the best and - OH GOD!
One of the robots has suddenly grabbed me with both of his arms... its grip is very strong. Please don't throw me, please don't throw me, please don't throw m — OH, COME ON!
Guess what? It threw me.
Thankfully, I hit the wall back first — that doesn't sound good, but my back has some metal armour there along with my wings, as opposed to my head, which doesn't have any sort of protection at all.
Huh. You know, it might be nice to have some sort of protection for my head... perhaps something like a helmet?
That's neither here nor there, right now, these robots need to be dismantled.
A bunch of these batteries are starting to surround me, so I spin with my stick to knock them away. They get up and charge me once again, this time electrifying themselves before diving at me. My stick serves me very well here though, as I use it to block each of them — wood's a very good insulator of electricity, so they harmlessly bounce off, before I kick them away.
Guess what happens next? Yeah, they get up again and charge me again.
I'm confused — they don't look very durable and yet they seem to be able to cope with anything.
And Miss Marsh isn't doing much better either — the batteries are very small and quick, so they easily evade her claw. And she can't handle electricity all that well, as she is also a robot.
Hm. Well, let's think about this... Miss Marsh is by no means as fast as me, but she is stronger — she's able to exert up to 3000 Newtons of force, after all!
So... it would make sense if she took on something slower... like the robots, and I can take care of the batteries because I have experience fighting large numbers of targets! Yes, that works perfectly.
"Miss Marsh! Focus on the robots, you're better equipped to take them on!"
"IF YOU SAY SO, COMMANDER."
She switches to fighting the robots and, yeah, she's certainly doing a lot better. The robots are slower, and Miss Marsh has an advantage in terms of range, thanks to her claw. She doesn't throw the robots though, I imagine not because she can't, but because doing so risks damaging the tower.
That just leaves me with the fifteen batteries. Okay. It's just like fighting Pigmasks or Octobots. I've got this!
I isolate each of the batteries and easily manage to knock them all down... but they just keep getting back up! Surely, they should be running out of energy?
Oh, I'm an idiot — they're batteries! They'll have tons of energy inside of them! Okay, I need to drain them of their energy then.
"Hey, batteries! Is that all you've got?"
In hindsight, I'm not sure why I thought they would actually understand me.
They don't actually understand me, but they do seem to understand the intention of the words. They line up and then discharge arching bolts of electricity, using themselves as a conductor.
Still, I'm prepared and roll out of the way.
Hm, I must admit I'm rather jealous — I've been trying to do something similar to that with PK Thunder, though I haven't been very successful. I haven't tried using something as a conductor though, have I?
I could use myself like these things are, but electrocuting myself every time I use that doesn't seem like a good idea. A weapon then? Well, sticks don't exactly conduct electricity very well, so that's out... ah, forget that, focus! Focus on the battle!
Anyway, soon enough, the batteries start running a little dry, and that's when I take the opportunity to stomp and smash them into submission.
Miss Marsh is also doing well. She's taken to grabbing the robots with her claw and then using her drill to unscrew and dismantle the robots — I must admit, that's very clever!
Now one of the batteries seem to be running away from me towards... the robots? They're heading towards some of the inactive robots, and then now they're... well, what are they doing?
Suddenly, one of the inactive robots springs back to life! How on Earth is that... oh, I see... they're sacrificing themselves to re - energise the robots. Okay, that's also pretty clever, but this is just gonna get annoying if they keep doing that.
Thankfully, there's a simple answer to this little problem — simply make sure the batteries can't reach the robots, which I'm able to do fairly well. Occasionally, I also get the opportunity to assist Miss Marsh by firing off a few bolts of PK Thunder at the robots — they're made of metal, and they can't absorb it, like the batteries, so it works fairly well against them.
Still, these batteries just won't go down! They are really persistent! I could lower their defences, but here's the thing — there's 14 of them and Defence Down only works on one thing at a time. Plus, since they're moving about like a hyperactive child who has a bucket of sugar, it would be impossible to keep track of which one I've targeted.
If only I was more, more... powerful.
Still, with enough perseverance, I'm eventually able to take care of 6 of the batteries. The remaining batteries seem to become aware of the threat, and... well, they seem to be lining up for some reason. Why? Well, they've started... rubbing against one another, causing sparks to fly off...
Ah.
They're combining their electricity together.
Oh, this may not end well...
I prepare myself to dodge, and once they're finished with their song and dance, they fire an intense bolt of lightning...
... aaand, it completely misses me. Seriously, they were off by like, two feet...
And then I realise — they weren't aiming for me!
Miss Marsh is currently dealing with one of the robots so there's no way for her to dodge... oh... I can tell I'm gonna regret this. So with that, I dive in front of the lightning bolt...
ARRGH!
It's pain... like nothing else... it's like every muscle, every bone, have all been set on this fire at the same time... and there's no way to douse it... just... just let it stop...
"COMMANDER! COMMANDER!"
I think... I think I can hear Miss Marsh speaking to me... maybe? Her words seem rather... faint...
She'll be... alright...
Yeah, she'll do... just fine...
But... no... no... no, she won't!
I can't... leave her alone... I... must keep... going!
With a heavy effort, I... I, I wrench myself away from the claw of unconsciousness. I can see Miss Marsh above me surrounded by batteries, who are assaulting her with electricity, while the robots are pounding her...
When I... when I look at myself, I can see so many, so many, burn marks on me... but I must keep going on...
I get up and see a robot approaching Miss Marsh. With... with a heavy... effort, I concentrate and feel the lightning through me... or is that just the numb feeling of paralysis?
"PK... Thu.. Thunder!"
A single lightning bolt strikes the robot but it's incredibly weak, just barely enough to phase it and send it back a few feet.
"COMMANDER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU CANNOT FIGHT LIKE THIS ANYMORE!"
"No... I will still fight..."
"THEN, YOU WILL DIE TRYING! YOU'RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE ALL OF THESE FOES ALONE!"
"You're right... I'm not... so it's a good thing... that I don't intend to fight them alone."
"...WHAT?"
"You see... for how strong I may be... there's one... one kind of strength, that I know of... but I could never... never truly understand. Until now..."
"...COMMNADER..."
"You see, it's a force. It's a force within every person. It's a force that burns deep within every person, no matter what. But this force... this force can't be measured."
And I can feel it, flowing through me. It's more powerful then anything I've felt before, this force... it's... more powerful then any bolt of lightning could ever hope to be!
"Because... it's a feeling. It's a feeling which... which I felt many times... but I didn't understand it. It's what I feel towards the Pigmasks in my regiment, and the Fierce Pork Trooper. It's what I feel towards Master Porky, who has given me life and purpose! And... it's what I feel towards... towards you... you, Miss Marsh!"
I can feel it on my fingers, the words on the tip of my tongue... I know what it is, I know! It's...
"It's the most powerful thing in the world!"
"... COMMANDER... I... I..."
It's...
"PK LOVE ALPHA!"
There's a giant, multi coloured explosion in the room. When it clears, everything's... down. All the batteries, all the robots... they're all... on the floor.
"COMMANDER... HOW... HOW... I, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND... HOW DID YOU..."
But with that, I finally succumb, and join the machines on the ground.
"COMMANDER! HERE... I WILL HELP YOU..."
Once again, she uses her special nozzles, which manage to heal my burns... they really are impressive...
"Thank you, Miss Marsh... thank you..."
"COMMANDER... WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING..."
"I don't know... but it, it worked..."
"YES... BUT... PLEASE DO NOT SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN THOUGH. HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"
"I... it just, happened, I suppose..."
"HM... MY DATA BANKS HAVE NO RECORD OF THAT PSI YOU JUST USED... PK LOVE, WAS IT?"
"Yes..."
Wait a minute... PK Love... that's... that's the... isn't it? Oh... I definitely need to talk to Master Porky about this.
"I'm not sure... how... but... I will inform His Highness about this. If you... if you wouldn't mind, could you keep this... a secret?"
"IF... IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT..."
"Thank you... let's keep going then."
So, we keep going into the next room, where there are... two exits... one to the right, and one to the south.
"So then this is... where we... part ways."
"YES... BUT... WHY DON'T I COME WITH YOU, COMMANDER... AT LEAST UNTIL YOU REACH THE SCAFFOLDING... AFTER ALL, YOU MIGHT, WELL, YOU MIGHT GET LOST OR, OR, YOU MIGHT RUN INTO MORE ROBOTS, AND I COULD HELP YOU."
"Are... are you sure?"
"I... I AM."
The two of us continue to the south, hand in hand. Thankfully, there aren't any robots here. There's a ladder at the top of the room... I presume that leads to the scaffolding.
I walk as slowly as possible... because I don't want to get to the end. I'm.. I'm sure Miss Marsh is aware of how slow I'm going as well, but she doesn't point it out... for which I'm eternally grateful to her for.
As we climb up, I notice a section of the area with a DCMC banner and a couple of figurines of the various DCMC band members... I wonder if the Fierce Pork Trooper has a hand in this.
Still, there's no delaying the inevitable, and eventually, we reach the ladder.
"So... this is it, then."
"INDEED. I WILL... NOT BE SEEING YOU THEN. AS I WILL... NO LONGER BE AT NEW PORK CITY, IT FALLS ON YOU NOW, COMMANDER, TO PROVIDE MEALS FOR HIS HIGHNESS... BUT I BELIEVE YOU WILL DO JUST FINE... BECAUSE YOU REALLY HAVE BECOME... AN EXCELLENT COOK."
"Well, I had an excellent teacher... the best. You'll be... safe here, won't you?"
"I... I'M AFRAID I CANNOT SAY. PART OF MY FUNCTIONS ARE AS A COMBAT ROBOT. IT IS POSSIBLE I MAY RUN INTO A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES ME TO FIGHT, AND HENCE... IS NOT SAFE."
"Yes... I suppose, you can't say that. Miss Marsh... can you... can you promise me something then?"
"OF COURSE. WHAT IS IT?"
"Just... be careful, okay? Just, stay as safe as you can."
"I WILL DO MY BEST, COMMANDER."
"Thank you."
There's another one of those awkward silences between the two of us again, with Miss Marsh once again being the one to break it.
"COMMANDER... DO YOU THINK YOU COULD... WELL... WHY DON'T YOU... VISIT THE TOWER, ONCE IN A WHILE? IT WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO... MONITOR THE AREA, AND HIS HIGHNESS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO VISIT THE TOWER AT SOME TIMES. PERHAPS... YOU COULD ACT AS A... STAND IN FOR HIM, ON OCCASION."
She pauses here, as if contemplating her next words.
"AND WHILE YOU ARE HERE... IF YOU WANTED, YOU COULD VISIT... ME AND... ASK FOR ANY HELP THAT YOU MIGHT NEED FOR RECIPES... IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH ANY."
"Wouldn't that just be an... inconvenience for you?
"PERHAPS... BUT... IT IS AN INCONVENIENCE I WOULD NOT MIND... BECAUSE... I... IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN."
"I'd... I'd like to see you again as well. So... you should probably get going then."
"YES... YOU ARE RIGHT... BUT THERE IS ONE LAST THING I'D LIKE TO DO... HOW DID YOU... HOW DID YOU DO IT... IT WAS... NO... NOT THAT... IT WAS... THIS..."
And before I can quite comprehend exactly what she's talking about, I'm overcome by an entirely new sensation — the fact that Miss Marsh... is hugging me.
It's... lovely... and, and, and... I don't want to let go. I... I can't! I can't... I can't...! I... I... don't... don't cry... don't cry... don't cry...
Because there's no crying until the end.
I... I'm not sure how long we stayed like this... but I know... it's not long enough.
She lets go and start to walk away. I watch her leave... but just before she leaves the room, she turns back, and looks at me one last time.
"Goodbye... Commander."
A/N: ... yeah, this one really did hurt to write, especially that ending — I almost cried while writing it! Seriously, why isn't this ship done more, it works so well!
Writing this chapter was very interesting, since I was trying to show that Claus and Marshmallow clearly have something deeper going on, without having to outright say it — although Claus using PK Love for the first time is as close as we get to that.
As it happened, I actually planned that to be later in the story, in Chapter 20, but I decided to move it here, since it worked well here, and I already intend for Chapter 20 to have something big happening (foreshadowing!) so having Claus also learn PK Love... yeah, that would have been overkill.
Next time, Claus reunites with his Master.