Chapter 9

Climbing higher and higher in the elevator, Mario noticed Water Town looked very different from above. The maze of streets and buildings revealed itself to be just that - a maze - and like any labyrinth, navigation seemed much easier from above. Mario traced the path they took, from the main roads leading to the city center to smaller side streets and alleyways snaking through the outskirts and then finally back to the kart, which was a small speck from this unnerving distance. The elevator itself was an old, derelict contraption that put every rider that ever took it at great risk of bodily harm. Actually, the elevator had collapsed more than a few times, only to be rebuilt again in more or less the same way. Safety standards were non-existent in the Koopa Kingdom, so a collapsing elevator wasn't really much cause for alarm. Well, it was for Mario.

Mario held the elevator railing with the tightest grip he could manage, staying himself against the shaking and stuttering of a lift ready to throw him overboard. Gomar and the two koopas with them were entirely unconcerned about the lurching machine, standing impossibly still as the floor beneath them bobbed around without rhythm. Mario guessed they had ridden it many times before. The trip felt like it lasted forever, at least over an hour, although Mario couldn't be sure without a watch. As they approached the top, the view was breath-taking but also filled Mario with a deep sense of dread. All of Water Town lay beneath them with goombas and koopas moving about, barely even visible dots at this height. The light of the town gave off a sort of collective glow, a large orange presence in the dark ocean that made it look like some kind of luminescent pearl, a lonely gem sitting peacefully in the depths of the sea. Beyond the dome, hints of coral, giant marine plants and the shadowy outlines of distant sea creatures brought an overall strangeness to the scene. Then, finally, they approached the surface.

"The Island" was mostly just a collection of steel buildings and platforms, sitting on stilts out in the sea like some kind of giant oil rig. It looked sturdier than the elevator but not much so. Most of the steel was rusted or corroding, and even newer constructions were haphazardly built, with no concern for straight lines or natural shapes. Mario wondered how many times The Island had to have been rebuilt. He guessed it was at least a few times, but asked Gomar to be sure.

"Hahaha, she ain't been rebuilt. Yet!" chuckled Gomar, who clearly had no love for anything made by Koopas. The massive platform beneath their feet swayed gently as waves crashed into metal supports extending far below- it certainly seemed destined to collapse, but probably not today. Hopefully not today. The koopas led them down a narrow road, a straight path that led them between multi-story structures that left the group mostly in the shadows. Up ahead was a building far taller than any other, an odd looking place with the overall appearance of a giant, lumpy mushroom. This was The Magistrate's tower.

The crude steel of the outside contrasted sharply with the lavish, decorated interior which looked like it had been designed for royalty. Red satin banners draped the walls behind gold candlesticks and expensive knick knacks sitting on polished mahogany tables and cupboards. Scattered about were statues made of marble, gold and inlaid with precious gems. Rugs with fantastic patterns led from the entrance to a grand staircase at the far side of the main hall. From there, Mario could see that it branched to the left and right, forming a balcony around the edge of the hall where the second floor rooms could be accessed. It didn't stop there; looking up, Mario saw maybe 10 more balconies above it. The ceiling of the main hall was at least 100 feet above the ground, yet it didn't even extend into the mushroom cap of the building. Mario couldn't estimate how many rooms were in the The Magistrate's tower, he just knew that it had to be a mind-boggling amount.

They were led up the staircase, then up more stairs. Only minutes into their ascent, it became very clear that The Magistrate was on the top floor and they'd have to climb the whole way. Ironically, The Magistrate's tower didn't have an elevator, but Mario was actually thankful for that as he wouldn't have trusted it anyways. The upper floors were nice enough, although there were very few statues or gilded trinkets this high up. Mario guessed that most of The Magistrate's wealth had been moved to the main hall to impress visitors. Finally, reaching the top floor, they approached a set of gigantic double doors, gilded and accented with gems. The Magistrate's room. As the doors opened, Mario was stunned by who he saw.

Birdo sat behind a large wooden desk, in a huge leather chair, with a couple bureaucratic goombas and koopas surrounding her. This room was even more ornate than the main hall, full of priceless artifacts and fantastic treasures. Bookcases lined each side of the room and a huge crescent window in the back wall allowed a generous amount of evening light into the room. Birdo looked up at her guests without showing much emotion.

"Gomar," greeted Birdo, "You have quite the reputation. It's good to finally meet you."

"And it'll be a pleasure meeting you, assuming ya plan on paying." Gomar's mind was always focused on money.

"Yes, of course," Birdo responded. "I have a job for you, and now that I know you have the red plumber in tow, it should be easy."

"Hold-a on," interjected Mario, "We didn't-a come here to take jobs, we're on a mission to stop LTM."

"Well then," responded Birdo, "You'll definitely want to do this. What do you know about Thunder Clouds?"

"They-a zap people," Mario replied, "I use-a them during kart races."

"Obviously." continued Birdo. "But what if there was a Thunder Cloud so powerful, so strong, that it could kill every living creature for miles, literally zapping it from existence? A doomsday weapon, of sorts."

"I would-a say that's impossible," said Mario, more out of hopefulness than any true knowledge on the matter.

"I gotta agree," added Gomar "If it's that strong, someone woulda used it by now. We'd know."

"They would have," said Birdo, "But you need 5 Lightining Shards to make a Super Thunder Cloud. No one has put 5 Shards together for hundreds of years, there are very, very few of them and they're scattered all around the world. LTM only had 2, well, at least until they stole mine."

"Mamma mia!" cried Mario. "Then they only need-a two more shards to make this weapon."

"Exactly," said Birdo grimmly. "That's why it's so important that you get it back for me. Not only is it valuable, but Lakithunder could use it to destroy both kingdoms."

"...with the snap of his fingers." Gomar continued, but Mario and Birdo both looked at him with an evil glare and said in unison:

"SHUT UP!"

"What-a are we looking for though?" asked Mario.

"The Thunder Shards," began Birdo, "are small, yellow 3-inch triangles that don't look very impressive or really do much at all. It's only when you combine five of them that their true power is revealed."

Suddenly, Mario realized he had seen one before. It was in his house. He had found it during his travels and hadn't thought much of it at the time, but still decided to keep it as a memento. That was years ago, and the trinket had been sitting in a drawer ever since. That must be what was stolen, and why that goomba came into his house. It all made sense now. LTM wasn't just causing random chaos in the Mushroom Kingdom, they had been looking for Mario's Shard and possibly others hidden nearby.

"I had-a one of those," said Mario, "But LTM stole it days ago. I wish-a I had known what it was."

"Honestly," Birdo replied, "It's probably better that people don't know what they do, but I suppose that cat mario is already out of the bag. All you can do now is get it back. So you want the job?"

"Yes!" yelled Gomar, still trying to assert himself as leader.

"Very good, return here when you have it, you'll be rewarded handsomely," Birdo responded. The two guests were then led back outside.

o-o-o

To find the Lightning Shard, they would first need to figure out where LTM was hiding it. The plan was to still go to Giant Land (since Iggy Koopa was their best lead), but the mission now had a renewed sense of urgency. There was no telling when LTM would find their 5th shard but they couldn't let that happen, no matter what. The toads were shocked to find out about the Shards and the unthinkably deadly Thunder Cloud that Lakithunder was now trying to make. Mario wondered if they would be ready for what lay ahead. After quickly loading all the supplies they had gathered in town, the group set off quickly towards Giant Land.