Star's Allies
Chapter 21 - Tall Tales
"H-he can't be gone."
"Sorry. 'eard it myself. The guy's ditched us. Shouldn' have trusted 'im, told ya so. A' least, tha's what I assume he would've done..."
Kirby stood there, reeling from shock and the emptiness in his heart.
First Hyness, now Marx? Why now? Why…
Why are all of them leaving so quick? There was no longer time to meet them...
...
Magolor walked into the room. "Last hour before we fly off! King Dedede is expected on board! Kirby, you too-"
"Oh."
Magolor wisely decided to leave with that note. They were ready to launch. Ignoring the, uh, breach yesterday, Magolor practically pounced at the controls once he made it inside.
All those who wanted in the chase were ready. The sisters, Susie, the Squeak Squad, Taranza…
...and the king and Kirby, though the latter might not be approachable for a while.
Magolor shook that off his mind as he started the engine, allowing the Lor to prepare itself before travelling off.
Got to give your ship some time as well, as per the manual. Not ever sure why that was there; Magolor thought it weird that you had to give time to the ship, specifically worded that way.
He didn't pay it any mind though, and let the ship do its thing. While he waited, he watched the conditions of his passenger.
Notably, the king and Kirby, walking into the ship right now.
They were missing one… Marx.
Magolor didn't know the details; he slept through the whole thing; but apparently the lad had actually escaped from the castle, chickening out on the end.
Can't blame him for that. The journey will be harsh. But why was Kirby grieving over this? Did he trust Marx too much?
An oddity, this was.
The stench of death never left. Even as we boarded the Lor Starcutter, I couldn't bring myself to forget about that stench.
The smell of it…
Marx was dead, no doubt about it. Dedede's assumption was dead wrong. He was gone, the wall torn asunder by some mysterious attack. The stench permeated all over the room.
Even those inexperienced with death could tell the telltale signs of death.
Was this my punishment due to me not being able to help Hyness?
Was this karmic revenge? Or was this…
I can't get my mind off it. Dedede patted my back. He was always a comforter, a sympathizer. A good king, he is.
But it's not enough.
…
I stumbled my way up into the Lor Starcutter.
The old ship gave me comfort, knowing that it has befriended me before. Magolor similarly tried to cheer me up, by encouraging me to run through one of the short courses.
Evidently, it did nothing for my mood. The usual optimist is now a pessimist? Ha.
I gave a fake chuckled to him and left for the course. It seemed like the world was already lost.
As I turned into one of the corridors, I heard a whir, as the engines powered up and a certain feeling grew within me.
We took off, as Magolor loudly cheered, happy that his ship was running well.
...I want to move on from them, but it just seemed like I wasn't able to.
Nor will I ever be able to do so.
Scouring the designated room, I passed the metallic dummy Magolor had set up and into one of the challenge courses.
Jumping, running, doing it in record time. I was on top of my game. Such was focus.
Maybe this is another side-effect of them.
...I need to take my mind off things. This seems like a great idea for that.
So, I ran through it once. Then another run. And another run. Each time, my time reduced by a slightly tiny bit.
Challenge courses were the best at venting your heart out.
I myself loved them; the ideas were new, and it was pretty cool after the ship finally retrieved its final piece back when Magoloe was actually a manipulator.
How time flies.
As I exited what would be my fifth consecutive run of the day, Taranza barged in out of nowhere, waving his six arms all at once.
"Hey! Mate, you still need a dumpster to fill?"
"No… not particularly.. I've just been strolling around; you know, hehe.
I smartly decided to shut up and walk back to the common lodgings. As I weaved my way from the hallway to right beside my door, I could see Taranza tailing me, poking out his head once in a while.
I haven't dealt with this kind of stress yet. Oh, sure; eat breakfast, save the world, back at home in record time.
Now it's all gone awry. Casualties, everywhere I go.
I looked back again. Taranza seemed a bit sad. The spider had that expression when he thought nobody was looking.
I have that expression, too.
The ship flew across space in style, leaving behind a trail of stars as Magolor settled the ship into a well-paced route.
They were not entirely taking the scenic route, but instead going past a few planets.
Jambastion has not fled that far. They were absolutely going to catch the base.
It's simply a matter of time.
Flamberge was beside her sisters, touring his ship. He had given them permission. It was only kindness that led him this far, and he was going to portray it as far as he can do so.
He will not fall into the pit of lies he had dug himself into in the past.
As Francisca wowed at everything, Zan Partizanne noticed the faraway ship.
"The bastille. It's heading back to the red planet."
Out of nowhere, that was. Magolor turned at her as she returned back with her sisters, Flamberge looked at her passively before giving a sigh and approaching Magolor.
"What she meant to say is that the final destination the ship is going to is the main base of our operations."
"Ah. I got that from the first one," Magolor commented.
"I see," Flamberge nodded.
"Wow. You people are really bad at conversing," another voice spoke up. It had a soprano feel to it, slightly high but not too high.
Magolor really turned this time, as he saw a being made up of literal clockwork, floating and bobbing up and down.
The being looked kind of reminiscent of himself, actually, what's with the gear design and all. In fact, he had an idle thought in his head.
Have I seen this guy before?
Flamberge pulled out her flaming weapon as she fiercely pointed at the suddenly appearing being.
Nearing Magolor, the being spoke. "A Halcandran? I've not seen them for a while…"
"Ah, that might be because a lot of them died off?"
"Oh." The being looked pained, hurt by the statement. "And here I was, idling away. Ah…"
"I really can't help it, though," the being continued. "Have you ever had a history lesson, young Halcandran?"
"Never paid attention in History. Stole a ship instead," Magolor admitted.
"Ah, the crazy type, then. Well, I suppose I actually must introduce myself to a Halcandran. Never thought I would do that… Usually they just know me. Well…" the being bowed extravagantly as it delivered its name.
"I do believe my name is Novus. I am a researcher from the Halcandran lands and the creator of the wish-granters, the Novae."
Raising from its bow, it came face-to-face with a shocked Magolor as it provided another boggling statement. "I have a grudge against Termina and I will aid you in killing him."
Andromeda stood there, unblinking, as Marx gazed off. He needed to keep up the act…!
This fish lady isn't just going to stand there and look pretty! Well, it has a white body, scales shimmering as it moved. Counts as a fish lady.
"So, you say you're Andromeda. Damn, you look snazzy!" Marx said, in awe.
"Ahuhu~ Thanks, thanks. I will, of course, aid you. As is the service of a goddess to one of her loyal subjects."
"Subjects?" Marx queried. "Indeed, subjects. Surely, you've heard of the children?"
"Well, I have been called a trickster before…"
"Indeed, child of tricksters, indeed. In fact, you've met all of the children so far. Those who find the dark and the light enticing, those who wish for the stars, and those who value wit and tricks above all else. However, it has fallen out of balance."
Andromeda held up her hands. "I am not guilty of this, but you could say I was involved in this. Termina was to be an embodiment of free will, and yet he has gone deluded for chaos and free reign over all."
"It is mainly why we are contacting children who are not in our own aspects," she added.
Marx could only stare at the information. He really didn't want to trust her now. This situation seemed set up. Way too suspicious for him.
"Ah, of course. So, what happened?"
Andromeda shook her head. "Well… where do we start? Shortly after you died…"
And Marx was out.
…
"Let's continue. Surely, you can control the timings of your faints?"
"P-perfectly," Marx nodded in agreement.
"Of course. Now, you died, and then disappeared. This was caused by Morpho, the challenge-hungry fool."
Stunned, Marx could only gape.
"Ahuhu~ Say, say. Why are you so shocked? I thought you already knew this, based on the situation?"
"I didn't know I was dead!" Marx cried out, his face in terror.
"Ahu… that might be trouble, then. Especially now that your body is gone…" Andromeda slithered closer. "You won't have any choice but to accept my proposal."
Harsh. Distrust raced across the air.
"...and how can I know that you won't screw me over?" Marx begrudgingly asked.
"Ahuhu… I don't go back on my words, trickster. You will regain a body when it is said and done."
Andromeda smiled. Marx quivered, as he tried to open his wings to no avail.
"It may just be; ah, a bit different to what most would like it."
Marx stopped quivering. He had made up his mind.
"So, what's your choice?"
"I…"
Novus laughed, sad in his predicament. "And to think that one of the children is dead…"
"What a terrible, terrible situation we are in…"
Magolor questioningly cocked his head. "...what?"
"Marx is, of course, dead. However…"
"However…?" Magolor followed.
"...he is worse than dead. Such, ah, pure chaos, once flip-flopping, once erring, once distant and now so close, all of that together… makes him lost in the pit," Novus explained.
"The pit of what?" Flamberge questioned, out of the blue.
"The pit of Termina. The insides, torn apart, half split as he screams in agony and pain-"
A sharp intake of breath.
"-especially, especially especially especially when he is in such a state of denial, of distrust, of self-loathing, of hiding, that no one noticed at all."
"He is, in fact, what his name entirely suggests. A child of tricksters. A liar. The one who puts on a mask. And at that… he is simply too good at hiding his own emotions."
Magolor stopped for a moment. Unsure, he began, "And you are sure he is in Termina's pit, or whatever? Our lovely friend is grieving over the fact of two deaths, and you tell us this?"
Novus nodded somberly. "Indeed. The place does exist, though access to it is inevitably hard and precarious on its own. The eagle does not simply sleep, you see. It hunts."
"...can we get them back, then? From Termina's pit, I mean," Francisca nervously proposed.
"To that, I do not know. I only know of its existence. For now, we shall move on to why exactly I am here."
Magolor observed him. "Well, from the looks, you look slightly Halcandran… what's with the clockwork and all."
"My origins are that of the planet, yes. I am, as you suspect, a Halcandran. I am also a precursor to what would eventually be the downfall of Halcandra, after a certain dragon's... wish."
Magolor shuddered. He shuddered so intensely.
After all, the memory it brought was not one he was so keen to remember.
"I…"
Marx shook his head. "I… refuse."
Andromeda smiled even more. "And to think you would do this. Ah, how predictable, how predictable~"
"So then you choose death."
Andromeda's eyes turned, slanted as a wicked grin splayed across her face. "Wonderful! WONDERFUL!"
Marx booked it. He was running straight to hell for this one, as Andromeda flopped, water discharging as bullets, raining down upon the metaphorical world with water.
He didn't have enough energy to deal with this. The rain pittered and pattered as Marx was battered under the piercing strikes from the heavily fast drops of water.
Andromeda laughed in amusement, cackled in the present situation as Marx soon began to drown under the heavy weight of the increasing water.
There was no ceiling. There was no end, too, as the water poured in.
Marx bitterly laughed as he drowned in the sad ocean.
He wasn't the type to trust. Another godlike being after the last one was insane enough to try and kill him?
Yeah, no. Mentally, he was broken. Physically, he was injured. He was tired, tired, tired.
He wanted it to end. His mind raced back to when the endless, empty, and vast corners of space encircled him from all sides.
When he became entrapped within Nova, when he kept a piece of that rubble, all the way until now…
My last wish…
mY lASt wISh… . . .
-y -s- w-sh.
is to live.
"'My wish is to be a ruler,' the dragon once remarked."
Novus could only watch as his creation gifted the dragon with energy, with magic so potent it could kill.
The Master Crown. Some might rise to its temptation…
And they would be foolish for doing so.
After some raids done by the Halcandrans, they gifted the crown to their current president, their official world ruler.
In a swift move, the entire civilization broke down into pieces.
Civil wars, thievery, fighting, war…
All of it descended as soon as the ruler wore the crown.
They demanded more and more, and became a ruthless tyrant who used the power of the crown to advance his own pleases.
Eventually…
The man was murdered. Assassinated, by a sparking young rebel.
As his hands touched the crown, it wrought hell onto him. As the crown hopped between owners, the effect soon started.
And they were into another quest of bloodshed.
The dragon, who was not pleased, eventually stole the crown back, as only its rightful ruler could only wear the crown, as the temptation did not entice what the dragon had already deemed sufficient enough for him.
Novus had shed tears, seeing his kind fall into 'extinction'.
Except that he couldn't. After all, because of what he did…
He will never be able to do so again. Termina…
Was where he was wronged. Wronged so far as to be stuck, pitifully stripped of his body and stuffed into one of his creations…
Only for his wish to be granted.
How the irony works, when his creations could not grant him the wish he so pleased. Instead, pushed by a middleman up to the gods themselves, to plead for-
The gods and goddesses had been much more neutral than what he expected. Gone were the moral rights. Gone were the belief that a certain this could only support a certain that.
These so-called "gods", these beings…
They were simply those with too much power. From what source, he did not know. What he did know was that they do not care.
Not a single one of them cared when he was stuck, when his pleas for help rang out into the far, empty reaches of space. Only when the Nova started getting destroyed was when he had any semblance of hope back.
That was when they gained back a form. A return to the living… as the unliving.
...
"How ironic it was, that my own creation could not fulfill my own wish? Hahaha…!" Novus somberly cackled, as they slumped, eyes rolling, body fallen, collapsed upon the ship's floor.
Magolor, stunned, returned back to his steering. Let's ignore the obvious body right on the floor…
Magolor snickered at the in head commentary, though his emotion soon resolved itself back to a plain look.
Well, jokes aside...
The story had been wild, and he could understand what Novus' motive was. But…
If they were so affiliated with these "gods" they kept talking about…
Would Novus themselves be trustworthy on their own?
The thought idled away in Magolor's head as they sailed across the vast sea of space towards their goal.
The mothership.
Andromeda could only somberly smile as she watched Marx lose the last bubble, floating away and out of his mouth. Soon, the jester had gone limp, no longer moving, as the waters receded. Andromeda, wary of potential tricks, fired a fast bolt of water, poised at Marx's vitals.
Except that he was now gone.
Marx was gone. Andromeda looked around in confusion. That shouldn't happen. Nothing normal was displayed there.
Marx wasn't supposed to just disappear. In fright and paranoia, Andromeda checked her back a couple of times, making sure it's safe, before trying to exit Marx's soulscape.
[EXITING. PLEASE WAIT.]
The bright text appeared. Andromeda breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the calming words wash over her.
[EXITING IN 3… DO NOT MOVE, OR EXIT WILL BE CANCELLED DUE TO SAFETY REASONS.]
Keeping still, the fish lady held her breath as the countdown began.
Three.
A tense atmosphere descended upon the goddess.
Two.
A bead of sweat ran down the otherwise perfect face, as something watched her quiver. Something was there.
Something had to be. This coldness was unnatural.
One.
Andromeda smiled as the timer in her head reached the number.
Something fast was there. A glint of red…
And then sharp pain. Andromeda gasped, her body convulsing as a gash appeared on her scales. And then, the dreaded message.
[EXIT FAILED. MOVEMENT WAS DETECTED. ABORTING.]
Damn it, Novus! I don't care about safety, let me out!
"Ah, deeply mistaken, you are," a voice chimed in.
"Correctamundo!" came a familiar voice.
"You!? How!?"
"Oh, I made a wish," the jester quipped, smug.
"Novus..!" Andromeda realised, as the voice got closer.
"Now you're trapped~"
...
Marx was drowning. Had been drowning. The water was deep, unrelenting in its cause. As he soon saw the closing walls, he laid there, in the scape of his mind, wishing.
Let this be my final gift, then. You've exhausted all that I can offer. Thank you for your company, Marx.
"...Nova-hrk!?"
Marx whimpered out the name, sickly, as he took in water.
Morpho, who started to regain his consciousness, watched as Marx was entrapped, water filling all around, drowning the jester.
And it was pissed. No one, not even a goddess, would take such a challenger, such a brave soul, with force like this! Morpho shook that out. As the butterfly discretely moved, it edged closer and closer to Marx.
Truth be told, he wanted a challenge himself, too. If that is required to make this 'Marx' a champion of his, then so be it!
Morpho entered the water. Cold, forbidden of warmth, as the jester sunk.
Morpho touched him, beckoned him, and off they were, resonating with the jester as he convulsed.
They offered to help. He accepted.
…
The fear was palpable. Then, anger washed over. "You weren't supposed to interfere…!"
"I will do so whenever I want. Your so-called 'rules' are so strict that they constrict and imprison those. In my opinion, chaos and free will is the way to advance in."
"YOU ARE NEUTRAL!" she screamed in disbelief, trying to remind the butterfly of their stand.
"And now I am not," they said, with full clarity.
Andromeda backed up. She wasn't about to chance this. "You can't bend the rules! They are my rules! The universe works how I want it to! You can't just up and-"
"You think a defector to the side of free will would indulge you in those rules? The game is over, Andromeda. You're no longer at the highest point."
"I thought you always searched for challenges! Not this!"
"Ah, my dear Andromeda. I'm afraid you've misunderstood."
"This is the challenge."
Morpho floated up with two glowing wings, as the body of the jester rose.
"And now he has a new body, and now we are free."
Morpho lashed out, as two crimson glowing balls emerged, both ready to fire lasers on will. Morpho willed them so, causing Andromeda to scramble to safety.
But there was no safety; in the recesses of the mind, there are no recesses, no hidey-holes nor nooks to hide behind.
So the fish goddess was struck on the back, screeching in pain from the hot blast. "Ah, Andromeda. I thought you would prove to be a challenge. No…"
Red roses began to bloom, as sharp spikes poked out of the dreamworld's floor.
"No, you are not even a challenge. I have nothing to fear anymore."
The spikes pierced the goddess, as a blast of orange lightning burst down from above, frying the lady.
A routine laser came flying, curving as the spikes dug deeper and it hit Andromeda, all in one.
In retaliation, Andromeda tried to fire a watery blast, sending the water bolt so fast, and so many, before Morpho Marx simply split in half, swallowing it all.
"Sometimes, a copy of the weak is necessary."
And every single blast came out.
"So that they can become strong."
The water returned, hitting the struggling fish head on, watering the roses all the while.
"AAAAUGH!" she cried, as the spikes dug deeper, fresh from the intake of water.
"So… not even a good fight back, I see." Morpho sighed. Sometimes, things displeased the god.
"Ah, pathetic. Goodbye, Andromeda."
And a giant sword came from heaven, all red and gold, slicing the fish in two, all the way to hell.
Morpho Marx breathed out heavily. They had done it, with the body of the trickster.
So now, the exit…
A star-shaped portal appeared. Convenient.
And Marx stepped through.
And Morpho stepped through.
Both fluttered in the vast channel of space, right outside the giant station. Leaching out was a dark will, a malevolent one, one which would soon go untamed, crazy in its silence and lonely surroundings.
Did Morpho give it some care? No, not really. After all, they still needed to form the last challenge for the heroes.
They stared to the distance, where a blue ship could be clearly seen.
Magolor piloted the ship, approaching ever so slowly. The mothership had stopped, circling a planet.
They probably had a base on the planet as well.
Magolor made the assumption, and later verified it when Francisca informed him of it.
Flamberge supported the fact, and Partizanne gave a thumbs up.
Moving the ship, Magolor took a seat back and relaxed.
Finally. They were here. And with that, they will make everything right again.
Make Kirby snap out of that depressive state.
And-
"What the-" Flamberge spoke out, as a figure showed up on the cameras.
Magolor stood up.
No.
Marx was there, along with butterfly wings so red and orange that it seemed out of place.
His hat was now red and white, along with the small tie he always wore.
"Marx?!" Magolor yelled in disbelief. He wasn't supposed to be here. He is dead. Unless…
He was dead.
…
Kirby occasionally peered out of the circular windows, as per Taranza's advice. He could at least do that. Though…
He let Hyness down. He let Marx down. And…
"Marx?!" a yell came from the control room.
"Marx…?" Kirby murmured.
"Wait, MARX?" Kirby widened his eyes. Out he was from the bed he was sitting on, and to the control room he went, where he saw a different Marx.
"Ah. Marx…"
"I thought you were gone…"
"But you're here!"
Hope began to return.
But…
[DAMAGE. DAMAGE DETECTED. DEPLOYING SHIELD DEFENSES.]
What was there is no longer the Marx they knew. A sword was pulled, and red bolts of firey flames began to shoot out from the tip.
It was a battle. A fight.
And so, Magolor turned the steering all around.
"Buckle up! We've got company!"
Andromeda, Goddess of Will
A goddess of will, and by extension, order. She doesn't get along too well with others, and will usually put her rules first and foremost to serve as a basis on how she should act.
She hates Morpho for various reasons, mainly to the amount of rule-breaking they usually do. She also hates Termina, though it was not this case in the past.
Novus is an exception to this, as they are on neutral terms.
AN: Okay, wow. I really procrastinated this one.
So, sometimes I get the urge to write. And that's fine and all, but I also get lazy sometimes. You know, games to play, schoolwork to do, and all that.
Writing is a fun thing to do, don't get me wrong, but sometimes real life gets in the way. And sometimes, I just don't have enough time. Or sometimes, I just wanted to finish that one game I've been putting off for so long.
Yeah, that's what I've been getting up to, anyways. Thanks for reading this chapter; I bid you adieu!