A Darker Turn
Lina and Johan are out in force, ready to take their targets. Will they succeed, even though they are deep inside enemy territory? One can only hope that fate steps in to protect whatever the two captains are seeking…
Near the end of the surgery, with Mario…
"Okay, that-a should be good," Mario sighed. He had just closed the incision on Lillian's head and was now disinfecting the area per standard procedure. With the clipper in hand, he slowly and gently removed the rest of the princess's hair, with the Waddle Dee assistant sweeping up all fallen strands. After the plumber was done, he nonverbally signaled the female Toad to obtain a medical cap from one of the room's cabinets. The subordinate completed her task in a few seconds.
"Here's the cap, sir," she commented. The cap in her hands was flexible, primarily opaque, and pale tan in color. It was, upon closer inspection by Mario, large enough to cover Lillian's now-bald scalp.
"Thanks-a. This also should-a help with preventing infections." Taking care not to irritate the incision, he slowly slid the cap over the designated area. With the surgery at its end, he also removed the blue sheet over Lillian's body with the help of two assistants.
"We'll move the lady to her assigned wing," the Waddle Dee chirped. "It's a different area from where that Marth guy's resting. Let's just hope that things don't go pear-shaped while she rests."
"Excellent-a." Mario removed his gloves so that he could wash his hands. "She should-a be stable throughout the night-a. The same goes for-a Marth. I'll-a wait here for Stefan, for your-a information, so that I can-a get him to do something that may-a help his sister recover faster."
"Gotcha, man." While the small migrant from Dream Land and his co-workers placed Lillian on a stretcher prior to leaving, Mario remained silent and allowed warm water to drench his hands. All that was left for him was to wait for the Rosträdgårdian prince to return with the vault key.
The surgery has left me a little tired, he pondered. I can't wait to rest up after this.
Outside the Smash Mansion, midnight…
"Ugh!" Johan loudly grunted. He, Lina, and the two subordinates had just emerged from the portal created by the mysterious leader. However, the headache-induced prankster was far from unscathed; on the contrary, a sickening entity was threatening to expel all contents of the stomach. "Man, I can never get used to that portal… It always makes me wanna throw up."
"I guess that is a thing that you do not enjoy, hmm?" the vampire commented. "Even pranksters like you have limits on what can be physically tolerated."
"Let's just go before I completely hurl… I don't wanna look weak in front of the audience." All four explorers began their trek to the Smash Mansion, starting not too far away from Stefan's chosen path. The cold winds left no lasting impact; the captains were, despite the absence of their robes, quite accommodated to skin-freezing temperatures in their home world, and the two followers were completely shielded from the environment due to their masks and robes. Colorful aurorae were observed overhead, mixing with the stars and a shining moon. Several trees were natural, unmoving sentinels that overshadowed the snow-covered path, and they were not leaving anytime soon. Johan's nausea gradually subsided, but the short man could still feel a headache. Lina felt a slight thirst growing from her body despite her consumption of blood in Archanea, likely due to the thought of killing an unsuspecting victim during the journey.
The silent trail reached an end when the four cultists reached the open field where the Smash Mansion rested like a stony, hibernating creature. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and nobody was guarding the place. There was, however, a metallic fence, one that was tall and smartly designed to ward off most potential threats.
"So, shall we go in?" Johan chirped excitedly. He and his comrades, barring the shorter subordinate, levitated into the air to avoid leaving tracks in the deep snow and to bypass the fence; the smaller servant had to be carried by Lina because of the lack of helpful powers on its part. Upon reaching the front doors, all four came to realize something mildly disruptive.
"Rats, it's locked," the prankster moaned. "Ah, well… I can help teleport us into the building."
"Yes, please do so," Lina ordered with a cold and quiet voice. Her co-captain gathered the group into a tight circle before using his magic to enter the Smash Mansion without a shred of violence. The main hall was silent, devoid of life, and almost pitch-black. This atmosphere reminded the captains of their primary base in their home dimension, barring the colorful architecture.
"Okay, we're in, but how are supposed to find our targets?" Johan muttered with a faint voice.
"Our human target can be found by me," the vampire responded. "Give me enough time and I will pinpoint an exact location." As she spoke, her eyes began to glow a pale yellow, a sign that she was tapping into one of her special abilities. Specifically, she was now detecting the life essence of every occupant of the building, including non-humans. The black-and-gray world was dotted by white auras symbolizing said essences, reminiscent of Lucario's Aura-seeking ability…
"…?"
…except for one. Somewhere inside the basement, if such a thing existed, a lavender-colored glow stood out from all the others. Lina paused as she remembered an important fact; a lavender-colored field meant that a soul was possessing an especially extraordinary power, and few such people existed in Rosträdgård. If what the leader said was true, then…
"I believe I have found one of our targets," she softly announced. "We must head to the lower level as soon as possible."
"Cool, so now we've gotta find the other target the old-fashioned way," Johan squeaked. "Guys, I want you to come with me to search for the staff piece. Lina will take care of the other major objective by herself."
"Try not to pull off anything that may compromise our mission." Lina separated herself from the other three, avoiding eye contact as she did so. Since the tapping of her heels was producing noises that could attract unneeded attention, she slowly floated into the air, following what she believed to be the pathway to the target inside the basement. The game room and its closest hallway, just like most of the mansion, were swallowed by the black rose's influence, left in a haunting yet beautiful darkness. Such was the preferred environment of Captain Lindqvist; she had once hoped for the entire world to be covered by an eternal shadow once the Svärtad Orm was awakened.
"This is how the world should be…" she sighed. On the way down to the basement, she encountered a locked door at the bottom of the stairway. At first, she was tempted to force her way through, but stopped upon realizing that she, like the other captains, could teleport across limited distances. And teleport she did.
Whoo…
The pale-skinned vampire remained levitating, keeping in mind the noisy character of her heels. Her eyes continued to glow as they kept their sight on the living target, one that was needed by the leader for a major reason. She passed by a branching hallway containing a few rooms, perhaps dormitories for some of the Smash Mansion's inhabitants. A faint wind echoed across the vents above, adding some noise in an environment that was otherwise quiet. This same wind also provided warmth to her skin, which ironically bothered her. Even when ignoring her status as a vampire, Lina was always a person who preferred colder environments over all else. Specifically, the cold gave her a form of comfort that the warm air could not match, allowing her to sleep peacefully and relax whenever she was stressed, and it also allowed her to better conserve energy. She was enhanced by advanced healing abilities, but that was not to say that she could never be worn down. The disastrous end of her encounter with Marth reminded her well of that shortcoming. Thankfully, a certain cure taken back at the headquarters saved her from an unpleasant end.
As she approached the room which was sought by her, the aura from before was far more visible and especially resonant. In fact, this energy seemed much stronger under close inspection than it was when placed farther away. There was no reason to pass up on the opportunity to help the mission of resurrecting the glorious Svärtad Orm. Teleporting into the room, the raven-haired vampire disabled her special ability so that she could notice the identity of her would-be captive. A lonely lamp above the hospital bed illuminated the blanketed body with a warm glow that strongly stood out in the darkness. Almost immediately, Lina noticed a significant change to the sleeping figure's appearance; the hair was gone, and the bare scalp was covered by a medical cap. Perhaps a surgery was done on the victim, something that could explain the sudden change, but that mattered little. What mattered was the capture of the person, for she was required for something vital…
With Johan…
"Okay, so you guys can take care of the security here, right?" the playful captain asked. He instinctively guessed that the Smash Mansion was outfitted some form of security, even though he could not see it yet. Nevertheless, he and the others could not afford to be detected in the future. Thus, there was one important thing to do while searching for the second target.
"…" The taller figure levitated into the air and, using its magic, managed to detect nearby cameras in the area. The cameras were illuminated with violet lights emerging from the mysterious figure's left hand, allowing an opportunity to disable the security before it was too late. Upon approaching the first device on the foyer's ceiling, the larger follower destroyed it via a high voltage burst from the glowing orb. There was a slight buzzing sound from the event, but it was not so loud to the point where a sleeping Smasher could hear it. As the floating subordinate proceeded to rid the mansion of its nighttime security, Johan directed his attention towards the second follower.
"Hey, you know where the Smashers keep their most precious things?" he asked. "If you do, then lead the way. If not, then I'll be asking Lina for some help." The answer came sooner than expected, for the smaller subordinate began guiding its nearest leader to where the basement was. Simultaneously, the short captain received a telepathic message from Lina.
"I found our human target," whispered she. "She is resting in one of the basement's rooms. I will be preparing her for transportation. Have you made any progress yet?"
"Uh, one of our guys has a clue on where our second target is at," he replied somewhat slowly. "I believe he's leading me into the basement."
"Hmm… You say that one of them is leading you into the basement? Tell me more."
Johan kept his voice down as he was directed to the descending stairway. "I think he's leading me to a vault or, I dunno, some other safekeeping area. All I know is that he has something important to show me."
"If your subordinate leads you to our second target by chance, then we shall complete our mission before the night ends. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to obliterate this mansion and all its inhabitants."
"Yeah, got that." Johan, upon encounter the locked door to the basement, teleported himself and the subordinate into the dark corridor inside. Both were immediately swallowed by blackness, forcing the captain to utilize a small flashlight. Unlike Lina, whose eyes easily pierced the darkness, Johan was not accommodated to such an environment despite constant exposure to dim rooms. Conversely, the mysterious figure was hardly bothered by the hallway's lack of lighting and even continued forward.
"Hey, don't go wandering off without me, man," the captain ordered, using his flashlight to keep the view ahead of him clear. As with Lina, he felt the warm air emerging from several vents above, though the warmth hardly bothered him. Since he was not familiar with the basement's complete layout, he was unaware that he was passing up the room occupied by the human target and Lina. As the two unwanted travelers traveled through the medical wing without a trace, they made sure that no security was in their way. There were a few cameras, but they were all disabled by Johan's silenced pistol. The architecture gradually and subtly moved away from the simpler style of the medical wing to the richer, Victorian-type variant witnessed in every other part of the mansion. At the end of the path was a wooden door decorated only with a sign, which was printed with the following:
Authorized personnel only. Do not enter without permission!
"Ah, screw that," the captain chirped, expressing his blatant disregard for the message. "We're goin' right in." He and his follower both bypassed the wooden guardian with some useful magic, only to enter a stairway that descended to a more isolated segment of the Smash Mansion. This area was not accessible by any other pathway, including the elevators. In fact, after Johan bypassed the second door at the bottom of the staircase, he came to realize that the plain room around him had no alternate exits whatsoever. The only other door was the steel-forged entrance to what appeared to be a vault. Next to the entrance was a card-reading device that controlled the lock. The two cameras at the far corners of the ceiling were designed to keep an eye on who gained access, but they were quickly destroyed by the prankster's preferred weapon. As usual, Johan brought his ability to teleport into play, but on this occasion, he was immediately rejected from the vault's interior.
"Huh, I wonder what happened that time…" Like a stubborn mule, he repeatedly attempted to enter, all while simultaneously ignoring the underlying cause of his continuous rejection. Meanwhile, the cloaked figure, silent as it always was, slowly approached the card reader. From what was observed, this vault could only be accessed by at least a few of the building's inhabitants, perhaps with special keys. Luckily for the figure, it had something that may penetrate the security without resorting to outright violence.
"C'mon, let me in already…" Johan moaned. By now, it was becoming clear to him that the vault was outfitted with an unknown magical barrier. What it was exactly, he had no clue, but it was the most logical reason for why he was barred from entering. Furthermore, he was oblivious to his subordinate demanding an obscure object to somehow bypass the lock and open the door without further delay. Only when he heard the beep did he finally cease to teleport his way inside.
"Oh, did you get past the lock? That's nice. Time to get what we came for." As the two hidden visitors stepped inside, they were exposed to a sea of riches that glowed when touched by the flashlight's gentle beam. Coins of many colors—though mostly gold and silver—golden bars, and even colorful gems were stored in glass containers that dotted every wall in the vault's cold interior. A small computer was located to the left, but it was deactivated for the night. The beautiful architecture of the mansion was not present here, instead replaced by a simple yet streamlined style. All the vents here were more modernized compared to what was seen before, given the chrome coloring and the potential for a greater shine upon contact with a light. Finally, the farthest wall was home to two vault doors, one of which was decorated with a green light; the other was blessed with a red one.
"Huh, I've yet to see what's behind those doors," Johan muttered under his breath. As he took a step forward, he was greeted with Lina's voice.
"Have you found the other target?" she sighed. "I already have the human captive in my possession, so I shall wait until you make your return."
"Not quite, but I am inside some kinda vault that apparently contains the riches of the Smash Brothers. I dunno what else could be here, but I hope to find something interesting here. Oh, and I asked one of our guys to disable the security to this place, which should help cover our tracks."
Lina, though not in clear sight, expressed her approval for her counterpart's latest decision. "A smart move, Johan. Just make sure that we have everything taken care of before we leave. Our leader will not be pleased if we leave anything important… What?"
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Inside the medical wing…
"I am detecting the strange aura of another person," the vampire, now reusing her special ability, replied. She was originally attempting to locate Johan, but while doing so, one aura originally indistinguishable from the others exhibited a slight change; it became red in color. Coincidentally, it was close to where Lina had captured her victim, allowing her to scrutinize it more effectively. While still carrying her captive, the black-haired vampire teleported to the source of the anomaly. The spirit of surprise would slap her in the face when she came to realize to whom the strange aura belonged. As with the other room, a faint light illuminated the resting patient, but the patient in question was quite different from the captive. In fact, he appeared to be awfully familiar to her…
"Ah, yes…" she whispered with a cold voice. "I never thought that I would be able to see your face again. I may not have been able to kill you during our last encounter, but I have left something inside you: a special gift, if you can call it that. I will see to it that you destabilize the group that you belong to, and once your transformation is complete, you will no longer have the willpower to resist me or the Lords." The fact that Lina was completely focused on the resting man meant that she initially ignored Johan's next statements:
"Hey, who is it? Hello, are you there, Lina?"
"Hmm…? Oh, you were asking who it was. I will only say that it is a person whom I have done battle with not too long ago, one who was a persistent thorn in my side. Now, without further ado, I will be waiting in the main hall."
With Johan…
"Oh, right…" the light-haired captain remarked, secretly confused by Lina's vague answer. "Uh, I'll see you soon." He and his follower approached the vault door with the green light, with the captain also trying to figure whom the vampire referred to. It was possible that the person in question was a threat who actively tried to prevent the resurrection of the Holy Serpent, and because of the circumstances that resulted in Lina's failure to retrieve the staff piece, that seemed largely plausible. Still, the prankster had no luck when he spent several seconds on discerning the identity of the opponent. One day, he would find out… but not now.
Upon reaching the doorway, Johan watched his subordinate examining the card reader and, after staring at the lock for several seconds, using the hidden item. As he watched the door slowly open, he became moderately eager to obtain what rested inside the dark room. One quiet bout of creaking later, the door was completely open, only to reveal a wooden container sitting on top of an elevated platform. The box was moderately large, but it still appeared to be too small to hold a powerful weapon, at least by Johan's standards. He had imagined the staff to be larger, especially since he never directly observed it beforehand. It was probable that the magical weapon was disassembled prior to storage, but still…
"Something about this box doesn't look right…" the captain muttered. Before he could say anything else, however, his lackey opened the box and was immediately introduced to a blinding light that would have left any ordinary person blind. The commanding Lord approached the open container to observe what was inside, but his hopes were crippled upon closer inspection…
"Ah, what the hell?!" he moaned. "This isn't the damn staff! Oh, boy… We just wasted some of our time looking for some item that, while pretty-looking and all, isn't on our to-do list!"
Tap-tap…
"Oh, what's that? You're familiar with this item? It looks like it could be useful when placed into the right hands…" He noticed the robed figure tapping one of its fingers on the glowing object, even though the potential asset was not clearly observable due to the intense light. "Well, if you want it so much, then take it."
Click…
"…" The figure refused to say anything as it quietly removed the box from its resting place. Both Lords vacated the small room before closing its corresponding door. Johan redirected his attention towards the door with the red light, but when he tried to get his subordinate to bypass the lock…
Beeeeeep…
"Huh, looks like it doesn't work on this door," he groaned with an annoyed voice, both to himself and to his subordinate. "Buddy, do ya know where I can find the key to the red door? I believe that the room behind that vault door will contain what we're looking for."
"…" The lesser cultist, through subtle gestures, suggested that it and its leader were to leave the vault. It also, through several inaudible whispers, clarified that it needed something from a resident of the Smash Mansion. Johan, realizing this, teleported himself and his servant back into the foyer like an otherworldly entity using its mysterious ways to transport others. Lina, who had her captive contained inside a white bag, was not expecting to notice her co-captain reappear so early.
"Oh?" she gasped. "You have reappeared awfully sooner than I had expected. I see that you have not obtained our second target yet. Why?"
"We're gettin' close," Johan replied quietly. "My guy needs to go and get something from this mansion. It's a key to a deeper part of the vault. It's not gonna take too long, really." After having the lesser Lord whisper something into one of his ears, he teleported again, this time to an aisle of bedrooms on the second floor. Lina patiently waited for her goofier partner to finish the job. While not in the presence of anyone else, friend or foe, she took the time to examine the victim's face.
"Ah, yes…" the vampire hummed sweetly, albeit with a dark overtone. "You are indeed quite valuable to the Orm's Lords. You have much potential in you, more than you can ever imagine. Soon, your powers will be put to good use… for the purging of all filth across the dimensions. I would personally be further delighted if I could make you one of my kind." As she spoke, she gently stroked the captive's smooth face, an undeniable sign that the spirit of beauty placed some of her essence into a mortal body as delicate as the captive's. No traces of corruption were present, and it was already clear to the vampire that the kingdom had gone to great lengths to protect the one person who could drastically impact the war, for better or worse. The Smashers, despite being foreign to Rosträdgård, had also been hard at work to keep the person safe. Neither the kingdom nor the fighters, however, would keep her safe for much longer. The red rose was about to fall into the darkness of the Lords…
"This night will mark the beginning of true glory for the Orm's Lords. Once we accomplish our objectives, we will be on the path of awakening the Holy Serpent…"
"Yo, my guy knows where the key is at, so our search shouldn't take long," Johan, unaware of Lina's silent words, interrupted. "After we finish, we're going back to the vault."
"Be quick, or our leader will surely become impatient with us," the vampire, rudely knocked out of her blissful state, replied.
Johan followed the lesser cultist, who acted as the guide within the dim pathway. The trip to the destination was quite short; it took only the length of a few bedrooms plus a ninety-degree turn to reach a door marked with a dark Mushroom; the color of the logo in question was initially difficult to discern, largely due to the poor lighting. The flashlight, upon having its light redirected to the upper half of the door, revealed that the color was red. Johan teleported only himself into the room, leaving his mysterious follower outside.
"What have we here?" he squeaked. In front of him was a large-nosed man with a distinct style of facial hair, one that no Rosträdgårdian possessed. He was wearing a red shirt and had puffy brown hair, while his lower body was covered a simple blanket. Next to his bed was a desk containing several drawers; the top was littered with some important items, including an alarm clock and a thin laptop.
Gotta start with those drawers, the captain pondered to himself. His search would be extremely brief, for luck suddenly guided its ray of light onto him when he opened the topmost drawer and found a gray box marked with a red Mushroom. Upon opening it…
"Aw, yeah…" he chirped. Within his hands was a key that included the presence of a red Mushroom on one side. "That's gotta be it. Now we can get inside that sub-vault and find that staff." A return trip was made without the unidentifiable servant, and Johan slipped the stolen key into the red door's reader. Pulling the door open, he was introduced to a small room that was almost identical to the one located behind the green-tinted door. The only difference was the presence of a glass case; it held a precious item, one that was greatly sought by both Rosträdgårdians and Lords alike.
"Sweet!" the goofy captain exclaimed brightly. "The Staff of Björn's finally ours!" An overwhelming joy filled his mind as he considered the possibility of a final victory for the cultists happening in the nearer future; with both targets captured, the Svärtad Orm was only moments away from being awakened. Truly, this operation was the first step to a glorious moment. Soon, all those who opposed the Lords would be wiped off the faces of all realms. With success at hand, Johan slowly reached out for the case. However, something was about to give him a rude slap to the face…
"Captains Eriksson and Lindqvist," the mysterious leader, who maintained a mental link between himself and the two captains, spoke urgently, "You and your servants must return to Rosträdgård at once. The aerial base at Vindfält, among others, is under attack by the Royal Army; we are losing personnel and resources, and fast. I repeat, you must return at once."
"Damn it, boss," Johan moaned. This was not how he had imagined things to occur. He was so close to obtaining the sacred weapon, and this sudden request was now throwing a wrench, and an exceptionally large one at that, into the original plans. "I was about to get the Staff of Björn from the Smashers! Why request us to go back now?"
"Leave the staff, Eriksson. It will be ours either way, and the Smash Mansion's destruction shall wait until another day. You and the others are to leave immediately. If you do not return within the next hour, your punishment will be severe."
"Aw… Well, if that's what you want, then I guess we'll be on our way." Johan, with no other option at hand, sealed the red-tinted door and the vault's main entrance before teleporting his way back into the hallway of bedrooms. After he escorted his subordinate back to the main foyer via another bout of teleportation, he automatically hid the stolen key under the couch where Lillian had previously slept. Around the same time, the larger subordinate, having completed its extermination of the mansion's security cameras, also returned to the main hall.
"Hey," the goofy captain whispered to his pale-skinned partner, "We gotta haul ass, like, right now. Some of our aerial bases are in deep shit, and our boss wants us to-"
"Say no more, Johan," Lina interrupted with a cold voice. "We may not have obtained the staff, but we still have our other target. Also, we shall not worry about who currently has the Staff of Björn, for it will eventually fall into our hands. Lastly, I have a given a… special gift to one of this mansion's inhabitants, which will hasten the destruction of the Smashers in due time."
"Whatever ya say, Lina. Let's just wait outside until our leader creates the portal for us." All four cultists, alongside the captive, were teleported outside with Johan's abilities. But just as the goofy captain wrapped his arms around the others, the smaller subordinate felt the object that it once had fall from its right hand. Worry was not on the cultist's mind, however…
"Okay, just in time…" it could hear Johan chirp. The comment was created in response to the portal back to Rosträdgård being forged beyond the metallic gate. Loud noises were heard during the electricity-filled event, but they were so far away from the mansion such that the sleeping residents inside could not hear them, much less see the intense visuals.
"Victory will be ours," Lina whispered. She and the other cultists, barring the smaller subordinate, floated into the air to soar right into the relative safety of Rosträdgårdian territory; once again, Lina was forced to carry the smaller servant, but on this occasion, Johan contributed to his share of physical work by carrying the captive. Within seconds, the silent group disappeared, never to reemerge for the night.
Sunrise…
"Great-a," Mario groaned in frustration. "Someone stole my key while I wasn't-a looking." It came to his attention that his key went missing sometime before today, and the fact that someone might have stolen it only angered him. Someone thought that it was a brilliant idea to steal the plumber's special key to the vault, and if he or she was discovered, there was going to be a price to pay. It mattered little whether the punishment was from Master Hand or even, if everything else failed, Mario himself; there would at least be an important lesson to teach in the end.
"I must inform-a Master Hand as-a soon as possible." The plumber-turned-hero, not in the mood for a long walk up a few flights of stairs, utilized the elevator closest to the main foyer so that he could quickly ascend to the fourth floor. After stepping into the atmosphere of the mansion's highest regular floor—excluding the higher attic—he expected a short conversation with the floating hand, followed by a search for an especially important item. Several knocks later…
"Is that you, Mario?" the commentator's voice boomed from the other side. "How can I help you?"
"Someone has-a taken my vault-a key," the Italian Smasher replied. "I may need some help in-a finding it."
"Oh, is that it? Here, I'll let you take the special card detector, and as for the culprit who stole your key, I'll be preparing an appropriate punishment for that person soon enough." Upon opening the door, Master Hand tossed a small device towards Mario. The steel-colored device itself resembled a miniature metal detector with a green light and a rotational power switch. The aesthetics were nothing special, but the device itself was quite reliable, capable of detecting vault keys even behind thick objects.
"Thanks-a." Mario quickly descended to the second floor via elevator, but just as he was about to begin his search, he noticed an exasperated Roy dashing from the hallway that led to the basement. The swordsman's breath was panicked and short, while his face was painted with extreme worry, a type of worry that could only form in the face of an especially terrible event. What happened recently, the plumber had yet to know, but a simple question could unearth the answer.
"Roy?" he called. "What's-a going on? You seem-a stressed."
"I was… in the medical wing trying to… check up on Marth and Lillian," the young fighter replied, taking large breaths between certain words. "Nothing was wrong with Marth, and when I consulted some of the doctors… for Lillian's location, they led me to where… she was supposed to be. However, when we opened the door… she was…"
"She was what-a, Roy?" Mario began to fear that Lillian was experiencing something terrible, perhaps a complication from the surgery, and she could be dying or, worse yet, already dead. Nevertheless, he waited for Roy, who was struggling to gather some air, to prove him wrong.
"She's gone, Mario. We can't find her."
"What-a…?! What the hell do you-a mean by that-a?!"
"Trust me, Mario. We searched all over the medical wing for her, and we even reached out to other parts of the basement: janitorial closet, boiler room, generator room, you name it. We knew that she couldn't move because of her coma, but a search was still done to ensure that we weren't missing anything. I'm trying to let Master Hand know as soon as possible." By this point, Roy was no longer gasping for air, for his breathing rate was falling back into normal levels.
"Damn… Let him know ASAP-a. Maybe we can arrange a group-a meeting in the dining hall. Right-a now, I'm-a searching for my key to the vault-a because someone has-a stolen it." Mario, after watching the young swordsman sprint into the elevator, descended to the ground floor and pointed his device towards the uninhabited living room. A weak signal was detected in the general direction, prompting the Smasher to quickly approach the elegant furniture.
Tick-tick-tick-tick…
"Lucky me…" he sighed to himself. The signal weakened when the detector was pointed at the space underneath the television set, only to strengthen drastically when Mario aimed at the soft couch. This brought mild relief to him; he was initially afraid that someone might have stolen the key for malicious purposes, perhaps stealing something from the vault or even permanently removing his ability to enter the secure room, but it was now clear that this was just a minor prank done in poor taste.
"For a moment, I thought it was-a gone for good." Crouching down to observe the tight space underneath the couch, he came to notice his vault key, partly covered by the dust present but otherwise untouched. He swiftly grabbed it and, with a plan to return the card detector to Master Hand, exited the living room. However, just as he was about to return to the second floor…
"What-a…?" On the carpet was a vault key that mostly resembled Mario's, barring the green logo. Ignoring the increasing strength of the detector's ticking, the Smasher began to scrutinize the lonely card, but suddenly froze when he noticed what the logo resembled.
"…!"
The logo on the abandoned key resembled the Triforce, the most recognizable artifact of Hyrule.
"Link's card?" Mario gasped. "But he hasn't-a been here for the past-a couple of days-a. This seems a bit-a strange… Regardless of how this-a key ended up here, I'll let-a Master Hand know about this when we have our-a meeting."
Inside the palace of the Lords…
"Do you have the captive?" the leader, still cloaked by his robe, asked. He was standing by the computer controlling the portal and, having just witnessed all four members of the search party making their return, demanded the presence of the human captive.
"Oh, yeah, boss," Johan chirped. "She's right here, safe and sound. We also have obtained something special from the Smashers' vault. It ain't the staff, but one of the cultists wanted it, so we took it." He presented the box to his leader, much to the curiosity of the larger subordinate. Lina was quick to notice this change in behavior.
"It looks like our larger friend wants what you have, Johan," she muttered. Remaining mute, the goofier captain gave the box to the larger figure. The box was opened, and when the shining light inside struck the dark mask of the larger figure, there was a subtle fit of sinister laughter from the creature itself. It became noticeably obvious to both captains and the leader that whatever was inside seemed to have a streak of undeniable value to the towering cultist. Johan was especially interested by the seemingly joyous reaction to the hidden object; if what he said about it having some degree of power was true, then it was possible to benefit the Lords in ways that no one could have imagined.
"He seems to be happy, wouldn't ya say?" he mumbled half-quietly, lowering the captive to the ground as he did so. "Anyway, here's the girl. I think it's time to make her feel right at home."
"I will take of her, Eriksson," the mysterious man replied. "You and Lindqvist, along with your armies, must reinforce our bases before they are lost. I recommend that you take your personal servants with you."
"We shall be on our way," Lina softly replied, extending her fangs in the process. As she and the others left the portal room, the leader removed the white bag to examine the captive, now revealed to be Lillian.
"Dearest Lillian…" he sighed with a passionate tone of voice. "You have long thought that you could escape the Orm's Lords—escape me, even. However, you and those blasted fools who protected you do not realize that you are inevitably meant to serve a greater purpose, a purpose that will create a paradise without filth. Nothing can shield you from your destiny. Your brother could not protect you; the army could only hold on to you for so long, and the Smashers, persistent threats they were, have failed to prevent your arrival to this palace. And with the Staff of Björn soon to be in our possession, all enemies will fall to the Holy Serpent, and you will be the one to aid the resurrection."
Tap…
With an inaudible grunt, he carried the unconscious Lillian to another area of the palace…
With Marth…
"I can't wait to leave this area once I am ready to walk again," the Altean king sighed. With his blood flow mostly restored, he felt much better compared to the moment when Lina left him horribly drained. His limbs were no longer heavy and ready to perform everyday tasks. His mind was clear and free from any moment of blackouts, a clear result of his brain now receiving enough blood. The wounds on his neck were partly healed, although they still gave him occasional pain.
"I wonder if I can ask to take a temporary leave from this room. I would like to see what's been happening now since Lillian's surgery." He was not yet aware of the princess's disappearance and had yet to be informed by any of the doctors or the Smashers. Regardless, he waited patiently for a medical worker to approach him, preferably with some breakfast in hand. He was hoping that he would get something related to the cuisine seen in Altea. While he was thinking about food, however, a strange voice began to echo inside his head. It was faint and unrecognizable, with its character not associated with any person known to the Hero-King, and its words were quite choppy.
Marth… Dr… ink… Drink… what you… ha… ve…
"…?" Marth observed the room to figure out who was speaking to him, but without any luck. After failing to hear the voice over the next minute, he patiently kept his body at rest while waiting for someone to approach him. But as he looked up to the room's only mirror, he realized that something about his appearance had changed. This change was the exact same one that his sister, Elice, once experienced.
His eyes were now red.
How could this happen now, of all times? The last time I saw the maiden, she seemed to be relatively secure, hidden from any possible threats. Whoever or whether did this must have premeditated the kidnapping well in advance, or maybe the kidnapper had the equipment necessary to get past obstacles. In either case, I hope that we get to enter Lillian's home soon, preferably before it's too late for her.
Marth seems to be recovering without problems, but I fear that he may not be able to join us in the fight against the Lords.
-Roy
Damn… I've been bogged down by such a busy schedule. That's all I'll say about my absence.
Now that Lillian's been kidnapped, the Smashers must now go out of their way to rescue her. Also, when will they find out about Johan and his servant's entry into the vault? And the presence of Link's key in an odd place may raise a few eyebrows…
Read and review, and I hope that neither Johan nor Flandre tries to break into my home.