Two weeks later…
Back on Planet X, the Scholar characters dug through their collections. They were eager to piece together the recent happenings with their Dark Age manuscript visions. Numerous spacecraft leaked from the hangar, all from the Madoso Complex being evacuated out of nowhere.
They would've escaped too if it weren't for Rosalina's advice to continue researching.
Goombella and Kolorado explored the X-Naut fortress library while Kooper intercepted TVK's Plit broadcasts. By now, the news channel blurted out propaganda, claiming how Kammy's the fixer of the world's problems and Bowser Junior's Reincarnated Bonechill. Kooper rolled his eyes and flipped the channel to a more factual TVK program showing footage of the many battles occurring on Plit.
By now, every kingdom on Plit was invaded either by Dark Land or by Kammy's empire—Nova Mazuno Empire, they call it. Dark Land now controlled Sarasaland, Rogueport, and the Beanbean Kingdom, while Nova Mazuno annexed Jewelry Land, Metro Kingdom, and Wario's Gem Cities.
Ice Land's government fell to Dark Land, and the masses now protest the Darklandian-appointed junta leaders. Water Land and Pipe Land also followed Ice Land's path. None of the Western Lands sustained prolonged rioting, and the governments fell under Junior's control before full-scale uprisings could erupt.
The Mushroom Continent's Eastern Lands couldn't share the same "success" story. Grass Land, Sky Land, and Giant Land fell to Nova Mazuno after massive uprisings for and against the empire. Kooper cringed as the news reported the possibility of a much more massive death toll than the takeovers out West.
Only Desert Land remained independent, despite its oil, metallic resources, and weak, borderline-anarchic political system. Neither empire dared to invade the historically-neutral land and face the other's anger, instead treating the central Land as a buffer zone between the Darklandian West and the Mazuno-dominated East.
The Mushroom Continent's in a stalemate, but the proxy wars heated up in Dinosaur Land and the DK Isles—the last bastions of independence, save for Desert Land. Few journalists braved the warzone, and those who did didn't film any videos due to safety, so Kooper didn't know how either land fared.
"This… Is this the apocalypse they warned us about?"
Kooper stared at the bleeding map before the camera panned to Peach's deserted castle. Strange creatures hoarded the pink abode, each attempting to squeeze its massive body into the citadel's double doors. Kooper squinted—is that a yoshi combined with another dinosaur and some type of bird? What prehistoric atrocity is this?
"The hell is that?" Kooper grimaced before he called out, "Guys! Come here!"
Goombella, Kolorado, and Frankly thundered toward Kooper. Horrified expressions donned their faces as they stared at the mysterious beasts upending the castle.
"What ARE those?" Goombella questioned, "I've never seen those before."
"I've never heard of any mythology about these. Nothing," Kolorado added, "But whatever this sick creation is, I bet it's something to do with the Wands."
"The Spirit Wand, perhaps?" Frankly guessed, "Who has it?"
"It's been found, but I don't know who the founder is or if the founder's been confirmed as a Sage," Goombella answered, "The same's for the Wand of the Elements, but either the Wand's facing backlash from the other imbalances, or the Wand of the Elements is also held by someone evil."
Kolorado and Frankly continued to stare at the screen in horror, while Kooper paced around the room.
"This could be something Council knows," the koopa suggested.
"Good observation, young one," Kolorado agreed, "We should head back to Madoso and see if we can find any other answers. As in-touch with the elite as we are, Council tends to hide a massive amount of information from us."
"You think it's safe there?" Goombella questioned, "The fire was uncontrolled, the air's recycled there, and there's no power, I assume. That means we could be dealing with total anoxic conditions."
"Good point," Kolorado mused, "Kooper, you're the most able-bodied one here. Bring four oxygen tanks to our spaceship. Not Ludwig's air purifiers either—we don't even know if they'll work there."
"Got it."
"However," Goombella watched Kooper retreat towards the base's storage area, "Do you think anyone survived there? Like, maybe they put the fire out too."
"I don't know," Kolorado shrugged, "But we need to go there for the sake of our learning."
"I wonder about the field workers there too," Frankly added, "They weren't all that high a priority to many of the Altruistic supervisors and Boo Basement handlers."
"Speaking of, we should totally assume no electricity on the planet anymore. Does that mean we should worry about radiation there?"
"Perhaps, Goombella, but we shouldn't," Frankly replied, "As thin as Madoso's atmosphere is, its thermosphere absorbs X-rays and gamma radiation naturally. Back when the Complex was being built, we also had a magical barrier Ludwig and Kamek installed that prevented UV light from going in, and I believe that's powered by the UV light itself. We shouldn't have to worry about radiation."
Goombella nodded and focused back to her notes, twisting and bending her observations just to make sure nothing was hidden from her view. Defeated, she sighed as Kooper reentered the room with four tanks and gas masks.
"Here we are!" Kooper plopped the tanks on the ground. He dusted his hands, "As dusty and heavy as normal too!"
"Good!" Kolorado stated, "Now everyone, grab your tank and let's cruise out of here!"
Fires swarmed. Alarms buzzed. Crowds stampeded. Yet amid the mess, Kamek descended into Madoso's Boo Basement, eager to meet with the Assembly's latest dissenter.
He passed the unmoving prisoners—some amid a nightly sleep while others fell into eternal slumber, cradled by the basement's gothic decor. At the hall's end, a large, red-maned koopa paced in a cell the size of the Magikoopa Tower's tennis court. A determined look donned the koopa's face, as if he's holding back unwanted instincts.
"Sir Bowser?" Kamek called. The koopa turned his attention to the blue-robed magikoopa, "Are you planning on leaving your cage?"
"Kamek," Bowser ignored the question, "Which side are you on?"
"Hmm… I'm on the side of what I find to be correct, Sir Bowser. Do I want to be loyal to my own kind, or do I want to be loyal to the universe's workings?" Kamek answered, "I started the fire. Does that answer your question, Sir?"
"... Well?"
"Sir Bowser…" the mage continued, "We are infinitely small compared to the universe. Why threaten its existence just to give us insignificant beings more illegitimate power? Why destroy nature's beauty just to restore biological nightmares?"
"I'm also with the universe, but the Magikoopas have different plans," Bowser nodded, "Can you do me one last favor?"
"What is it, Sir Bowser?"
Bowser drooped his head, "They got me… I'll go berserk any minute now when the other Magikoopas realize they must execute their plan now. That's why I locked myself in here."
"I was afraid to hear," Kamek sympathized with the king, "The fire should've driven everyone else out before the Assembly trapped them here for good."
"Good," Bowser pulled a white sphere from his shell. He waved his claw over the sphere, and a bright glow emanated from the object, "I want you to give this to Junior."
Kamek's eyes widened, "Wait… Sir Bowser, is this-"
"Yes. It's a father's sacrifice to his son," he smiled, "All I wanted was for him to grow up to be a wiser and more powerful king than me, and no one else could help him get to that point like you can. You helped Junior become wiser when Fawful took over our castle, so I know you can still help him now. Make that your duty to fulfill my final wish. My swan song. Now go, Kamek!"
"But-"
"Go!"
Kamek flew from the basement, not turning back even as a gut-wrenching roar chased after him.
-x-
Kamek stood amid Ice Land's protests with the sphere in his hands. The agenda-focused rioters around him paid no mind to the foreign object, nor did the nippy air torment his bare hands. He studied the sphere as he walked from the protest, turning the symmetrical solid between each hand, among each finger. Not a dent or a scratch dimmed the object's luminescence—as if it came from the heavens themselves.
His soul panged as the sphere danced within his palm. He knew Bowser found himself in an unwanted position, but the warlock hoped his king was wrong. Nonetheless, he must go to Dark Land.
Too absorbed into the ball's mysteries, Kamek bumped into someone. The magikoopa swooped the displaced sphere before he turned his focus on the offender: a young human woman in her mid-twenties. The powdery snow caked her red-orange braids, while the only coat she wore was a higher-end lab coat. She readjusted her thin-rimmed glasses and smiled at Kamek.
"I'm sorry," she spoke, "Wait! You look familiar! You're the Koopa King's right-hand man, right?"
"Indeed. The name's Kamek."
"I'm Penny! I worked at Lemmy's UpNorth Solar and Air as an inventor with him and Iggy. Pleasure to meet you!" she curtsied, "That's a really cool ball! Is it one of those prototypes for energy conversion?"
"I'm afraid not. It's a form of magic King Bowser needs."
Her eyes widened, "I was actually about to head there to check on Iggy! What's the quickest way to Dark Land?"
Kamek waved his free arm, and his broom appeared in his palm. He mounted the broom and smirked at the scientist, "Nothing beats my broom."
"Ooh!" Penny sat behind Kamek, "I've heard great things about the Magikoopa brooms!"
Kamek nodded, "It turns an hours-long trip into one that's mere minutes."
Penny situated herself before she latched onto Kamek's shoulders. The magikoopa flew the broom high up towards the sky, that the Icelandian protesters were specks.
By now, the polar area's high altitude winds caused Penny to shiver, unbeknownst to Kamek. She acclimated to Ice Land's typical weather and to fast-paced travel, but not the two combined. At least her lab coat prevented direct skin exposure to the wind.
"So," Penny tried starting a conversation to avoid her discomfort, "How'd you end up with the koopas?"
"It's part of the calling. Every toadie's dream is to become a renowned Darklandian wizard," Kamek replied, "I've been in Lord Bowser's army since I graduated secondary school. I served him, his father and his grandfather. I learned the different types of magic, including the necromancy we're notorious for."
"That's really cool!" Penny exclaimed, "Iggy told me a bit about how the magikoopas work and how they fit into the magic system. He never mentioned there being different types, though."
"I see. Iggy was always the most receptive towards magic, but–"
Roars erupted from every direction. Kamek paused and turned his head. Countless flying yoshi-reznor hybrids zoomed towards the duo, threatening them with unspeakable mutilation. Even his quick glance caught the hunger, destruction, and blight in their opaque eyes.
He unsheathed his wand and pointed it at the behemoths. The wand glowed white, but the hybrids only became more enraged.
The wizard knew something sinister's occurring. These lifeforms go against the basic biological realities set forth by Spirit magic's regulation—he can't doubt a powerful sorcerer, or even Roy himself, created the beasts. That stipulation complicated his ideas on taking them down.
"What are these things?!" Penny stared at the hybrids, "This isn't possible, yet they're right there…"
"Hang on!" Kamek sped up the flight even faster than Penny expected a magical broomstick to fly. By now, she could barely hear Kamek's voice over the sheering wind, "It's an abuse of Spirit magic," she couldn't recognize whether the magikoopa sighed or if the air unleashed its own distress, "It's one thing magikoopas are famous for, including me."
"How do you stop them?!" Penny shivered, this time in fear when the hybrids roared again.
"The only thing that ever stopped us was the Darklandian rulers. Spirit magic always showed weakness against the Light magic the kings always used, which was why we were always the Koopas' minions, and not the other way around," Kamek nodded, "Junior should help. But we need to speed there."
Penny looked back. The behemoths were trailing their tails, but Kamek's broom had the speed advantage. From far behind, she almost felt remorse towards the creatures. They were too large to fly, and their faces painted that struggle—unless they're plagued with deeper issues. Penny's rational side scolded her soon after.
By now, the rushing air wasn't arctic, but an oven-like heat wave, garnished with a heavy layer of volcanic ash. Penny held her breath as Kamek guided the broom through the atmospheral mess, hoping to throw off the behemoths as they flew to Dark Land's castle.
The plan worked, until Penny broke into a coughing fit.
The behemoths flew towards the sound, reciprocating their ghastly shrieks to anyone in sight. That's when the duo broke from the above smog layer and zoomed towards the throne room's balcony, where a young koopa stared into a large, pulsing white wand.
"Master Junior!" Kamek screeched at the koopa, "Use your scepter!"
Junior looked down at the Lux Aeterna before he pointed it at the hybrids. They all collapsed to the ground.
Penny exhaled in relief. She didn't know how long she held her breath. Was it the entire encounter? No—she just remembered her coughing fit. Either way, she felt her heart rate lower…
Until she caught Junior's scowl.
And the magic bubble surrounding both her and Kamek.
"Kamek," Junior commanded, "You and your guest are under arrest for treason against the Koopa Empire."
Luigi took his hat off and wiped the developing sweat from his forehead. Even in November, the Desertlandian heat waves waxed strong. The orange sand surrounded him, only adding to the desert's unbearable heat as the sun shone. Mario, Toadette, Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi—the remaining Council members—stood beside him, exchanging ideas on implementing the new leagues more than a week after their arrival.
The green plumber zoned off as Toadette discussed Altruistic's new operations, instead rethinking the past few weeks' events. That hybrid monster still haunted his mind, at times wondering whether his memories became reality. The dinosaur's deep roar, the reznor's earthy smell…
"Mercenary's goal should be to protect our settlement from either army," he heard Toadette say. Luigi snapped from his thoughts and instead paid attention to the conversation.
"Right," Mario nodded, "I'll get to training them. Luigi here will help us."
"Oh, uh… Yeah," Luigi didn't expect to be on the spot.
Toadette smiled, "Good. I can always trust you two."
"No matter what, the Mario Bros always pull through," Mario replied. The plumber looked around before he continued, "Do you keep any weapons here? Any ammo?"
"I know Lemmy said he reserved areas for bullet bill launchers and bob-ombs. I'd check with him. He works from the top floor usually," Toadette said.
Luigi shifted from the conversation—not that he was into it. But finding Lemmy could be a valid reason to escape the inferno.
"I'll look for him," he declared.
The others thanked him, and he entered the shelter. He walked down the hall and passed the lounging area. The metallic, ventilated hallway continued until it ended at a few offices: one for Toadette, a vacant office meant for Bowser, and one for Lemmy. He knocked on Lemmy's makeshift sagebrush-wooded door.
"Hi Luigi! Come in!" the koopaling's cheery voice greeted.
"Hey," Luigi entered the office. While the office is still within the shelter's confines, the metallic walls reminisce Madoso's rooms. Amid the empty room, the small koopaling sat behind a desk ten times larger than him, "We're looking for where the weapons are stored for Mercenary."
"Ahh, the arsenal," Lemmy stood up and grabbed a pair of keys from his desk drawer. He unlocked a door behind him and pushed it open, "Follow me."
Unlike the advanced main hallways, the corridors were mere makeshifts. Sand leaked from the walls' sandstone bricks, deepening the pile he had to trudge through, and Luigi felt as if the ceiling was one ostro sprint away from collapsing atop him.
At the path's caveat rested a large circular stone slab. He studied the rock—its granite stood out against the landscape's sandstone like a leaking faucet. Carvings covered the rock, illegible and covered with sand grains. He felt a foreign energy emanating from the slab, as if it's a magical altar. He studied the ground—black fire flowers surrounded the altar, and their flowery heads all faced the stone, deep within a trance.
"I always wondered what this slab did," Lemmy pondered, "This is something Morton or maybe Roy would know about, but neither are… Exactly on our side."
Luigi nodded.
"I don't know what these are," Lemmy shrugged, "Regular fire flowers provide power to you humans… But they're hallucinogenic to koopas. These black ones don't do that to us though, so I doubt they're power-ups. I just kept them because they look cool."
"It does give off some type of energy," Luigi shrugged, "And maybe it's something we need."
Lemmy shrugged, "Try it."
Luigi touched the flower. He stared at his now-white overalls—the flower had the same impact as a regular fire flower. He shot a fireball at the altar, but the fireball turned a sharp left towards Lemmy's face. The koopaling ducked, and the fireball only singed the tip of his Mohawk.
"Geez! Watch where you're shooting that!"
"I did!" Luigi defended, "I aimed for the altar, but it went your way!"
"Well that's dumb," Lemmy smacked Luigi, causing him to lose the powerup, "Useless flowers then."
"I guess…" Luigi sighed. The only time those flowers would be useful is by accident, he thought.
They continued until they reached a descending makeshift staircase, its trough defended by a massive teak door. Lemmy pulled out his keys, unlocked the door and pushed it open. Its hinges squeaked, as if inoperable for centuries.
Luigi's eyes widened. Gunpowder barrels and slews of cannons lined the walls while cannonballs, armor, swords, bows and arrows, and even modern firearms lined the room's many interior shelves.
"Toadette's been collecting these for the past two… three years or so," Lemmy said, "It's incredible because most of these are banned everywhere on Plit."
"But that didn't deter the criminals," Luigi replied.
"Well, that too," Lemmy shrugged, "But when the government has ultimate power, it can choose who's a criminal or now, and if it wants to be a criminal or not, with no consequence to it. That's the main way Toadette stocked this area from when the Society was still a thing. Tyranny is not the way to live, but that actually helps us now, so I can't really complain."
"I think this will be great. But, uhh… Is there an easier way to get here? So we can move the stuff outside?" Luigi asked.
"We had an elevator installed in here. The garage is hidden beneath a sand dune outside."
"Yippie! Let's do it, Lem!"
"Of course!" Lemmy pointed to a garage housing a forklift and an arsenal vehicle, "Feel free to use those to move things out of here if you need them. I'll be in the garden if you need me."
"Thanks again!" Luigi said before hopping into the forklift.
Lemmy closed the arsenal door behind him. He knew with the Mario Brothers at Mercenary's helm, their settlement would fare against the two competing empires, but something still seemed off about the entire situation. He felt neither side wanted mere political power, but rather something more sinister—and it made him that much more reluctant to take any sides.
The koopaling stepped into a makeshift pulley elevator at the underdeveloped hallway's end. He cranked the pulley down to F3—the floor dedicated to mushroom farming.
He opened the elevator lobby door and stepped inside the farming area. Unlike the surface's desert, Excogitate tapped into the aquifer deep below in F0 and recirculated the moist air, giving the floor a swamp-like environment for the mushrooms.
He grinned. He compared Altruistic as a beehive: some Altruistic members harvested the mushrooms, while others carried the mushrooms up to the F6 storage area. The others stood in lines, discussing various topics, strategies, and methods as they awaited their shifts.
Even as the former CEO of a major company, Lemmy still didn't understand how organized the members came to be. Maybe they know their lives depend on cooperation, rather than only a job or their livelihood. Either way, he's impressed at Toadette's dedication towards Altruistic.
He approached the patches and held an immature fungus, about a week old. As he stroked the mushroom's cap, Lemmy felt a sudden cloud infiltrate his mind. He shook his head, as if clearing literal smoke from his brain.
'Lem,' a voice called out to him amid the mental fog. It came from every direction of the room, all while his mind's murkiness intensified.
'Who are you?!' Lemmy thought back, hoping to reciprocate the message.
'You don't recognize my voice?' it responded.
Lemmy gasped and turned around. Only the working Altruistic occupied the room, not the owner of that voice.
'Roy?' the koopaling questioned, 'How are you in my mind?'
'Feh, forget that. That doesn't matter right now,' Roy replied, 'I'm cutting to the chase. We need your refuge, and we will have it. But I want to be fair to you before we send our armies: would you like to form an alliance?'
'I'm not taking sides on any of this,' Lemmy's dedication flowed through the sentence to the point where he muttered it out loud. Confused at the murmurings, the Altruistic members briefly stared at him before they continued their work.
'So be it then,' Lemmy felt Roy's smirk from his tone, 'I'd check outside if I were you.'
'Huh?' Lemmy thought, but he didn't need Roy's confirmation to know what he meant. As he thought the words, the bunker quaked as firing cannons filled the air. The Altruistic members all panicked—they all knew they're still safe 45 floors in the ground, but they also didn't want any upper floors to collapse.
Lemmy didn't receive the same confirmation. He must check on Mercenary and the others above. He dashed towards the elevator, where another voice filled his head.
'Aww great, it's you again,' Lemmy sighed, 'Are you happy now?'
'Lemmy? You seem upset,' the voice—this time a woman's—replied.
'Wait. Rosalina?' Lemmy pumped the elevator's pulley towards the top floor, 'Sorry. I thought you were Roy.'
'Yes—I sensed his presence. He's using spirit magic to communicate directly with your soul. Be absolutely careful,'Rosalina spoke back, 'Speaking of Roy. The army at your refuge are the Sages' armies. They're incredibly dangerous—do not underestimate them. But they do have an Achilles's heel that I've noticed.'
'And what would that be?' Lemmy continued pumping, now at 42F.
'Bowser Junior,' she said, 'Something about the Darklandian army's weakening them. They have all the power in the world, but they can't make headway against Dark Land.'
'Do we know why?' Lemmy pumped his way up to 50F and rushed down the hall.
'I'm unsure. I'm hoping Scholar may have found some information. I'm also conducting my own research. I'll let you know of any details when I find them,' Rosalina added a sigh, 'I made a promise to save your world—the world I used to be part of, and the world I still love. I'll do everything I can to honor that promise.'
'Thank you!' Lemmy said his goodbyes.
He reached the stairs exiting the refuge and peeked out. Chaos and mayhem surrounded him as Mercenary fought on multiple fronts. He saw Mario and Luigi co-oping against a slew of koopas and magikoopas, while Dixie Kong manned the cannons shooting the enemy's tanks. Yoshi swallowed enemies and chewed them before he spat them back at the army, and Daisy laid behind a dune, sniping the insurgents. The other Mercenary members, about a few hundred strong, fought with vigilance, collapsing only when their last bouts of energy burnt out, in which makeshift Reparation practitioners carried them down to F48's hospital floor.
Mercenary wrecked the initial invaders, but the baddies kept pouring in, forcing the victorious Mercenary to retreat toward the base. Nonetheless, they still fought with zeal.
Lemmy gasped when caws and roars erupted amid the clanking metal.
They're back!
The koopaling stepped out from behind the tower and stood in the open. Dozens of the yoshi hybrids flew above the Sages' armies. Each licked its mouth as it stared down its cornered prey. By now, the Mercenary members shot their weapons at the flying behemoths, but to no avail.
From what Lemmy knew about them, they're immune to projectiles…
But not his wand.
Lemmy pulled his koopa wand from his shell and aimed it at a hybrid before firing a light beam. The beast fell into the army, crushing the members beneath it. The army—and the beasts—turned their attention to Lemmy and charged toward him.
Initially taken aback, Lemmy grinned as Mario, Luigi and Yoshi jumped ahead of him. He made this a one-front battle now, and Mercenary will push back against the fierce waves.
He shot rapid light beams at the swooping hybrids. They fell one by one, further diminishing the Sages' army, until the sky's clear. Mario, Luigi and Yoshi do one final push before the remaining army scurried back east.
"Whew," Mario fist-bumped Luigi, "Great work, Bro."
"You too," Luigi returned. He looked at Lemmy and approached him, "You saved us yet again. Thank you."
Lemmy grinned, "You know what I say! It's just another Altruistic day!"
"By the way," Mario approached the two, "What even are those things?"
"No idea," Lemmy shrugged, "But they're only weak to my wand for some reason. They're the things that I saw at the oasis and that I saw attack Luigi a few weeks back."
"Well, thanks for the help," Mario thanked, "I need to check the arsenal inventory."
Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Daisy, Dixie, and the other Mercenary members all entered the shelter, none bothering to dispose of the corpses lying around. Knowing the desert, the wolves, vultures, and the ostros will consume them before death's horrid odor will.
'Ahh, smooth smooth. I see you found their weak spot,' Lemmy heard Roy's voice pop back into his mind.
'Yeah, and you won't ever bring them back to my shelter, or I'm getting Junior involved. Got it?' he threatened. He wouldn't dare threaten anyone in his family, especially Roy, but Lemmy cannot rescind control of the group of people who needed him.
'Hard bargain,' Roy chuckled, 'But you know Junior wants you dead, do you? We don't want that. Oh yeah, and the moment Larry's involved with us is the moment we're unstoppable.'
Lemmy's eyes widened. 'Larry?! What happened to him? Nobody heard from him or Ludwig after the fire!'
'Everyone thinks Larry's dead, but I can say through my Spirit Sage senses that he's still alive, but inactive. No idea why, but he'll be back. And when he is, all of Plit will be under our control. There will be no weaknesses against all four Wands. If you know what's good for you and your bunker, don't even think about siding with Junior.'
Lemmy clenched his fists as a rare bout of frustration coursed through him, 'Why are you, Morton, and Larry destroying our kingdom—and our family? Why Junior? Why Wendy and Iggy?'
'Easy. Do you want a world where we're only objects within a universal simulator? Only a mere playtoy to some Elder Star and their idea of perfection? Or do you want to actually be in control of your own destiny? Where you're your own deity?' Roy questioned, 'Junior represents the status quo. He represents the Stars' ideas. But perfection is garbage. It doesn't allow us room to grow. That's why the Magikoopas want the Wands to control civilization, not some out-of-touch gods.'
'So, you want to replace a divine dictatorship with a mortal dictatorship…'
'It won't be. People don't choose the Wands. The Wands choose them. They choose only those who want to balance the four magics and not seek power for themselves. Unlike an Elder God, who can wake up at any time and destroy us if they want.'
Lemmy sighed. Something with Roy seemed… Off. But Rosalina might be able to help that case. For now, he must put the refuge first, 'Fine. But I remain in control of everything here, and your army isn't allowed here unless I call you for them if Junior attacks.'
'Fair 'nuff. This may be a deal… For now. But if you're not on our side by the time we strike, you're all getting roughed up.'
Kylie tossed around on her bed. Every day since she saw that abhorrent sight weeks ago, she planned her escape, but fate always went against her. Her mysterious illness made her near-bedridden, Kammy secured the castle, and Roy indirectly guilt-tripped her into staying with him.
She creaked the door open and tiptoed through the hallway until she reached the throne room's door. Voices leaked from the white marble walls, at first jumbled before she recognized annoyance within Roy's voice.
"Junior's destroying the Yoshnors in Dark Land, and so did Lemmy in Desert Land," Roy's gruff voice pierced into the hallway. A shiver coursed through Kylie - she didn't like one bit about their actions.
"Junior has the Lux Aeterna, and Lemmy somehow has his koopa wand still. It looks like the Yoshnors are weak to Light magic, which explains how they're killing the Yoshnors," She heard Kammy reply, "But that won't be an issue once we have the Elemental Wand in our midst, and we gain control of Lemmy's shelter. Until then, we can always use Cosmic magic to maybe throw them off."
"About that," Morton's voice broke in, "Rosalina's still holding strong against Cosmic abuse."
"Mmm-hmmm…" Kammy's voice trailed, "Then I suppose Spirit magic can take care of that."
Kylie didn't stay for the rest of the conversation - she was too determined to stop them, somehow. She sped down the hall and towards an office room she saw the trio in often. She turned the office door's knob and pushed open the unlocked door.
Papers, maps, and blueprints littered three office desks, rustling as ventilated air entered the closed-off room. A powered-off flatscreen television hung before them, easily taking up half the wallspace, while phones stood still within the tomb.
She rushed to each desk and yanked the drawers open. The first two desks—having been Kammy's and Morton's—didn't hold anything of use, but when she opened the third's drawers, a black-tipped wand rested atop a stack of papers. Kylie held the wand by its rod and inspected it. She felt the magic course through her body—this must be Roy's koopa wand.
Kylie shut the drawer, and a framed picture fell over from the force. She picked up the photo and stared at it. It's an older picture of both her and Roy on a beach, gazing at the sunset—just before their first breakup over her going away to study journalism.
The picture made her question her antics: they'll be broken up yet again, but she knew the Magikoopas' actions weren't beneficial for either her or for Roy, and both were involuntarily sucked into the madness. She sighed—the trouble's necessary. Roy would do anything to protect her—she must return the favor.
Kylie set the frame right-side-up and ran from the room, wand in hand. She dodged the boo guards and headed to the castle's hangar. Redesigned doomships of various sizes dotted the hangar floor. She boarded the smallest doomship she found and started its engine. She didn't know where she should go exactly, but either Junior or the Desertlandian folks would help her out, in exchange for her answering any questions they may have.
She inched out from the hangar before lifting up to the skies. Yes, either destination will do, especially if the Elemental Wand falls under the Magikoopas' control.
Kylie only hoped she could aid the rebellion before the hands of time erase the slate. Something within her mind told her that she may be the key to the entire mess—and she wanted to be in good hands.