Disclaimer: I didn't sign a contract with Nintendo to use their characters. I am not getting paid to do this- I write because I've got zero (0) life and infinite (a lot) caffeine and sugar. What I'm trying to say is: Banjo, Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo, Gruntilda, etc, etc, etc... don't belong to me. Slither, Sanjy, Shadow, Kazooie's family (Traz, ect) and everyone's not-so-favourite policeman, (Lenny Lart) do. The story idea is most DEFINITELY mine. There. I'm done.
Part 5: A prophecy is made...
The breegulls flew towards the hanging, unconscious shaman. Traz seemed to be looking for something, but, not having found it, sighed in relief. "Traz?" asked Kazooie.
"Was lookin' for a tag."
"A say what?"
"A... never mind." The group gave him a funny look.
"Any way of releasing this poor guy short of chopping off his wrists?" asked Matchooie. Banjo shuddered. "Nope. Anybody got a chainsaw?" responded Kazooie. She received a group response.
"Kazooie!"
Traz suddenly brightened. "I got something that'll help..." He took out a small, crystal-clear cup, thinking. He'd used it only once- to break the wall which held Tooty. Mumbo was being held by two chains. He couldn't miss. Fitting one over his beak, he flew back, gathered speed and rammed through the chains. Each one fell apart under the force of his peck. Matchooie was just in time to catch the shaman before he fell into the huge precipice below. Finally, they returned at where they had started.
Matchooie placed a wing onto his wrist to check his pulse, but he began to come around. "Uhh... Mumbo have big headache." Something in Banjo's pocket began to glow, and Mumbo became instantly awake and very excited. "Mumbo see bear find last wand piece! Use to finish wand! Beat evil witch!" A sudden voice called out,
"Mumbo, Mumbo, Mumbo... even if you could finish your wand, your pitiful magic could never defeat me! I have to admit, you taught me well, but you could NEVER even come close to me!! EEEEHEHEHEHE!!!!!" Mumbo growled.
"Witch use magic for bad! Witch magic black, not Mumbo magic!" In response, Tildy held up his almost repaired wand. "Fetch!" she cried, and threw it down into the precipice. All who had the gift of flight among them prepared to dive down for it, but Tildy struck with a fearsome flight of fireballs. Mumbo held his piece down, and it was glowing and shaking in wanting to join itself together. It flew down, dragging Mumbo down with it. Buddy and Tooty looked around in despair, both feeling utterly useless. The fight was taking place right in front of them, and there was nothing they could do about it...
Mumbo was being dragged down with his wand at an incredible speed. But the wand fell faster still. It seemed as if he would crash into the ground before the wand connected.... Mumbo closed his eyes and hung onto his wand piece. But, just seconds before the ground got his vitamins { (if you get my point)} , the wand was connected together, and he turned himself into a parrot and flew off just in time. He looked around. A bird and bear had grabbed the wand and fitted it onto the piece. The bear sighed in her relief, but Tildy was steaming mad. "YOU! You've betrayed me again!!!" Shadow attained height, and glared at her.
"We had a deal- you left them alone, and you got your city- you haven't kept your side very well!" Tildy frowned and threw a barrage of fireballs at him.
"Banjo! Kazooie! We gotta attack!"
"gasp You don't say!" shouted Kazooie. Sometimes, she wished her brother would stop stating the obvious. Traz flapped over the top of her head, and swooped down. His aim was not for her, however. It was for a shiny card on a chain around her neck. He grabbed it, but it wasn't going to be taken from her neck that easily. She used her magic to shock him several times. Letting go, he flew across the cave, but broke into flight once more. Banjo was about to claw her, but suddenly, he heard an unwelcome voice... "Minjo!" Kazooie groaned.
"Not again!"
Finally, Traz made another attempt to recover the piece. But as she was about to shock him, a beam of magic restrained her hand. "Mumbo not letting witch get away!"
"No, YOU will be the one who will need to run away, Mumbo. Minjos! Take care of the others- that shaman's MINE!!!" Mumbo's parrot form was hovering in front of her face, holding the newly completed wand in front of him. Buddy watched anxiously from the ground, and dropped to all fours. Limping back, he sprang from the surface and grabbed Tildy's broom in his teeth. Grappling with her, he reached for the card around her neck. Tildy was about to drop him off the broom, but Mumbo raised his wand and transformed Buddy into a crow. Buddy yelled in surprise- he had never been transformed, before. But he slipped the card off of her neck and yelled,
"Traz! Catch!" Traz pecked another minjo in time to catch the card and fly off. For in his mind was the afore-made promise to two prisoners trapped in Tildy's holds. He flew off quickly towards the holds, grabbing Tooty by her shirt as her did so. Buddy flew off behind the two, just avoiding a collision with a wall; he was still not accustomed to his new bird body. Tildy growled and attempted to follow, but Mumbo stood in her way. "Witch stay and fight!" he cried, throwing a shock at her. Tildy cried out in pain and threw a fire ball at him.
"When I'm finished with you, you worthless shaman...!!" Then, she gathered up all the energy in the room and used it to make a dangerous ball of energy. She threw it at him with a vengeance. Mumbo held his wand and used it to knock it back at her. She did the same, and a deadly game of tennis ensured. With each forceful retaliation, Mumbo seemed to lose a little more strength. His original form could not fly, and they would be no time to conjure up enough magical energy to change forms anyway. One hit from a fireball that size was enough to fry a parrot his size so all concentration had to go into each hit...
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Somewhere down in the hold, a lizard listened to a great motion that seemed to come from within the very ground he was standing on. Suddenly, a thick, green glob of something strong-smelling dripped through the ceiling! It just missed spattering on the lizard! The lizard known as Slither scrambled out of the way. For the substance was not leaking through the ceiling, but burning through it! Another glob of acid dripping down. Slither ran off, just missing yet another acidic drop! Then, a huge, slow-moving wave of acid lumbered toward the lizard. He could have easily outrun the huge, sticky blob of acid that reached from the floor to the ceiling, but his problem was the green force-field in front of him. He pressed against the force field, but there was no way to get out... he gulped. "Well, world, I enjoyed livin' in ya!" The acid was only a few inches away from him, and it was still coming. "G'bye, world," he said, slowly. Then a small bit touched his foot at the same time a hand reached out of the ground and pulled him in. Slither gritted his teeth in pain, but realized that he was being carried along an underground passage. "Botts? Whew, I thought that was my closin' act for a second!" Bottles nodded.
"Good thing I found you." The pair disappeared down the tunnel, as the acid slowly poured down behind them.
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Buddy was following Traz, when a sudden voice appeared in his mind. "Mumbo magic get weak... turn back or magic go." Buddy landed in time to be transformed back into a dog with a slashed, bleeding leg. Traz landed beside him.
"Buddy! You're a dog again!" Buddy nodded miserably. "C'mon... let's try getting ya to a safe place..." Buddy suddenly limped up and sniffed the air.
"What's up, Buddy?"
"I smell people... many people... that way..." He limped in another direction, stopping in front of a door. Tooty pressed her ears to the door. "I hear people too, Traz. Let's let them out!" The breegull held the key up to the door and waited. Slowly, the door opened, and a green force field met his face. On the other side, he bit his tongue at the barrage of people in there, with a huge wave of thick, green, strong-smelling acid behind them. If they didn't get out soon... Traz flew into the crowd, and the key was in circulation- people were escaping their bonds and rushing out of the polished room at high speeds. Buddy wanted to get the other key around quickly, and grabbed it to deliver it to the masses. But as soon as he stepped on the green floor, he fell through it. Fortunately, there was only another floor beneath him. It was a weird experience to say the most, with people's feet above his head. It was also deathly quiet, as if no noise could be heard through this particular force-field. Buddy let out a loud howl... but it was as if no-one could hear him, and they probably couldn't. But then, he realized that he was still clutching the silver card-key. Buddy turned behind him. In the darkness which enveloped the place, he could smell someone in the room with him. "Hello? Hey, who's there?" A voice answered, "Don't be afraid, young one. I am going to help you." Buddy slowly approached the source of the voice, quaking slightly with nervousness. In the darkness, he could make out what looked like a cage. "Who are you?" Two green hands gripped the bars of the cage, the shock of which caused Buddy to jump in surprise. "What- what the heck?"
"My name is Brentilda, Grunty's better sister." Buddy raised an eyebrow.
"Grunty?"
"Or Tildy, as she has renamed herself. My sister locked me in here a long time ago. I can help you if you get me out."
"How?"
"Wave that card in front of the lock..." Buddy slowly complied. "That's it." The door of the cage slowly swung open. The chubby woman inside who emerged wore pink rags and tousled hair. Buddy noticed the gossamer-thin wings protruding from her back. "Are you supposed to be a fairy or something?" Brentilda, or Brenty, gave him a look of pity. "Oh, you poor little thing. Your leg is hurt. Let me fix it up for you." She waved her wand around him, and his leg began healing itself. Buddy was hardly surprised; after seeing an evil witch, a lingo-talking shaman and a giant sized, homicidal vine, to say that a good fairy who could heal wounds surprised him would be... well... surprising. Buddy stood on his leg without pain for the first time in several days. "Thanks.." he said, looking up at the people above him. Brenty turned the wand to her hair, and it wrapped itself up in a bun. Next, her dress mended itself and the dust flew off, leaving her with a pink, frilly dress. Brenty flew upwards, using her wand to make a bridge for Buddy to cross. The room was empty, and completely filled with acid, now. Buddy leaped over small pools and out of the door.
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Mumbo raised his wand, held it way over his red, feathered head, and struck the blow... the ball of energy flew towards Tildy at top speed, and she was just a second too slow. It struck her in the body, sending her flying into the wall of the cave. For a minute, she didn't move. Then, she screeched and flew at him, her eyes pools of hatred. With a forceful ball of magic, she connected, sending the parrot flying across the cave and landing on the ground, the deep precipice just a few inches away. Banjo gave a cry. "Kazooie! Mumbo's hurt!" But the minjos weren't giving them any change. In fact, they seemed to be proliferating by the thousands. In fact, just that statement had nearly cost him his life. Kazooie was tiring, Shadow was tiring, and the minjos were coming faster and faster, more and more of them. It was on the verge of hopelessness. As for Mumbo, he was lying there, trying to catch his breath. Slowly, he turned back into his original form, and only in time to roll out of the way of Tildy's wild attack. Tildy screamed in anger.
"DIE!!" She formed another energy ball in her hand and threw it. Mumbo could only knock it back, but then, she kept it on the end of her hand and tried to shove it into his face. On his back, in some cave, Mumbo was trying to push the glowing green flame away from his face, while Tildy forced harder and harder to burn him with the energy ball. It was getting closer and... Mumbo kicked her body, and it made her jump up. There was just enough time for him to get to his feet... but the power of her attack left him weaker than before, and his own powers were tiring. Tildy wasn't, however, about to give him a chance to recover. She sent a huge energy ball in his direction, and it knocked him off the edge of the ground. His wand lay just a mere inch out of his reach as he held unto the edge of the cliff-like ground. Below him, he knew, was miles of emptiness followed by a quick and messy demise. Tildy stood over and looked down at him. "Poor Mumbo," she began sarcastically, "he lost his wand... again." She laughed wickedly. "Your magic always was pitiful, Mumbo... and now, it's over!"
Mumbo's hand reached for the wand, just an inch out of his grasp. He concentrated on it, and almost seemed to be... calling it. The wand may have moved just an inch, and as Tildy bared her poisonous fingernails to finish him , Mumbo gathered as much energy as he could bring together, held the wand back and thrust it into her arm!
The evil witch was shocked until her bones could be seen and her hair stood on its end. Screaming in shock, she finally was separated from Mumbo's wand. Mumbo shook the wand over the precipice, and with an ear-splitting scream, the evil witch tumbled into the darkness below.
Banjo felt himself get pounded from behind, and he wasn't too sure of how long Kazooie could hold him. Every time they got hit, Kazooie felt a painful jerk, and all her energy went into keeping him in the air. Shadow, himself had never had to hover for so long, and his wings were beginning to hurt. And although Sanjy wasn't exactly huge, attacking with her was becoming harder. Matchooie was pretty much the base of attack, as he had no heavy bulk, as well as being the oldest of the three. It seemed hopeless... then... all the minjos suddenly dropped or flung themselves towards the ground, while others disappeared.
The fighting group landed, exhausted onto the ground. Banjo walked to the edge of the cliff and saw a shaman holding onto the edge. Extending a paw, he pulled the shaman up. "Mumbo thank bear," he replied gratefully. At that exact time, a fairy, a dog, a bird and a small bear materialized in a shimmer of light. Traz and Tooty gave a look of confusion. "How did we get here, Traz?" Traz shrugged. Suddenly, a molehill appeared in front of them. "Bottles! You escaped!"
A lizard hopped out beside him. "Yep, don't forget ol' Slither, 'ere!" The lizard slowly ran up Traz's wing, exposing his burnt foot.
Traz noticed this "Jeez, did that stuff get ya too?" Slither nodded.
"Ah well, kiddo... that's life!" Slither showed the breegull his ring-less foot. "This little lizard ain't got nothin' for those hulkin' balookas!" Tooty smiled.
"And Mumbo killed Tildy! I think I want to go home, now..." she said, cheerfully.
Kazooie watched the black breegull, who was looking at her uncomfortably. Finally, she swallowed and approached him. "I thought you had to go back to your job, Dark..." Shadow plucked at a broken flight feather.
"What was I supposed to do? Let you die?"
"I didn't think you cared... and... I know that's not the only time."
Shadow played with the feather even more. "What d'you mean by that?"
"Food doesn't come from nowhere... neither do convenient holes in ice. What do you think I am? An idiot? You saved our lives." Shadow twisted the broken feather.
"Yeah, well... Kaz-"
"That's Scorp, now." Kazooie smiled.
Shadow smiled as well. "Ok... Scorp." Then, with no prelude whatsoever, he swept her into his wings and gave her a long, warm kiss.
Banjo and Sanjy watched the two breegulls. "You... um... thanks, Sanjy."
Sanjy looked very much relaxed. Tildy was gone. Forever. Never to be seen again. "They make such a good couple, don't they?" Banjo nodded.
"Um... Sanjy?"
"Yes?"
"Um... did you... um... help us?" Sanjy raised an eyebrow.
"Help you? How?" They looked into each others eyes. Then, at last, Sanjy burst into quiet laughter. Grabbing him by his fur, she brought his face up to hers. "Isn't this the part where we kiss?" So he did, as long as he could.
Brentilda hovered a little off of the ground, smiling at Mumbo. "Aw... look at the poor things," she said, looking at Slither, Banjo and Matchooie, "I think I'm going to heal them." Mumbo looked a bit irked. Only NOW did all the banging up he had received stand out.
"Oh, no, Mumbo only nearly get blown in piece by witch!" Brentilda glanced at him, then hit him over the head with her wand.
"Mumbo! Now really, look at the poor things..." Slowly, her magic drifted through the group, healing as it passed over their heads.
Matchooie sighed in relaxation. "Well, Buddy, let me give you this advice... siblings are pains, especially mine. Too bad we have to go back to college after this." Buddy rubbed his newly repaired leg.
"I dunno, Match... after bein' attacked by a witch, chased by a giant vine, forced ta chase your siblings half way across God-knows-where, AND eating God-knows- what for days, Mr. Beetemop'll seem pretty mild, now, ya think?" Matchooie seemed to be thinking about it. The question received a simultaneous response. "Naaah..."
Matchooie suddenly shook his head. "It's gone."
"What is?"
"My headache! And..." he felt his head, "What the heck?"
"I guess it musta healed-"
"In a few days?"
"...or that fairy musta done it."
"I'm afraid to ask. What fairy?"
"The one standin'... right over there!" Matchooie stared at her, then at the stream of magic which healed everyone who needed healing.
"Okay, did I mention that gross anatomy classes'll seem ten times saner?" Buddy made a face.
"Yeah, well, still just as disgusting. And I still think eating right before taking it's a bad idea." Matchooie seemed to agree vigorously on that one point....
The mood, as anyone might have guessed, was.... well... happy! But that didn't last too long, as Banjo suddenly looked up and saw... Bill Gates!!!! {I'm trying to be serious.... But that IS pretty terrifying! ;)} Tildy!!!! She was steaming mad, and her entire body glowed with an ominous green light. "YOU!!! YOU ALL WILL DIIIIEEE!!!" As she said this, a huge rumbling came from deep within the earth. Suddenly, the floor of the cave opened up, and a rainbow of evil minjos came from beneath the earth. Tooty pressed herself to the ground in terror, but the fighting group was slightly bigger. Buddy hit at the sky with his paws, but there must have been hundreds of minjos swarming him. Banjo tried to protect Sanjy, but his body was bleeding already, and Sanjy was getting hit no matter how he tried to shield her. But she fought, as he did. The group would have been killed if not for a sudden whistle which came from deep inside the cave.
"JINJO!!"
Kazooie's ears perked up. All minjos stopped their vicious attack and looked to the cave. And at that moment, a huge rainbow of little creatures appeared. They could have been mistaken for minjos, but they didn't have that evil gleam in their eyes... and they launched upon the minjos, attacking them viciously.
Kazooie looked around... and realized that her brother was gone. Missing. And a strong feeling radiated through her mind. "Don't tell me he went to... I know he didn't... Traz went to fight him! Avenge me like a good little 'big' brother!" The breegull reached up into the air and grabbed a struggling, injured minjo. "Where's Franky?"
"Lemme go! I'll-"
"Do you know how my beak feels? Would you like to?" Kazooie threatened. The minjo gulped. "Code number 9744, it'll take you right there-" Kazooie let him go, and he tried to ram her. But with a quick jerk of her neck, the minjo lay on the ground, dead.
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Kazooie whispered the code. There was no response. Leaning against the wall in frustration, she fell through it! Kazooie rubbed her thin hips and folded her wings. Deciding that flight made it easier to avoid traps, she took off into the air. Below her, she spotted a small wire. Go figure. It was a short enough trip, as her flight through the polished metal corridor was soon over. But what she saw next... The corridor ended in what looked like the throne-room of a palace. The floors were polished marble, and the walls were decorated with all sorts of paintings... but not like the paintings in the cave. All depicted some sort of fear or pain. Kazooie made a face at one, which was of a silhouette of a group of kittens being tormented. Somehow, she suddenly had the feeling that Franky, or Francis had finally lost it. And in the middle of the room, on a throne, sat Franky. The breegull looked her up and down, then said, "I figured you'd get some sense, girl." Kazooie looked a bit like a pincushion, feathers sticking up into the air in intense hatred.
"Where's my brother?!"
"He's off fighting." Kazooie snarled, as the breegull continued. "It was an agreement... if he fought my strongest guy, he'd fight me."
"Leave my brother alone, or I SWEAR, you'll regret it!"
"How? You're in MY court, now, birdy... and you're all alone... no FRIEND to save your butt all the time!"
Kazooie approached the throne. "You 'n' me, right here, right now!"
Franky scoffed. "You don't deserve to fight me, Kazooie... I could make these guards drag you off, and no one would ever notice."
"Unless you're... CHICKEN!!" Franky stood up. "Chicken just like your chicken FATHER!" Francis's eyes took on a crazed look, and he flew at her with a vengeance.
"I'm gonna KILL YOU!!!" The two breegulls set upon each other. Francis's attack were a bit faster than she remembered, Kaz noticed. Was she in over her head?. His attacks went even faster, and he slapped her until she was lying on the ground, angry. But she stood still. Franky took in a deep breath. "I win, Kazooie... now you're coming with me-" but that was as far as he got, when she rammed her beak into his chest, throwing him across the floor.
He didn't get up quickly enough, and Kazooie didn't wait. She immediately attacked him with her talons, tearing him up with them. But he grabbed her leg, pulling her down. Then, she kicked his face, throwing him back. The fight was too charged, and showing no sign of ending.
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Banjo ducked the overhead flights of rainbow-coloured creatures, grabbed Tooty and headed for safer grounds. All around him, the fight took place: between the minjos and the jinjos, between Tildy, her former teacher and her sister. And that was a whole other fight altogether. Mumbo and Brenty seemed to have figured something out from the beginning: Attacking as a unit made more sense than attacking separately. But that was obvious. But Tildy's strength was unsurpassed... no one knew why. But Mumbo, knew that it wasn't the same magic which he had taught Tildy. It was a new kind of magic, more powerful than any he had seen before, if only they knew where it came from... Brenty attacked her sister's broomstick, causing her sister to spin out of control. At the same time, Mumbo attacked her, and it send the witch flying onto the ground and nearly onto Tooty, whom Banjo was trying to desperately to protect. Then, another blast from their combined powers, and Banjo saw the witch go flying through the cave... almost as if it were only another force field.
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Sanjy gasped as she saw who they were up against. It wasn't any ordinary henchman. The younger black breegull fired at them nonstop, as if the black breegull who was trying to get pass each barrage of bullets was not his brother. As if it wasn't his brother whom had protected him as Banjo protected Tooty. Shadow wasn't even sure if he knew what he was doing. It was another game to him, just as luring an unsuspecting bear-cub into danger was another game. The little breegull was laughing and enjoying himself. That was obvious. The bot at which the young breegull was at the helm of fired another round at him. A bullet grazed him, leaving him with a gash on his side. The breegull smiled, "I'm winning! Look at me, I'm winning! Yes! I'm gonna win!" The child's elated screeches sickened Shadow intensely. Just a young kid, with no idea of what he was doing.
This was the kid who had nearly gotten him killed. Dusk was his name. And Sanjy was the girl he had tried to help. But his own brother- Dusk, had warned Tildy of his plans. And Tildy was remarkably merciful. Meaning that he was half dead when... the torture... had finally ended. Had it not been for Sanjy's miraculous healing powers, he would have been dead without question.
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Kazooie looked at her opponent... about to finish him, then... a burst of pain! Almost as if she had been stabbed in the side. Now, Franky slowly got to his feet, watching her on the ground, beak clenched, not able to move. He approached her. "Should I really kill you, Kazooie? We could be quite a couple. What do you think?" Disgust churned her insides as if they were in trash compactors. "I'd rather die," she spat. She wasn't going down this easily! As the pain subsided, Kazooie prepared all her energies for Frank's "surprise". When he approached her, she thought, WHAM!
"Really? Trust me, you'll regret-" He never completed his words nor she her surprise attack, as a green body in a black dressed slammed against the wall of the throne room. The witch looked her sister in the eyes... then let out a piercing scream. She had lost. Banjo held his sister behind him, as the floor of the throne room split into two. A bubbling, black oily-smelling substance came from within. Tildy looked at the substance in the floor as if it were her life being threatened. Screaming, she tried to grasp the floor, but its smoothness left nothing to be held. She was sucked into the substance, her screams stopping abruptly. As a deathly silence settled in the room, Banjo, Tooty, Kazooie and Franky looked at the hole in the middle of the throne room. A loud ruckus came from the ground as a molehill opened up, but it was not by Bottles. A black slime flowed from the "molehill" to the center of the room, towards the huge vat of black, bubbling slime. Then, a very bedraggled Bottles and Slither stumbled out, watching the hole in the ground in disbelief.
Franky leaned over, watching. Was his only chance at revenge lost? As he put a wing towards the slime, a green, very warty had grabbed it, and without any warning pulled him in. His shocked screams echoed through the room, and the hole in the floor closed up. But their problems were not yet over...
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Somewhere in the very center of Tildy's kingdom, green sparks buzzed around excitedly. Finally, they hit the metal walls, causing them to explode! The fire raced through each hallway as if it was soaked in gasoline, igniting and spreading quickly. A huge rumble shook the place, as without Tildy's magic, the entire kingdom was falling apart, but with the group inside it!
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Banjo stepped back in shock. And then... a noise. A loud rumbling, and the roof of the cave seemed to have split completely in half! The barrage of rocks blocked them off from each other, leaving Kazooie surrounded by a rocky wall. And then, all around her, the stones exploded into flame. There was only one place to go... and then she felt it. A quiet calling, that was not so much something she heard as something she... felt? It resonated through her brain, and she knew who it was. Her brother. Her best friend since birth- Traz. "Traz?! Where are you?!" her voice was barely heard in the crackling of the fire. The calling went through her brain again, as if he was trying to tell her something. Then, as if a light bulb had been turned on in her brain... she understood. It came like a high point- something she was not sure if they could ever do again, that understanding of each others' thoughts. /Go back, Sis... it's too dangerous./
/Shut up and tell me where you are./
/It's too dangerous, Sis. Go back before this whole place goes./
/Listen, ya walking pain-by-number set. You can either tell me where you are, or I stay in here looking for you until this whole place goes up. Which should be in, oh, say, a few minutes./
/Kaz, DAMMIT! Why the hell are you so stubborn?!/
/Cause I want to be. And keep talking, you're leading me right to you./
/Kazooie, get the hell OUT!/
/Make me. And.../ Her eyes settled on a red form amidst the fire. /Found ya./ But the sight shocked her. Her brother hadn't even bothered to open his eyes until she was bending over him. "H...hey, Kaz." He coughed. The feathers which Kazooie kept over her face prevented her from being suffocated. But her brother looked like each breath was near-impossible. And lastly, she noticed something that made her jump in shock... the blood flowing out of her brother's side. "Traz! C'mon, let's go!" Hoisting him up, she half dragged, half carried him, looking for a way out. But all around her, fire. Just a red blaze which licked at the walls all around her. And blinding smoke. Things were starting to look hopeless...
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Shadow watched his little brother let out a howl as his craft went down in a black, greasy mess. Amazed, he approached it, Sanjy following, worried. As Shadow was about to touch it, the entire bot burst into flames, followed by the walls around him. His brother gave a young scream, struggled out of the burning scrap metal and ran... deeper into the cave... into the inferno. Shadow called out, "Dusk! Come back here!" He started to pursue his brother, but Sanjy grabbed his shoulder.
"If you go in, you may never come out, Shadow."
"He's my brother- I've got to." Wrenching himself from the bear, he ran after the frightened breegull. Sanjy looked after him, sighed, and followed.
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Kazooie saw the roof begin to collapse. She had to get out! But... not without her brother. A piece of the roof fell down just an inch away from her. Another piece, this time, on her body. It was heavier than it looked, and red hot. Kazooie let go off her brother in shock. As if that wasn't bad enough, a huge, flaming boulder came down between herself and Traz. The entire roof was collapsing, and something hard struck her head, momentarily transforming the world into a blur of confusion. By the time things came into respective Kazooie realized that she could see an inferno of wood engulfed by fire. Only in a few patches could she see untouched floor. The floors on her level, on the other hand, were slowly coming apart, the fire having eaten away at them. Somewhere, Kazooie could see Traz, lying on his side. The floor's deterioration would soon send him onto the fire-engulfed wood below if she didn't act quickly. She only acted fast enough to grab his wing before he slipped over. She had grabbed him badly.
"Traz! dammit, you're slipping- pull yourself up!"
Her brother winced. "Kaz, I... Let me go."
"NO! Are you kidding me? If we survived Vault, I'm sure as heck not losing you to this!" He slipped down a bit more. "Traz!! Will you work with me, here?" She was straining herself trying to hold him... even slipping down with him. If only she had a better grip of him. A piece of the roof hit her, leaving a sore patch on her back, but she refused to let him drop. Traz shook his head.
"Do as I say, not as I do."
"What?!"
"Never give up."
"You're NOT giving up, Traz! I won't let you! ...Traz? TRAAZ!!!!" The wings had slipped from her grasp.
She couldn't see him. The voice... weaker, this time... came into her mind.
/G'bye.... Sis.... I love you..../
Then silence. Terrible silence, as she had never heard in her mind before. As if something had been shaken so deeply within her, it could never again be the same.
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Buddy tried to sniff though the smoke. But his breath was going quickly, and the smell of smoke was overpowering. Matchooie tried to see where he was going, but smoke and fire made that impossible. Then... in the fire, he saw... a red and yellow thing among the fire. Running towards it, he found... his sister. But she looked as if she was in shock... empty and wide-eyed. "Kaz. Kaz! Can you hear me?" Whether or not she had was doubtable. Kazooie suddenly sprang forward, in a wild dash to where she didn't know. "KAZ!!! What the heck?!" Matchooie darted after her. The breegull stopped suddenly. A small green lizard lay there, still and listless. He was alive, but only barely. Next to him, a mole looked at him, worried. "Listen, are you a doctor?" Matchooie nodded. He had his work set out for him. Then he looked at Buddy. The dog seemed skittish, as if he were seeing something that was impossible. "What is it?" Buddy shrugged.
"I... I'm seeing a... a... never mind."{ (Note: For those who've missed it, it is said that dogs can sense the presence of ghosts.)} He turned to Slither. "Let's go, already!" But Kazooie was leaving to go deeper into the cave. Matchooie grabbed her shoulder. "Where's Traz?" Kazooie shuddered slightly.
"He's still inside... I have to find him!" Buddy looked over at Kazooie. Then, he raised his nose to the air. "Can't come, Match," he said, genuinely saddened, "Gotta get this lizard out of here, or he's a goner." The bird nodded.
"Let's go, Kaz." Bottles hesitated, then called,
"Hey feather Brains! Take this!" The mole pressed a bundle of feathers into their wings, then burrowed down into the earth.
The two breegulls tucked them under their neck feathers and sped off in search of Traz. Kazooie perked up her ears. "Match? Do you hear something?"
"Yeah... sounds like..."
They looked at each other. "Banjo!"
******************************
Banjo looked around the room whose floor was quickly coming apart. Through the holes in the floor, he could see something hot and molten just below him. Tooty clutched his paw in fear. "What now, Banjo?" Banjo and Tooty stood on a burning, weakening platform- the only floor left in the room. But, as the platform burnt, Banjo spotted a long, wooden plank, which was reasonably untouched by the fire, leaning right beside him. Taking it, he knocked it over so it formed a bridge between himself and the other side- the only way of escape. As Tooty was smallest, he urged her to cross first. Balancing on the plank, she slowly crossed to the other side, trying hard not to notice the hot lava below her. When she was close to the other side, she made a jump for it, landing safely on the floor. Now, it was Banjo's turn. As he stepped onto the plank, it bent slightly, but supported his weight. He began to cross the plank, trying not to notice the way the fire ate up the platform which supported both the plank and himself.
Finally, he realized that the platform was collapsing, and quickly. Tooty looked on, worried. "Banjo, hurry!" Banjo swallowed, and tried to get across- but the platform was destroyed completely, and finally, the bear felt his stomach lurch as he plunged towards the molten, fiery substance below. "BAAANJOOO!!!!" screamed Tooty, watching anxiously from the side. Suddenly, a breegull grasped his backpack, struggling to hold him above the lava. Matchooie flapped as hard as possible, as his sister struggled to keep him suspended over the lava. And then, Tooty looked down, and realized something. The lava was bubbling up. It was moving up towards them, and faster than they could fly. Matchooie's extra strength helped them progress upwards, but they were both exhausted and sporting painful burns on their bodies. Banjo watched the lava just a foot below him. The heat was burning him, as he imagined it was burning Kazooie and Matchooie. Kazooie closed her eyes. They were not going to make it. Then, and idea came to mind- Bottles's feathers. "Hey.... cough Match? We're down to our last resort- let's try moley's feathers."
"Works for me!"
Kazooie, still trying to hold Banjo up, used her beak to pull out the feathers from among the others hidden in the frilly feathers of her neck. It wasn't comfortable, but comfort wasn't exactly a top priority. She pushed them into her wings, and flapped. As the feathers took effect, the two breegulls were swept up into the air, as if the strongest thermal in the world had engulfed them. As they were swept up into the air, Banjo grabbed his sister's shirt, sweeping her up with him. Tooty grabbed his arm, staring in terror at the lava below her. But Banjo had no intention of letting go, and, being of his build, his grip was something not easily broken. Matchooie stopped flapping, as the sudden drift nearly brought them crashing into the ceiling. Kazooie was forced to stop flapping as well. The lava was flowing behind them, and from another direction, a green, thick substance came as well. The two equally deadly, viscous liquids met, forming an explosion which sent a blast towards them. Fire engulfed the walls, as if they were nothing but paper. Kazooie stopped flapping. "Traz!" she screamed, wanting to go back. Matchooie looked behind them- but the explosion was consuming the walls, and it would wait for nobody. But the stubborn breegull let go, and nearly flew into the explosion. Matchooie snapped at her with his beak.
"KAZ....!!!!"
Banjo grabbed her thin foot. "Erm, let's-"
"Way ahead of you!" said Matchooie, towards the entrance, his speed enhanced by the feathers. Kazooie was dragged through the air, and just as they reached the exit, the explosion burst out of the cave's door hurricane through a paper house. The force of the blast sent them flying across the landscape. Banjo, Tooty, Kazooie and Matchooie lay stunned on the grass.
Matchooie, being the eldest, was the first to come to fully. But tears were beginning to form. He had hated leaving his youngest brother in there. But he had known that Traz was dead from the time the explosion rocked the entire cave. Not to mention, Kaz would have died too. Kazooie, Banjo and Tooty- and for a hopeless mission. The cave was nothing, now. It was zero- just a pile of burning debris. The explosive acid-lava combination had reduced it into its separate pieces, leaving not even one untouched piece. Kazooie came to, and this time, her silence was more than eerie. It was a damaged, silence, that signified that her entire world had just burst into flames before her...
******************************
When Mumbo realized that himself and Brentilda were still alive, they dusted themselves off... and held their wands down in respect for the person who stood before them. Brenty slowly began to kneel, but the person said, "This is not necessary. I have called you here in a matter of great importance." Mumbo simply stared. The white mist flowed all around them, seeming to penetrate their minds, as well as hiding the mystery person from view. He thought he saw the mist begin forming several shapes: from a graceful white swan, to a sleek white fox, to a beautiful dove. Finally, the mist clutched itself into the shape of a woman. Her skin was a medium brown, and her simple white dress flowed around her ankles, drifting around her bare feet. Her skin obtained a colour of brown, until she resembled an Indian. White mist flowed around her dark hair, and her body was enveloped in the whiteness. Mumbo swallowed as if his throat were ice. For this was no parlor trick- it was the real thing. Changing shapes before addressing a fellow magic person had always been the sign of.... Silvilina. The goddess of the Ways. As she walked, white roses sprung up in her path, and were enveloped in mist only to disappear again. The goddess did, after all, have her preferences. Roses were the symbols of beauty, grace...yet danger, as their hidden thorn could pierce the skin of the unaware.
And to accompany her graceful movements was her immense power. But then, she needed it if she was to maintain the barriers between their world and the many other worlds and dimension which co-existed with theirs. The goddess's face was expressionless, as she talked her plans to the two stunned magic people.
****************************************
Finally, Slither opened his eyes. He discovered the concentrated face of a breegull standing over him. "Match! cough Where-"
"C'mon, Slither. You just relax."
"Eh? This little lizard's gotta know cough what's goin' on!"
Matchooie decided to break the news. "Traz, Sanjy and Shadow... were trapped in the cave."
"Ouch. Well how're da kids doin'? They gonna make it?"
Matchooie sighed deeply. "They never got out. They're dead."
Slither winced. "Whatta way ta go. How're da others takin' it?"
"Not so good," said the doctor breegull, remembering the eerie silence of his sister. The sunset outside was preceding a sad and sleepless night, Matchooie knew: the first night without the hope of ever hearing the calm, cool voice of Traz. As Banjo left the small doctors' establishment where Slither was trying to regain his health, he sighed and looked at Kazooie, who was staring sadly at a single, paint-covered red feather. Even as Kazooie took her place at her perch, and Banjo lay down in his bed, they both knew that the day ahead held . Kazooie, especially...
*******************************
Banjo suddenly awoke in the night. He was arising from a disturbing dream, one in which he was talking to Traz...
"Traz! You're alive!"
"sigh Not really, Banjo. I'm not among the land of the living anymore."
Banjo looked down. "Oh."
"Listen to me: when I was alive, I was Kazooie's best friend, her partner in crime, you get me? We need each other, Banjo. And she needs you as much as you need her."
"I'll take care of her, Traz, I promise."
"Banjo, she needs you right now! She needs your help desperately, and I'll be too late to save her!"
"But- but she's asleep!"
"Go quickly!" Banjo ran off into the distance. But then, curiousity caught up with him and he turned around. "Traz-" But the bird had disappeared into infinity. A cold wind blew around him, sweeping him off his feet, and back into reality.
Banjo awoke. A cold wind was blowing through the room, chilling him. He closed the window, but the air was still ice cold- he was very happy for the blankets on his bed. He didn't notice the dark shadow hanging over him, blocking any warmth in the room.
It hovered over him for a second, considering him as a target. No, he was saddened, to say the least, but it was Kazooie that was getting his attention, because she felt not only saddened... she felt guilty. And alone. This was going to be easy. The Dark Princess, his master, had many evil creatures who could probably kill the bear and bird in seconds. But of all of them, she treasured him the most. Why? Because although his victims didn't lose their lives, no, they lost something even more precious....
.... they lost their minds.
*********************************
The next day, Kazooie was sitting quietly by the waterfall. In the water, her reflection reminded her of the two people who had meant so much to her- the more she thought of them, the more she missed them. It was at that precise moment that she heard it. A voice that was cutting into her mind. As it entered her mind, it brought with it a sense of guilt that fogged her thinking. She tried to ignore it, but it was too strong in her mind. /It's your fault... Admit it. You let your weakness overcome you and now they're dead. You don't know how much love you gave up, do you! Now they're dead, dead! And it's your fault!/
"I tried..."
/Well it wasn't good enough, was it? They're still dead. And guess what? Abandoning your own sibling wasn't good enough either./
"I said I tried!"
/*tsk* Your own brother.../
"Shut up!!"
/The only ones who will ever love you.../
"I-I said..." -tears ran down her face- "shut the h*** up!!!!"
/What? Is the truth too much for you?/ The breegull covered her ears and lay down, trying to calm herself. Of all the sounds- the sound of the waterfall as it splashed into the water- all she could hear was her own unsteady breathing and the quick drum of her heart. The nagging voice seemed to have quieted itself. /Oh, so quickly you get over your brother's death./ She closed her wings over her ears even harder. "Leave me alone!!!!" Her voice echoed a bit across the landscape. A hand tapped Kazooie's shoulder. Shocked, she looked up into Tooty's frightened face.
"Are you okay?" Kazooie hesitated.
"Y-yeah. T-tooty, quit interrupting m-my thinking."
Tooty looked skeptically at her. "You were talking to yourself." Kazooie's felt a headache coming on.
"Wh-whatever." Then that voice, slicing her mind and concentration. /Poor stupid little bird.... poor little pest./
Suddenly, Kazooie jumped to her feet, pushing the small bear over in the process. In a wild run, she reached the bathroom of the small cottage, locked the door and sat down, trying to calm herself. /Annoying little pest... who abandoned her twin./ chorused the voice in her mind.
"Go away!"
/I did love that scene where you just dropped him. It was so.... so Lion King-ish. Wasn't it, little pest? Little Scarred pest./ The voice laughed at its own sickening pun. She thought she felt a cold hand on her shoulder, but when she turned, nobody was there. Somebody had to have been, though, because the plastic bottle of poison kept well out of the reach of little fingers dropped itself into her lap. /Tell me,/ it grinned at her, /what will you do to put things right?/ Kazooie pushed the bottle out of her lap.
"I-I don't want to d-die."
/Your brother isn't worth it?/
"No... yes... STOP TALKING TO ME!!!"
/Then be a good little pest... and drink it./ The framed picture of Traz fell (or was pushed) from one of the higher shelves and smashed on the floor. Only, it was different somehow... and then she realized what was happening. It was being smeared with red- no- it was... bleeding. Blood spattered on her wings, dyeing the tips red. /Very good. You have your brother's blood on your wings. Now you have the proof, little murderer./
"I didn't...!" She shoved the picture away from her and got up, turning the tap. "...wash it off..!!!" muttered the breegull. But instead of the crystal-clear water, some warm, red substance flowed out onto her wings. The shock caused her to collapse on the floor, curled up like some decayed flower. "Please... just let me wash it off..."
/You know why this is happening, don't you, little killer... little pest?/ The bottle was pushed towards her a second time. /Now drink it... like a good little killer.../ This time, the breegull picked up the bottle in her blood-stained wings. "Okay... okay..." Her shock left her gasping for air. Her entire body ached, her head hurt and she felt so dizzy... The world was still spinning, causing her to throw up.
*******************************
The sickening sound of someone retching haunted Banjo from his bathroom. Tooty was right- something was definitely wrong with his friend. He walked towards the door of the bathroom and tried to open it. The sturdy sound of the door knob turning sounded, but the door remained closed. He tried again , forcing against the door, but it stubbornly remained closed. "Kazooie?! Open up!" Only the sound of hacking sobs answered him..
******************************
Kazooie stared at the white bottle in her wing. The strong smell of the clear substance was even stronger up close... she retched again. The persistent pounding continued, louder than ever. The bird knew who it was, but... she couldn't stand to have him see her so... broken. Traz... gone. It was like a vital piece of her was gone. And now, she faced the idea of ending everything, if it meant joining him and Shadow. Shadow, who had saved her life. Probably dead as well. And it was her fault... She held the bottle closer to her face. /Go ahead... maybe he'll forgive you./ Then, she raised it to her beak.
***********************************
Banjo banged on the door, until finally, he felt the door weaken. With each assail, the door weakened a little... until finally, the door violently swung open. Sitting on the floor was a shivering, broken breegull, surrounded by broken glass and bleeding, a white bottle raised to her beak. The bear saw her, and gave a confused look. "Err... Kazooie? That's POISON-" Her cold stare cut him off, as he finally realized that she knew what it was. Even though the shock was numbing his body, he leaped forward and grabbed the white bottle, trying to pull it away. "Kazooie- NO! You can't!" Kazooie looked painfully at him.
"You don't understand... just leave me alone!!!!" But Banjo's strength was greater than hers, and he eventually wrenched the bottle from her, and emptied its contents into the toilet with a vengeance, as if even its presence was evil.
The bird tried to bolt for the door, but already knew it was a lost cause, as he was stationed in front of the it. Banjo grabbed her wing. "How much did you drink?!" Kazooie avoided his eyes. "Did you drink any?" She glared at him, but shook her head. His grip released, and his arm fell at its side, as if all the life had gone out of it. "At least... not enough to..." her voice faded from him.
"You... you couldn't have been... tell me you weren't thinking... why?" Tears were now beginning to spill from his eyes. She didn't answer for some time, but when she did, it was in a dazed voice, as if she was new to reality.
"There's blood on my wings... because I killed Traz."
"Kazooie... there's blood on your wings because you got cut." The bear winced at the amount of blood on her wings. "Badly." He put the broken picture in the trash and picked up the glass, to throw them in the same place. "C'mon. Let's wash it off." The breegull stepped back from the tap, almost as if she were afraid of it.
"No... I don't want anymore blood!" Banjo blinked at her.
"There's no blood in the tap, just water." He opened the tap, allowing the clear, pure water to flow out. "See? You need to wash off the blood so I can bandage your wings." He led her -gently, but firmly- to the sink, and washed off the blood from her wings. The wounds, he dabbed with alcohol and bandaged. Finally they both sat down, leaning their backs on the bathroom cupboard.
Kazooie felt strangely comfortable leaning against Banjo. Despite that fact that it was only September, it was cold, or at least, that was how she felt. Banjo stroked her softly. Normally, any attempts to stroke her would have ended badly. Then again, what had just happened was far from normal. Finally, after an eternity, he realized that the breegull was at peace, even if it was only for a while. Her breathing was soft and relaxed at last. Banjo watched her. She seemed so peaceful, he didn't want to wake her in carrying her to a bed. Finally, the world melted away, leaving the two blissfully unconscious.
Of course, the spirit would try again... the scene was too peaceful. But another spirit had appeared, wrapping itself around them. No matter how it tried, it couldn't penetrate the spirit's forces. /So you are the 'Traz'./ It hissed angrily at the ghost. The ghost didn't respond. Finally, the darkness gave up. It had to, for the goddess was coming. It could feel her presence nearing. /Stupid breegulls,/ it hissed again, /Stupid bear! Stupid powerholders! Stupid goddess!/ But its arguing didn't improve things for itself, and it eventually had to disappear.
*******************************
Silvilina materialized, sitting next to the bear and breegull. A ghostly entity drifted around the room, and she knew it, but the spirit didn't seem to want to cause trouble, so she didn't bother with it. On the contrary, it seemed to be a protecting force, and slightly disturbed with her unusual entrance. "Don't be afraid, sir... I don't want to hurt your sister or her friend." She stroked the bear's fur gently. "In fact, I've come to help you." The ghost relaxed again, drifting just above the scene.
The goddess slowly whispered an incantation. Finally, as she finished it, she waved her hand, causing a wooden box with beautiful forest carvings to appear in the air. The ghost asked Silvilina about it. "Yes," she answered, "Pandora's box. It once held the world's evils... now it just holds memories. Like the memories of Spiral Mountain." The ghost asked her about the memories. "I have taken all of the memories of the inhabitants of Spiral Mountain, for reason I have yet to reveal." She smiled at the ghost. "But never mind that. Come with me, I will help you." The ghost was curious. How did one help someone who had already died? "Trust me. I have my ways. "The spirit had no choice but to follow.
******************************
Mumbo kept himself well away from Brenty (she wasn't in the best of moods right then and still held that wand too tightly for his liking). Finally, he began pacing; he knew Silvilina was the goddess of the delicate Pathways between the Worlds and should know what she was doing, but he still wasn't too sure of her plan. Finally, the goddess appeared. "Mumbo. Brentilda." The two magic people turned around quickly to face her. "My plan is near complete. There is only one problem left... the witch." Both Mumbo and Brenty's faces darkened; they knew what was being referred to. "Her memories have yet to be erased, and I think she deserves some punishment for her crimes. Brentilda. I choose you to deal with your sister." Mumbo immediately began to protest. "What about Mumbo? Mumbo want punish witch, she change face into mask!" Silvilina looked at him, and he quickly looked down; for all it was worth, she was a goddess. He shouldn't have spoken to her like that. "Maybe so..." Silvilina said, "but the witch is Brentilda's blood. She is... better suited to the task." Brentilda nodded, and disappeared, leaving a very discontented Mumbo.
*******************************
The witch looked at herself. She was not the same person she had been just a few hours ago. In a few hours, her kingdom, her beauty and her dignity had been taken. Her once smooth skin was now rough, bumpy and ridden with dry spots and muck. Her white teeth were now rotten and falling out. The thin figure was now as round as a beach ball, and the glamourous hair was greasy and unkempt. A horrifying smell drifted from her once fragrant body. Next to her, a green, deformed figure lay unconscious. It resembled a gruntling, but one arm was so long, it would drag on the floor when he walked. The legs, in contrast, were short and stumpy. The figure was huge and muscled, and the face was fat. His eyes were different sizes, and looked awkward on his face. one would never tell that he had once been a red-crested breegull. After studying her sleeping companion, she turned her face away in disgust and came close to a gasp. A familiar green skinned fairy had appeared in front of her. "Brentilda. My sister. How wonderful," Tildy greeted her sister sarcastically.
"I'm happy to see you too." All Brenty's tenderness and pity had dissolved. "Gruntilda, you should be locked away forever for what you did to Mumbo. Giving him a lifeline curse."
"Ah, yes. The curse. Can't be broken unless the its caster dies, not so? So what are you going to do, my dear sister? Spank me?"
"No... better. I'm going to strong curse you" Tildy, or Gruntilda, or Grunty, whichever you prefer looked a bit frightened. "You wouldn't." The witch chuckled nervously, but noticed the power gathering on her sister's wand.
Gruntilda smiled, saying "You would never be able to face me as my magical equal." Brenty paused. "I would always be stronger than you are, in every magical aspect." The fairy thought about it.
"If Silvilina sees fit to reverse it, I will get back my powers."
"And who knows when that would be, dear sister?"
"When she's good and ready. Besides, I would give all my powers to punish you. Gruntilda C Winkybunion, I curse you to rhyme for the rest of your life or until the goddess Silvilina deems otherwise!" Grunty gasped. "I also curse you to forget all that happened here until Silvilina wishes otherwise." And with that, she cast the spells. "NOOOO!!!!!" the witch screamed as the magic enshrouded her completely, changing her voice. Brenty held the wand strongly, as vibrations shook her, sapping her powers. At last, the assault stopped, leaving Brentilda on the ground, gasping for air. Gruntilda stared at her sister. "I see that all your magic's sapped, oh what a terrible mishap." As she spoke, she heard her voice. "Oh, sister, what is it you've done?! This way of speaking is no fun!" The witch covered her mouth in horror. "I cannot speak without a rhyme! And you say I'll do this for all time?!"
"Yes, Grunty," Brentilda gasped smugly, "Or until Silvilina breaks it."
"OH NO, OH NO! How can this be?!?! I'll break this spell and then you'll see!"
Brentilda waved her wand around, placing her sister into a deep sleep; one of the few spells she was capable of doing now. As the witch drifted off, she muttered "I can't believe my sister did that. One day, I'll give her tit for tat." Brentilda shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, sister. But your own evil was your downfall." Then she disappeared, knowing that when her sister awoke, she would remember nothing.
~Epilogue~
Banjo awoke the next day. "Jeez, Kazooie. What are we doing on the bathroom floor?" The saucy breegull awoke as well.
"What do I look like? Ask Jeeves?"
"Well sorry, Ka-"
"That must've been sooome party last night, eh, Banjo?" The bathroom looked like it had been in World War Three.
"What DID happen last night, Kazooie? Do you remember?"
"I said, don't ask me- hey. Come to think of it, how did I meet you?! Who are our families?! How did we get in the bathroom?!" She viewed her wings. "And how did I get cut? gasp!" The breegull's eyes widened. "Do you know what this means?!"
"Uhhh... it means you should stop asking me so many questions?"
The breegull gave him a distasteful look before attacking him on the head with a hard beak. "We don't have any memory of before today! OUR MEMORIES HAVE BEEN ERASED!!!!"
"Oh. Guh huh!"
Kazooie looked around and shrugged. "Let's get something to eat, I'm starving."
"Me, too." At the table, they met Tooty pouring out orange juice. She had already prepared breakfast: Orange juice, Honey on toast for Banjo and birdseed for Kazooie.
"Good morning, Banjo!" she greeted reasonably cheerfully. Kazooie looked at her, then began to peck away at birdseed. There was a sudden knock at the door. The younger bear went to answer it, and saw the shaman leaning on his wand. "Is bear and bird awake?"
"Yes, Mumbo! They're eating breakfast," she answered, before pointing to the two inside. "I'm going to see Bottles!" And the little bear-cub pranced out of the door.
Mumbo looked up at Banjo. "Mumbo have big news for bear!"
"What about me, Skull Boy?!" screeched Kazooie.
"Oh yeah. And bird too." Kazooie made muttered a four-letter word. "Mumbo know where missing memories are!" Banjo lit up. "Where, Mumbo?"
"Yeah, tell us, Shorty!"
"Mumbo defeather Filthy Feathered One first-"
"Just try, Bone Brain, and I'll stick that dumb-looking mask straight up-"
"Kazooie! Tell us about our memories, Mumbo." The shaman glared at Kazooie before continuing. "Memories erased. Can be returned, but first have to find enchanted box. It have forest carving on it."
Kazooie scoffed. "That shouldn't be too hard to get." Mumbo stared behing her head. For floating there was the brown box! Kazooie turned her head slowly, and spotted it. For a while, they all stared at it. Then, "GET THAT BOX!!!" But the box flew out of the open door. Chasing the box, Kazooie flew ahead and tried to grab it. But then, Banjo tripped over something in his garden. In shock, he grabbed Kazooie, pulling her down with him. And lastly, Mumbo turned back and suppressed a snicker.
"Err, Mumbo? I think you should get the box," said Banjo, but the box had disappeared into the distance.
"Darn," said Kazooie.
A tiny voice piped up. "Hey, ya hulkin' balookas! Get offa me! Whadya think I am, a cushion- Banjo! Hey, ya balooka! How's da life?" Banjo smiled.
"Great, Slither! And you?"
"Hey, I'm a messenger lizard! Some fancy-shmancy place named Rareware. By da way, I gots ya some mail. Say they be in need of ya services. Heh, this oughta be good!" Slither handed the bear an envelope, as Kazooie settled in his backpack. "Well... open it, Furball!"
The bear shrugged, and opened it.
Banjo Bear,
We British have nearly finished your game. Report to work on Monday at 8:00am dull. Bring all your innocent victims*cross-out* friends.
Person Who Does Everything No One Else Wants To,
Mr. S Body
Kazooie's eyes lit up, as Banjo read the address. "Mr. S. Body,
Rareware Twycross,
England.
Banjo looked up at Kazooie. "I dunno. Think we should go? I never knew we had a video game made for us, aren't they usually delayed an average of six months to a year or more?" Somewhere, an invisible entity remembered the wonders of time-travel. Mumbo grinned. "Who want Filthy Feathered One in game?"
"Anyone who wants a good game, Mask-Midget!"
"Mumbo go in game too! If take bird, need Mumbo magic for game play!"
Kazooie scoffed. "More like 'need Mumbo rear end for target practice'!" As the two battled it out, Slither looked up. "I'd love ta come, kids, but I think I'll wait 'fore I spend ma life waitin' fer a game!" The bear finally spoke.
"But these people are insane, unpredictable and cause "Game Delay Mental Disorder (GDMD)!"
Kazooie and Banjo looked at each other. "Exactly," they both answered.
*******************************
On Monday morning at 7:30am, about 150 characters waited for a bus... and waited.... and waited..... and waited... and waited... and waited... Kazooie popped out of the backpack and left the others to talk to a fat policeman in a blue uniform. "Hey... when does bus 1735 get in, Blue Butt?"
"My name's not Blue Butt! It's Lenny Lart! My name is nice. I really like my name-"
"Well listen up, Lenny Fart, just give me the time for-"
"Do you ever get the feeling we've already met?"
"Do you ever get the feeling we've already had a conversation like this?"
A distance away, the invisible goddess Silvilina smiled. Her job here was done... for now. Now, she had other business to attend to. After all, guarding the Paths between the Worlds was a full time job. She left.
{ AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's it. L'historie n'est pas fini, but I need a break. By the way, you won't get the joke about bus No.1735 unless you're Antiguan and what are the odds of that?. See, here's the history: the Antiguan jail house was built in 1735, thus, it got the nickname 1735. Things starting to come together, now? On another note, you've got one more terrible piece of fanfiction to endure- err- read if you want to know the whole story. But now even I can take all this bad fanfiction (and I DO write bad fanfiction. There's no denying it, which is why I don't try to.)! I'll start the minute I finish Banjo-Tooie (the game). And now, it's time for me to take a break from The B-K/T Chronicles for now.}