(Here's a fun fact I bet none of you could've forseen: Recall Luigi's nightmare at the beginning of the story? The one with King Boo? Well, that wasn't just a throwaway scene. It was a slightly altered account of Vinny's final moments before being split. The only differences being, instead of hiding in a broom closet, it was room E-001. And rather than being trapped in a painting, her soul was ripped in half. Yeah. I plan that far in advance.)
In much the same manner that the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings can grow into something as horrifying and destructive as a hurricane, so too can a kind and innocent child be corrupted into a bitter and pessimistic spirit. But thanks to their efforts tonight, they were able to save Nivyn from that abyss before she got drowned out too far. Vinny just hoped there was still time to bring the rest of her loved ones back from the brink. In the warmth and security of the lab, Luigi and the gang discussed their next move. "Given that Maxill is the one orchestrating these events, it makes sense that Mario is most likely being held in his office." E. Gadd exclaimed. "Yes, that would make sense. His office is up on the 15th floor. But getting in won't be so easy. It can only be opened by a special key card. And said card is always in the possession of my mother..." Vinny stated.
Peach scratched her head. "Isn't there some other way we can get in?" Vinny shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Every month, the floor is coated top to bottom in a lather that prevents ghosts from traveling through the walls. And the door to his office has a surprisingly high tensile strength, so breaking it down is out of the question." E. Gadd put a hand on his chin. "Hmm. Then that does leave us with only one option. We'll need to borrow that key card." He then pulled up a schematic of the building. "Thanks to you youngsters clearing up most of the hotel of ghost activity, we can narrow down our search to the remaining floors. So tell you what, why don't you two check floor 11, and we'll work our way up from there." Luigi nodded in agreement. Sounded like a plan. And though he picked up on the theme that the most powerful ghosts usually emerged at the tail end of his past spirit-hunting endeavors, he would do anything to rescue his big bro. (And this time, it wouldn't involve traversing the entire planet answering trivia questions. Blegh.)
On the elevator...
As the friendly jingle of the elevator music once again became audible, our heroes took this as their chance to know what awaited them. "Floor 11 is Egyptian themed. It was made as a funhouse of sorts, but rumor has it that it was haunted even before King Boo's half of the contract took effect. Some guests went in, and uhm... never came back out. Looking back at those incidents now, they feel like a warning for what was to come." Peach rang up on the Joyconnector. "Any idea on who was responsible?" As the elevator stopped at its destination, a slight breeze filled the air. Upon its breath, there was a few grains of sand floating in through the elevator door. "I've overheard the staff mention her once. Born to the world as Prima Chione, she was apparently the little sister of a pharaoh-to-be. But her life came to an early end in the same manner as King Tut himself."
"Which was...?" Daisy innocently asked. Vinny awkwardly looked to the side, clearing her throat. "Let's just say... ahem... 'disgusting family tradition', to put it lightly." Everyone paused curiously. "You don't wanna know." The elevator door opened, revealing a hallway lit by wall-mounted torches, and decorated with columns, pots, and pseudo hieroglyphics on the walls. All to give the illusion of ancient Egyptian architecture. Small mounds of sand built up in the corners. "Years later, her burial site ended up getting illegally bulldozed by construction workers to make space for a strip mall. And so Prima, who's disturbed spirit rebranded herself as Anubyss, apparently took refuge in this hotel to take revenge on the modern world." They ventured into the hallway. The people who built this floor did an excellent job in making it look aged. "Anyway, the Egyptians were famous for their innovative traps. So be wary of your surroundings." Vinny advised. At least they knew this beginning hallway was safe. Having traps near the entrance to a floor would just be bad for business. Walking through a door at the end of the hall, Luigi was left awestruck by what he saw. The floor was made up entirely of sand, with a single stone pathway leading up to a mini pyramid. The walls had glow in the dark paint to make it look like the night sky. "Ooh-la-la. That actually looks pretty nice." Peach commented.
Proceeding up the steps of the pyramid, they found the entrance blocked by a sphinx statue. The same one from Mario's adventures with Cappy, "What in the world...?" Vinny muttered in confusion. The sphinx's eyes then started glowing. "To access these sacred grounds, you must first prove yourselves worthy of entry. Answer my riddle correctly, and you may pass." E. Gadd couldn't help but have a question. "How did you even get here anyway? You don't appear to have any functional limbs." The sphinx paused, clearly wanting to avoid answering. "Something, something, Deus Ex Machina. Now then, are you ready?" Luigi shrugged. Probably as ready as they were gonna be. "What is Prima Chione's favorite song?" Everyone tried to uncover the answer for a moment, until Vinny stepped forward. "Mummy's, Rags, and Riches?" The sphinx's eyes glistened. "How did you know that?" Vinny shrugged. "I just guessed." The sphinx then slid out of the way. "Oh well. A right answer is a right answer. In you go." And so the duo descended into the tomb.
Inside the pyramid...
This place actually looked bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. It had the overall same feel as the rest of the floor, but it did appear less structurally stable. "Dimly lit. Of course." While creeping through, they saw a suspicious looking rug, given it was randomly there in the center of the room. "Hmm..." Vinny carefully pulled it up to reveal a hidden pressure plate. Looking at the walls, they noticed several arrow dispensers ready to fire if they were foolish enough to step on it. "You know, I can't help but think this Prima girl isn't fond of visitors." Just then, they heard a voice echo through the corridors, as the air was filled with the scent of natron. "Who daresss?" A swarm of scarab beetles flew into the room, circling the two of them like angry wasps before converging all together in one spot until they took the shape of something... someone. The insects transforming into black bandages, it was clear that Anubyss stood before them. Being a mummy, she was covered head to toe in bandages, only hers were black. She wore a purple Egyptian-style skirt, and wore a pharaoh's headdress. Her face was cloaked in a black mask, with a blank expression carved into it. Appropriate, for someone of the pharaoh's bloodline. In her hands stood a golden scepter reminiscent of the one synonymous with Jafar. Her voice was raspy, and somewhat muffled by her mask.
"So you're Anubyss. I know you hate being disturbed, but we're looking for someone and need to search the floor for them." Though they could not see her expression, they could tell she was disinterested. "Hsss...! That ridiculous contraption the fat one has... You think because my brain was flushed out my nose, that I can't see you for what you are? Filthy tourists... I will enjoy thisssss..." It wasn't so much that Luigi was fat, so much as most of Anubyss's body mass had been drained away when she was mummified. "We're not tourists, Anubyss, if no one's here we'll just-" but Anubyss cut her off. "Hrrragh! Silence, wretch... Having my rest interrupted makes me irritable... and given your intrusion is to blame, I will enjoy this very much..." She then raised her scepter, causing a beam of light to shoot out of it towards the entrance. And when it passed through, a giant stone slab came down and blocked it. "Well, I guess there's no hope for diplomacy now..." Vinny remarked, as she and Luigi took a fighting stance. Anubyss merely exhaled in boredom. "You have not earned the honor to perish at my hands. If you would seek to prove worthy, give chase. If you reach me, I might change my mind." She declared, as she transformed back into a swarm of scarab beetles. Toppling over a stone statue onto the pressure plate before flying down, deeper into the pyramid. The arrow dispensers shaking violently, as the dust gathered on them started coming loose.
(The music "Tomb Time" from Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy plays)
Vinny and Luigi ran for their lives as the volley of arrows pelted them from every direction. One arrow missed Luigi's bulbous nose by mere inches. Descending down the stairs, they heard something. Quietly moving downward, they saw a narrow walkway across a massive gorge. With several axes swinging side to side from a pendulum across said pathway. "That looks very... hurty." Daisy observed. Luigi happened to like having his head still attached to his body. But before he even took a step, Vinny put an arm out in front of him. "Let me try something..." Vinny reluctantly reached her hand out to touch one of the swinging blades. Nothing happened. "Hmm. Guess she wasn't anticipating she'd have to account for a fellow ghost with these traps." Vinny floated forward, to try and see if there was some mechanism to shut this thing off. And sure enough, there was a lever. "Sorry Anubyss, but we won't be re-enacting an Edgar Allan Poe story today." So she pulled the lever.
But instead of stopping the axes, it only made them go faster. And because the lever was so rusty, it was jammed in that spot now. "What kind of paranoid ghost puts traps on their traps!?" Luigi grimaced at the thought of going through there. "It looks like you'll have to carry Luigi around it." E. Gadd suggested. Vinny sighed. "Do I have to? My arms are still sore from last time." Luigi gazed pleadingly at her. "No, no, you're right, it's just... give me a minute." Vinny went back over and picked up Luigi, as she carefully glided him over the huge pit, most likely having spikes waiting at the bottom. But Vinny's grip was getting dangerously slippery. And halfway there, Luigi's hands slipped out of her own, and he fell. "Luigi!" She gasped, flying down after him. Luigi fell faster and faster, until... he landed in water? Swimming back up, he saw that there was a pool of water underneath that chasm. Upon seeing this, Vinny was relieved. However, that feeling was short lived for both of them when they spotted something else in the water with him: ghost crocodiles!
Luigi scurried towards the edge of the room, and out of the water. But the thing about crocodiles is that they can outswim any human. But just as one of the three scaly beasts was mid-lunge, a foot came in overhead and stomped the animal into the water. Looking up at his savior, Luigi saw a red haired woman adorn in pink. Her outfit was reminiscent of a pirate. "Sorry, snapjaw. This one's not on the menu." She offered her hand to Luigi, and pulled him out as Vinny came down to her level. "You... you're not a ghost. Who are you?" Vinny asked. The woman smirked. "Who am I? Who am I? The name's Captain Syrup." Vinny raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who?" Syrup paused with a blank expression, as if baffled by their inability to recognize her. "Captain Syrup? Queen of the seven seas? Leader of The Blacksugar Gang?" Still didn't ring any bells. "Come on, you HAVE to know me. I'm Wario's rival." Luigi then elaborated. "What do you mean he's never mentioned me even once!? Actually, you know what? It doesn't matter. After I make myself rich, that stomach on legs will have no choice but to remember me."
"I'm not even gonna ask how you managed to infiltrate the hotel undetected. What I will ask is why?" Vinny pondered. Syrup started leading them down a corridor as they chatted. "Well sweetums, I don't need to tell you how expensive the stuff in this hotel is. I thought The Bottomless Coin Sack would set me for life, but it turns out all those coins are only good in the shake dimension. Go figure. But I digress, I came here to stuff my pockets. And Anubyss's fancy shmancy golden scepter will do nicely in my collection. In fact, I know some Tutankoopa guy willing to pay top dollar for it." Vinny then got an idea. "And we need to defeat her in order to escape... Tell you what, we'll let you keep the scepter if you help us take her down." Syrup did like the sound of that. "Hmm... our interests do seem to overlap... Alright! I'm sold. Tomb raiding could be fun with a few extra hands." They then come face to face with a big door, with a mural of Anubis himself painted into it. "I'm detecting a powerful surge of supernatural energy coming from behind that door. Stay vigilant. We don't know what she's capable of." E. Gadd advised. Throwing open the door, Syrup entered the main chamber.
It was very spacious. Several torches placed around an altar of sorts in the center of the room. In the back of the room was a giant bonfire that almost reached the ceiling. Engraved in the walls were distorted looking hieroglyphics, and some skulls were carelessly discarded on the floor. Standing atop the alter, as the torches burned with purple flames was Anubyss. "Hey ugly, hate to interrupt your alone time, but it's time to join the rest of your era." Syrup taunted. Anubyss seemed unbothered by her presence. "You and I are the same, lowly peasant. Forgotten by history and tossed aside. Unlike you however, I do not humor the delusion that material wealth will change that." Syrup got out her sword. "What I do with my life is my business. And yours ended millennia ago. If you ever come back to haunt me, do me a favor and get some perfume. All that natron and tree resin does your smell no favors." Done talking, Anubyss grasped her mask and ripped it off. Revealing a hideous mess underneath. Her face looked like it was rotting away with the bandages, and the the umbral flesh. Her eyes were nothing but black, with two tiny glowing red pupils. Her voice was now monstrous, with a guttural echo to it. "AS MANKIND ONCE BURIED ME... I WILL BURY YOU."
(The music "Golden Queen Boss - Part 2" from Skylanders: Trap Team plays)
Vinny could barely look at the monster. "Geez. Ever heard of skin lotion, Prima?" Four bandages from Anubyss's back started raising out like spider legs, and aimed for the three of them. Syrup leaped up onto the head of a statue, as Luigi sucked up one of the bandages, causing Anubyss to be pulled closer to him. But deciphering what he was doing, Anubyss used the momentum to lunge at Luigi, her razor sharp purple nails ready to plunge into him. However, frightened by the rapidly approaching mummy, he flinged her overhead straight into the floor. Scuffling to her feet, Anubyss summoned her scepter to her hand to conjure up a giant snake made of bandages. Luigi began running from the behemoth, as it chased him. Anubyss was going to join the fray as well, pinpointing Luigi as the biggest threat, but Vinny divebombed on top of her and attempted to wrestle the scepter out of her hands. Seeing Luigi being terrorized by the venomous monstrosity, Syrup rusher to Luigi's aid.
She jumped onto its back, and started slashing at it. The snake hissed in pain, as Luigi saw the bonfire up ahead. Swerving to the side, the snake was too distracted to avoid the inferno. Syrup kicked off of it as it charged into the flames. "IRRITATING MAGGOTS..." Anubyss groaned, as Vinny caved her elbow into her face. But Anubyss used her scepter to flash a ray of light in her eyes, and launch her off of her. She then teleported to the bonfire, watching as her pet howled in agony in the heat. "RISE FROM THE ASHES, MY FAITHFUL SERVANT. SERVE YOUR MASTER." Upon her command, the snake unraveled as its bandages was added to her own. The shapeless mass of bandages grew bigger and bigger, until finally it took shape: a scorpion. That breathed purple fire! "What is this girl's deal with desert critters? Well, it doesn't make a difference. No one gets between Captain Syrup, and her treasure." Syrup remarked, as the three of them scattered in an attempt to locate a weakness in the scorpion. This time, Anubyss, who had merged with her creation, chose to fix its gaze on Syrup.
(The music "Yami Marik/ Yami Bakura Theme" from Yugioh: Duel Links plays)
"NOT EVEN ASHES SHALL REMAIN OF YOU, THIEF. FACE YOUR END WITH DIGNITY!" She blasted her with repeated surges of fire, and tried to snap her in two with her claws. Seeing Syrup was in trouble, Vinny and Luigi tried desperately to think of a plan. Syrup through a torch at it in an attempt to once again set the beast aflame, but the scorpion casually swatted it away. She probably wasn't gonna fall for the same trick a second time. But fortunately, that throw did light a spark in Luigi's brain. And so he quickly explained his plan to Vinny. "Um, not to sound ungrateful, but if you'd jump in any time now I'd really appreciate it." Syrup called, as the scorpion had her cornered. Going with Luigi's idea, Vinny hurled Luigi towards the monster, and as he landed on its back, he let out Gooigi, whom instantly slipped through the cracks in its bandages. "WHAT IS THIS!?" Anubyss shouted, as every part of her scorpion body was leaking with green ooze. Making it almost impossible to move her limbs. Syrup sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from her head. "Wow. Not bad, kid. Not bad."
But before Luigi could celebrate, Anubyss had one last trick up her sleeve as her stinger winded back. "IF I'M GOING DOWN... I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!" The stinger lunges down at him fast, but Syrup tackled Luigi out of harm's way. Leaving the scorpion to impale itself! The super-sized animal exploded into flames, the scepter falling out of it. And then, the flames were sucked into the scepter. It was over. Syrup walked over and picked it up, looking back at Luigi. "That'll be twice that I've saved your life now. But it's all good. I got what I came for. How ironic that she'd meet the same fate as Lucien." Peach then spoke up. "Lucien? You mean the cursed racket? How is that ironic?" Syrup twirled the scepter in her hand. "Didn't you know? Lucien was once the pharaoh's high priest. But when he began looking into the dark arts, the exposure drove him insane. The story goes he hit a zone shot so hard that it broke his opponent's rib cage. So as punishment, the pharaoh sealed him away in said racket."
Peach couldn't help but be impressed with Sugar's catalog on this stuff. "Ah. I get it now. And the people of Bask uncovered it when ancient Egypt was no longer around. Unaware of its power." Syrup then started walking towards the door. "Yep. Now why don't we get on out of this place? You wouldn't believe all the places I have sand where there shouldn't be." So they all headed back up. Syrup used the scepter to open the entrance back up. And with that, they all headed to the elevator. "So what are you gonna do now, Ms. Syrup?" E. Gadd asked. "Welp, I've say I got what I wanted from this place. Probably gonna head on back to the ship for the night and plan my next move. I hear big boy Bowser has some goodies that could use a new home." Though she didn't appreciate Syrup robbing the hotel, Vinny did value her help tonight. "Well, good luck on your future endeavors, I suppose." She said, curtsying. "Pfft. I don't need luck. But thanks for the gesture anyway. Oh! And if you see any of those blokes from Diamond City, let them know I plan to remind them who I am soon. Tata~"
And so, she went on the elevator and left. Vinny and Luigi then hopped on, hoping to continue their search. And hopefully it wouldn't involve Vinny putting even more unnecessary strain on her arms...
(Funny story, I myself completely forgot Captain Syrup existed mid-way through writing this. Good thing I remembered when I did, huh? Anyway, Anubyss's appearance was largely based off of Pharaoh Scamses from What's New Scooby-Doo. I mean, just look at the dude's face! That is messed up for a kid's show! But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it)