Episode 1 (Part 3)

Nastasia's hands swept the hedge to her right as she frantically searched for her ocular device. "Of all the things that could happen," she spat, desperate to find her glasses.

Nastasia: Yeah, not to be the evidence to the stereotype, but without my prescription lenses, I truly am as blind as a bat. I am not a happy camper at this point.

Fingers uncovering nothing but dirt, the secretary was panicking. Time was of the essence.

"There you are," she grumbled, recovering her glasses which had nestled in the nearby brush...but something was off.

Nastasia: By chance, I swept the hedge when picking up my glasses, and yeah, it was way thinner than the rest of the hedge I had been tumbling across.

Vision restored, Nastasia peered into the hedge. Through the vines, she thought she could make out what appeared to be another red pipe. "Probably just around the corner," she deducted, brushing her skirt off and assuming a walking pace.

The right path led her a significant distance from the intersection she had taken a tumble at. Expecting to turn right to reach the concealed pipe, she was surprised to receive only a left-turn option. Taking the only available path, she trudged onward.

"Dead end?" she spat, ultimately confused. "Oh, whatever!" She glared at her helmet camera, as if targeting the home viewers. At this point, she just wanted to get out.

Returning to the spill site, Nastasia prepared to head in the opposite direction before stopping in front of the peculiar shrubbery. Without hesitation, she swept her hand through the entanglement, which pushed back and made a desired pipe more visible. "K, enough taunting. How do I get to you?" she muttered to herself.

"...screw it." Deciding that all other options had been exercised, Nastasia pushed her way through the clearing, attempting to break the boundaries of the maze itself. To her surprise, this was easy to accomplish. Because this was the correct path.

"This had better be it," she sighed, running towards the pipe ahead of her. Quick transport sent her off, but to her dismay, she was still within the maze's confines. To her delight, the arch she saw in the background did not match the one at the entrance.

Twenty meters down, a left turn. Thirty meters, a right. After a third turn with no intersections or dead ends, Nastasia began to pick up the pace. Right turn. Left turn. Left turn. Suddenly, the exit appeared. Adrenaline pumping, the secretary's heels fell off as she ran to escape what felt like the minotaur.

*Click*

"Glad you could join me, Nastasia." Blue Toad emerged, smirking at an asthmatic contestant. Nastasia looked at the watch in his hand, emotionless.

"Talk to us baby!" Bandy Andy exclaimed, rushing to greet the secretary. Daggers were returned as Nastasia, accompanied by the host, rejoined to party, wiping some dirt from her forehead. The players quit conversing to pay attention.

"It has certainly been a brilliant day in Flower Fields," Blue began. "Quite breathtaking, actually. It would appear that your compatriot found the light at the end of the rose maze. Quite worthy of applause." The other players took the cue to clap, though Goombella's ovation was noticeably less.

"Half won, half lost, right?" Mamar deduced.

"Ah ah ah! Let's not forget: there was a time limit." Vinny's face sank.

"Yeah, just know I'm on a no-bad-news diet at the moment," Nastasia snapped.

Blue waved a finger audaciously. "Whatever money your 'Moles' placed on this assignment will only be earned if Nastasia exited the maze within a ten minute time frame. And I'm sorry to say, you crossed with 21 seconds remaining."

"Dang it!" Parakarry sighed, causing Dimentio to facepalm. "Wait, what?"

Ms. Mowz chuckled. "She won, dearie. It's called the art of sarcasm."

Blue addressed Nastasia. "Congratulations on your success. However, one question remains answering: just how successful was she? Because ultimately, success in this challenge is measured by the coin value Koover and Peach tacked. Shall we join them?"

"I almost forgot they even existed," Sushie trailed, migrating with the others towards the two people who would announce their ultimate fate. The players were reunited seconds later.

"Wassup guys?" Koover greeted enthusiastically. "The name's Koover; pleased to meet ya! And of course, you know her as the fabulous Princess Peach." Others laughed, but Nastasia merely rolled her eyes.

"Okay, it hasn't been that long," Goombella grinned.

The host cleared his throat. "As you all know, these two were selected by you as being suspicious enough to earn such an important role for your first mission. As such, they were isolated from the group, and not granted any means of communication. Their assignment was to determine your roles for four activities based on their limited interactions, as well as the monetary value of each task. These prices ranged between 5000, 10000, 15000 and 20000 coins, thus making your possible winnings 50000 coins altogether. The greater the confidence in your success, the higher the price tag they assigned. However, you'll only earn money for the events you were victorious in. The ones you failed earn you nothing. Shall we proceed?"

Peach nodded. "Just understand that Koover and I made what we felt were our best judgments."

"That's...doesn't sound encouraging," Pennington trailed.

"The mission commenced with Mamar, Bandy Andy, Parakarry and Vinny partaking in a luxurious paraglide from the top of Cloudy Climb. Despite apparent fears, all four of you were successful. But just how successful were they? Care to enlighten us, Koover?"

Koover bit his lip. "For the paragliders...we wagered 5000 coins."

Bandy Andy: Ouch. OUCH, man.

"Well...at least it's money," Mamar said optimistically.

"Only a tenth of wat was possible, though," Vinny mumbled.

"Any reasons for the low wager?" Blue questioned.

"It seemed like the hardest?" Peach replied, answering her own question. "I mean, it's not easy to judge what a person might be afraid solely based on their looks. And we had to choose four people as opposed to just one."

"Very well. There's still money to be earned however! In the second test, Ms. Mowz, Dimentio and Sushie descended the Sun Tower via rappel. Unfortunately, they got a bit tangled up in the process, and did not finish within the time limit. Did your 'Moles' bet it big or stake it small?"

Koover's frown did a 180. "Ten thousand coins."

Sushie sighed with relief. "Phew! At least it's something small!"

"But we lost. We could have earned that ten thousand coins had you abseiled in time," Dimentio scoffed.

"Give it up. It was a three-way street," Ms. Mowz reminded. Dimentio turned a shoulder to look at Blue.

"So far, you have earned 5000 coins and lost 10000. The two remaining amounts are 15000 and 20000. But did Peach and Koover associate that number with Goombella's and Pennington's troubles with puzzles, or with Nastasia's labyrinth achievement? Can I hear a drumroll?" The group crossed their fingers in hopes of more money.

"No use making it suspenseful," Koover stated. "Unfortunately, the puzzle was worth 20, and the maze 15."

"Darn," Goombella said with disappointment. "But it is what it is, I suppose."

"What it is is a letdown," Nastasia declared, crossing her arms. "Hmph."

"Again, we did our best," Peach said, shrugging her shoulders in dismay. "And hey, it's still money!"

Blue addressed the group. "So, because Nastasia completed her task, you won 15000 coins plus the paragliders' 5000, thus making your earnings 20000 coins overall. After your first mission, the group pot stands at a wholesome 20000. Congrats!" Reminded of the game itself, the players applauded their triumphs. One of them, of course, was clapping for a personal success - triumphing in terms of sabotage.

Commencing Countdown Results

20000c/50000c

Team Pot

20000c/50000c

"W-wow," Parakarry stuttered, stepping back from the others for a moment. Pennington raised an eyebrow.

"Something you'd like to share with the crowd?" the detective questioned.

Parakarry shook his head. "It just feels so surreal, y'know? Already, one of us has earned twenty thousand coins in the course of a few hours. That alone is a lot of money!"

"The dude's right," Bandy Andy assured. "The twelve of us...we're playing in the major leagues now!" The others couldn't help but agree with him.

"So, what happens now?" Koover asked. "Are we playing another mission? Running through a maze of Ninjakoopas? Skydiving without a parachute?"

Blue shook his head. "Something more exciting: interviews." He gestured the players towards several producers and cameramen at the end of a flowerbed path. Everyone had a lot to talk about as the sun began to set on Flower Fields.

Mamar: Day One of The Mole, and things are off to an interesting start, as per expected. A lot has happened already, and a lot is yet to come. Already I have a lot of unanswered questions: did the Mole act in the first mission? Did the Mole cause us to lose money? And better yet: just who is the Mole?

Goombella: It's good to have suspects, and my eyes are already looking at Pennington. He wasted soooo much time 'trying' to figure out how the puzzle functioned, which basically involved stupid conjectures. Turns out, there WAS a guide, and it would be impossible to solve it without the Lakitu clouds. So yeah, I've got good reason to be a bit leery.

Vinny: I don't think da Mole would act so boldly da first episode. Dis chump's undercover, no? So why would dey want unmask their identity on da first day? Dat doesn't make sense ta me.

Bandy Andy: Was the Mole present in the first mission? Heck yeah! You can't just say that we lost 30000 coins on our own accord alone. That is a buttload of money, and there's no reason the Mole wouldn't want to take credit for it.

Parakarry: Since my assignment delegated myself with three other people, I'm of course looking at those three people. Sure, we won, but we only won 5000 coins, which would give the Mole a reason not to sabotage. Not to say there wasn't sabotage. Was Vinny trying to discourage us from jumping? Was there a reason behind Mamar's insistence in going first? Did Bandy Andy purposely leave me alone to convince Vinny to paraglide? So many questions!

Sushie: What a day indeed! I certainly took a bruising, but even though I didn't finish in time, it was most definitely worth accomplishing! Maybe this game will show just how much of a kick in the flipper I still have?

Pennington: Our event cost 20000 coins, so obviously it was expected of Goombella and myself to be successful. As should have been our destiny! I was certain that her collegiate cleverness, along with my improbably large brain, would have been able to solve that puzzle within the time allotted, but she kept making thoughtless actions throughout! I daresay, I'll be raising my magnifying glass at her for now.

Dimentio: Ridiculous! There's no reason why we should have failed the rappel. None at all! Sushie's entanglement with the ropes cost us time, enough time that factored in would have allowed us the win. Don't undermine her possibilities of being the traitor simply because she's a grandcheep. There's more story to be told than the title page.

Ms. Mowz: Obviously, the moment when Sushie got stuck is undoubtedly the moment in question. While all eyes are on her, I have to ask myself: would this Mole person want to attract so much attention? That leaves only two others who had touched the rope prior: myself, who is not the Mole, and Dimentio, who just so conveniently had difficulties in unharnessing himself...

Nastasia: The maze? No comment. All I have to say is that, even though I won money, I was still a ridiculous choice. So while everyone's hammering the players who lost their tests, they're overlooking the two people who gave them those roles: Peach and Koover.

Peach: I'm a little disappointed with the results of the first mission, but I don't believe Koover or myself could have done anything more than we did. Is it possible that he's the Mole, though?

Koover: 20000 gained, but 30000 out the window...I don't blame Peach at all, because it was nearly impossible to know just how successful our decisions would be. If that's the case, then the Mole is one of the remaining players that I've spent all of fifteen minutes with at this point! Boy, this game's a thriller. Either I pinpoint the Mole, or face the music and rot like a corpse. Game on indeed...

A summertime sunset greeted the players as they were led to their first dinner together. Two tables had been positioned next to each other beneath the crystal tree in Posie's Garden. The crystalized shards reflected the warm colors of the sunset, and the glistening shade boasted a serene atmosphere for the meal.

"Oh, um, thank you," Peach said to Parakarry, who had politely pulled out her chair for her. The Paratroopa smiled and took the seat to her right.

Pennington adjusted his napkin. "Well, even if this isn't a five-star restaurant, I must confess our location is nothing short of spectacular!" Across the table, Bandy Andy was using one of the crystals above him to examine his teeth.

"...er, m'bad," Bandy Andy pardoned, leaning back in his seat sheepishly. Dimentio just shook his head in ridicule.

"So where's Blue?" Ms. Mowz asked, observing the Toad's absence. "I figured the handsome devil would join us, no?"

"Surprise!" Mamar gasped, knocking her fork in Vinny's lap. The host laughed his way towards the players, appearing from behind the crystal tree and taking a seat at the head of the table.

"Um...I believe dis is yours..." Vinny said, handing the utensil to a blushing Star Spirit.

"Honestly, if you want us to like you, you're going to have to be more courteous about your entrances," Dimentio said in amusement.

"Ah, but that takes all the fun out of it!" Blue pouted, sparking a few laughs. "But enough about me. I hope your belly-gorging banquet is to your satisfaction. Today has been one of excitement and exhaustion for each of you, but your past few hours together are only a sneak peek of the game ahead."

"It's certainly been surreal," Sushie began. "Especially for me personally. Considering my age and isolated residence, prior adventures with babysitting Yoshis or smashing open coconuts hardly even compare to an experience like this."

"Ain't that the truth," Koover agreed. "Coming from such a small village is definitely peaceful, but there's so much more to the world than just my backyard!"

Vinny: Being a part of ta syndicate, there's a lot of info ta be kept on ta down-low. I was surprised dat so many of my fellow players at dinner were so quick to explain their whole life story. I mean, in a game like dis, the less is known about you, ta better, no?

Blue set down a glass of wine. "I guarantee that the days ahead will offer the same, if not greater levels of excitement and exhaustion, but I cannot guarantee that all of will get that opportunity. But let's not overwhelm the horizon with rainclouds. We have some important business to attend to first." Reaching beneath his seat, the host withdrew a stack of green notebooks. A familiar thumbprint skirted the cover of each.

Bandy Andy grabbed one from the top of the stack. In the upper-right hand corner was a number: 1.

"Are these-"

"Journals? Yes," Blue finished, promptly offering the remaining eleven to the fighter. "Take the one off the top and pass them down, if you'd please. These journals are yours to keep throughout the duration of the game. You may do with them as you see fit: collect your thoughts, remember your suspicions, calculate suspects, or simply let off some steam. It'd be in your best interest to keep these personal, as they could prove to be a useful tool down the road." Nodding, the fighter handed the remaining journals left to Koover, who took number 2 and passed them along.

"Things just got intense again," Parakarry observed. Ms. Mowz, who had taken journal 3, handed him number 4, to which he passed the stack to Peach, who took number 5.

"Of course it's intense," Goombella said, accepting number 6 from Peach. "What's not to be intense with a Mole on the loose?" She extended the journals to Nastasia, who, after a moment of awkward tension, reached across the table and took journal 7.

After taking number 8, Vinny handed the journals to Mamar, who took 9. Finishing the stack, Ms. Mowz received 10, Pennington 11, and Dimentio with 12.

Mamar compared the number on her journal with her own, suspicious. "So, what's the significance of having 9 as opposed to 8, Blue? If it didn't truly matter, you wouldn't have had us specifically take the next numerically, no?"

"Perhaps they'll signify what place we get in the game!" Bandy Andy said with a grin, showing off his primary journal pridefully. Pennington frowned, having received a much lower number.

"Or perhaps it's just a ranking for who is more full of themselves," Nastasia smirked. "Or perhaps 7 makes me the luckiest."

"Or, perhaps, they'll play a part of our next mission?" Peach turned to the host for an answer, but Blue merely chuckled.

"I'll confess, it's rather amusing listening to your juvenile deductions over the simplest of matters. After all, it's only the beginning." At that moment, he stood up. "However, if you want your standing in this game to hold higher value than your journal, then heed my advice. The moment you let paranoia control you, yes, that's the moment the Mole has succeeded." With that aphorism completed, Blue left the players to finish digesting their meals, as well as their thoughts.

Evening soon turned to nightfall. The players were led back to the Wise Wisterwood that had welcomed them into Flower Fields. Despite a day of countless questions, one inquiry reigned supreme at the moment:

"So, where are we sleeping?" Vinny asked, glancing at the hour on his watch.

"Why, under the stars, of course!" Blue unexpectedly tossed a tent bag in his direction, which Vinny caught, puzzled.

"Camping? After a day as grueling as this one, I had hoped for a nice, comfy mattress," Peach sighed, disappointed but determined to make the best of it.

"In those bags, you'll find all the essentials necessary for a night of camping," Blue explained. "Furthermore, your personal duffel bags are piled behind me, along with sleeping bags."

"Might as well get started before it gets dark," Sushie said, reaching for her own bag before the host abruptly intervened.

"My apologies, but I'd almost forgotten to inform you of your tentmates!" A few groans were exchanged among the players as they listened. "Sushie, you and Peach will be sharing a tent for the evening." Both Peach and Sushie appeared satisfied as the host handed them a bag.

"I guess this will be a new experience for the both of us," Peach said. The two ladies laughed as they departed the group for the evening.

"Tent 2," Blue continued, "Will belong to both Pennington and Vinny."

Pennington chuckled. "I'm not sure who's idea it was to house the two largest fellows in the same tent, but this defense just wants to rest, your Honor." Vinny didn't appear to share the same amusement.

Blue tossed a third tent in Mamar's direction. "You will be sharing with Nastasia." Neither of the two girls said anything.

"And this one will be for Dimentio and...Parakarry." Parakarry reached out to catch the incoming bag, but failed.

"Smooth," Dimentio whistled, picking it up himself and heading out. The remaining four faced the host.

"I guess this means we'll get to spend another adventure together," Goombella said to Ms. Mowz.

"As you may have guessed, that leaves the fifth tent for the two lasses, and the final tent to the sirs," Blue finished, giving each pair their tent bag. "With that said, I'd get started. I'd want to get settled quickly if I were in your shoes. But fortunately for me, I'm not in you shoes. Sleep tight!" The toad suddenly lit a flashlight and headed for a production vehicle, clearly with other sleeping arrangements in mind.

Ms. Mowz grinned. "My my, he truly is a little devil. Well, that's for a different time. Sweet dreams, gentlemen!"

"See ya in the morning," Koover said. He handed Bandy Andy his bag. "See anywhere that looks good to you?"

"Anywhere that gives me a break from this Mole business," the fighter chuckled, grabbing his bag and walking towards the location the other players had generally migrated to. Their first day of the Mole was coming to an eventful close.

Tent 1

"So...any chance this thing came with a manual?" Peach asked, spilling the contents of their bag on the ground. Tent, poles, pegs and rain fly. But no manual.

"I'll be honest, despite living in a tropical locale, I feel really inept at the moment," Sushie said, grabbing one of the poles in her fin with curiosity. "Maybe we can get some of the boys to help us damsels in distress."

"Please, that's one label I'm already trying to get rid of," the princess said, grabbing the other pole in determination. As she stared at the furled tent, another thought popped in her head.

"Would you be opposed to filling me in on some of the details of what happened in the mission today? I mean, from your perspective. I could only watch what was happening from a difference, which offered pretty limited observation." The Cheep Cheep paused to look up at the interrogative princess.

Sushie: I feel like there are a few players that the group would underestimate, myself being one of them. What an opportune repertoire for the Mole to assume, no?

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she began, setting aside the entanglement of poles. "Actually, I'd like to ask you a question first. What made you decide that I was a suitable candidate for the rappel this morning? Not to undermine myself, but I think my performance shows that I was not the optimal choice."

Peach grinned hesitantly, recalling the earlier scene in her head. "Well, not to undermine myself, but people don't realize just how difficult our portion of the challenge was. Our logic was that the challenges with fewer people seemed easier to complete than the challenges with more. Plus, we only had to trust in the abilities of one or two people as opposed to three or four, you know? That's why we only placed 10000 towards your task."

"Well, I can respect that reasoning," Sushie stated. "Notice anything unusual from your partner's behavior?" At this point, the two had given up on their tent construction for sake of discussion.

"You mean Koover? I don't think he did anything that really caught my eye. We were in mutual agreement about all of our decisions. Perhaps he was agreeing with me because he knew my choices were faulty...goodness, I still apologize for making you go through that today."

Sushie chuckled. "Don't fret it any. Looking back at it now, I suppose rappelling was a fun experience, even if I had so much difficulty with it."

Peach nodded, reaching subtly for your journal. "Not to be invasive, but do you know why you may have struggled as much as you did?" Sushie closed her eyes in concentration.

"Hm...aside from my floundering, no pun intended, at one point about halfway down the tower the cords refused to budge. I tried to shake it loose, but the rope was tightly tangled, like someone before me had tampered with it."

"Wait, so you're suggesting that somebody before you sabotaged it?"

"I'm just offering food for thought," Sushie implicated, observing the princess scribble down this information in her journal. "And although I was atop the tower for the duration prior, I did notice a cluster gather around Dimentio as he was unharnessing himself. Any one of them could have done something."

After adding these latest details, Peach closed her journal. "Well, thank you for sharing. Every bit helps, especially for the first quiz. And speaking of help, perhaps we should go seek some." The females looked at their pitiful attempt to pitch a tent and laughed as they left to seek the services of their fellow players.

Tent 2

"Date of birth?" Vinny watched his interrogator turn to a fresh page in his journal, whose contents were rapidly being filled by the detective's slapdash handwriting. The Pianta only shrugged in response, zoning the Bumpty out in favor of pitching their tent. "Oh come on, it's the least you can do to help a gent out!"

"Uh, ditto?" Vinny snapped back. In his defense, Pennington's focus over the previous minutes had been more directed towards note-taking than towards their sleeping arrangements.

The detective sighed, reluctantly pushing his journal aside. "My apologies. I guess it's just in my nature to want to know as much as possible. Although you might consider following my example in a game as precarious as this one."

Vinny chuckled lightly. "I've got my own strategy, but tanks for da offer, though." With poles in place, he proceeded to hoist the tent, knocking off Pennington's journal in the process. "Dude, why have you written so much down already? It's only da first day and you've already used up like a third of da pages in here. Don't you want to conserve them for later in da game?"

Pennington glared at the bodyguard, quickly snatching back his journal. "My notes are not privy to your investigations, I'm afraid. Besides, it's essential to gather information about everything in this game. Even the smallest details could be crucial in discovering the Mole."

"And what happens when you run out of pages?"

Pennington beamed. "Then I simply put what I need to know to memory! I am renowned by my colleagues as 'The Penguin with the Incredibly Large Brain', you know."

"More like Incredibly Large Ego," Vinny muttered under his breath. Pennington looked curious but didn't bother prying into it.

"Well, even if my pages are limited, I would recommend taking a page out of my own book," the detective said smugly. "Perception is essential in a game like this. Otherwise, you might find yourself encountering an early departure."

Pennington: Although looking at potential acts of sabotage by the Mole is important, I find that there might be greater value in focusing on their behavior rather than solely their actions. Even the greatest of actors can only put up their façade for so long before they're bound to slip up. And when they do, I plan on noticing it.

Vinny continued to hammer away at a tent stake, not bothering to face Pennington. "Ya know, you talk awfully big for one so small. Take it from my book: I guarantee you won't make it far with dat arrogance."

"Trust me, I've read books like yours. The binding's tough and the cover robust, but they only serve to conceal the pages inside. Pages that are much more fragile and susceptible to tear, no?" Without warning, Vinny dropped the rock he had been using on the stake. "Sounds to me like the story in the life of a Mole."

Vinny stood up, brushing off his jacket sleeve. "Dat's for you to figure out in the later chapters-should you make it past da prologue, dat is."

Tent 3

"And with that...I think we're done!" Mamar cheered as she snapped the rain fly into place. Secure about her shelter for the night, she sighed triumphantly. "So, have you ever been camping before?"

Her tentmate Nastasia swiftly unzipped the tent flap and proceeded to roll out the red sleeping bag she had been given. "Yeah, today's been pretty tiresome. I'm sure you wouldn't reject my proposal to spend this time getting some much needed shut-eye, no?"

Mamar frowned, entering in afterwards with her own red sleeping bag. "Just trying to make conversation. It wouldn't hurt to talk about some of the events that occurred today either. It'd be to your benefit just as much as it would be to mine."

"Granted, but with no guarantee that you're trustworthy, I'd feel more at rest actually getting rest. Sweet dreams!" The secretary shut off the flashlight she had been holding and turned over in her sleeping bag. Mamar bit her lip, perplexed by these impulsive actions. She shrugged, turning her flashlight away from her tentmate so as not to disturb her as she opened her journal to write down information.

"Once." The Star Spirit turned, surprised to have received an answer. "I've been camping once. Didn't last long: discovered I had a peanut allergy after eating some trail mix. Haven't been since."

Mamar: I'd consider myself a fairly reserved person, perhaps naïve, but in this game that's a dangerous trait to be carrying around. The ones who don't let on much about themselves...those are the ones to be wary of.

"Yikes. That sounds...unpleasant," Mamar responded as she increased the brightness settings of her flashlight to illuminate the tent. "I suppose tonight marks my first time. Well, camping in a tent at least."

"Enough chit chat. I'm not in the mood to stay up for much longer," Nastasia warned, ushering the conversation onward.

"Um, in that case, I guess I'll go first," Mamar proceeded, flipping to an earlier page in her journal. "Key moments of interest are the groups that directly cost us money today, being the rappelling team and the puzzle team. The puzzle group is more noticeable because they cost more money, so I guess I'm currently looking at either Pennington or Goombella."

"But don't forget," Nastasia added, "that those money amounts were decided by today's "Moles", so they too cost us."

"True, but if you were the Mole, and you suddenly discovered that the group had early suspicions of you, why would you try to entertain those suspicions? I figure the Mole would want to deflect the spotlight onto somebody else early on. I mean, actually being called out as 'Mole' is pretty substantial, wouldn't you agree?"

Nastasia pondered over this for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Let's get to the chase. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to take the quiz right now, who would you be gunning for?"

"Well, thank heavens we aren't, because I don't know where to begin," Mamar laughed nervously. "Between the puzzle solvers, I'd say Goombella, because I can sense that she's genuinely smart. But then again, whenever Pennington talks, it feels really calculated. As for the paraglide, I think Vinny may have been trying to discourage us from going, though I'm not sure if that's just because he was legitimately afraid or not. What about you?" Instead of a response, however, Nastasia turned away from her and pulled the sleeping bag back over her head.

"Yeah, I believe I'm at liberty to keep my mouth shut," Nastasia smirked. "But thanks for sharing anyway."

"But you have to tell me," Mamar protested. "I mean, I shared my suspicions with you, didn't I?"

"Yes, and I'm truly grateful. But that was of your own choice, and alas, I've made my own." Mamar sat in awe as the secretary removed her glasses and prepared to doze off. After waiting unresponsively a few moments, the Star Spirit simply shook her head and shut off her flashlight for the night.

Tent 4

"This game," Dimentio pontificated, "is like one giant chessboard, controlled by a grand master."

Parakarry yawned as he unzipped his blue sleeping bag. "That's...an interesting analogy to make. And awfully poetic. Heck, who talks like that?"

"Ignoring that. You see, each of us-the players-represent different pieces." Dimentio tore out a page from his journal for his design. "The king is the pot, obviously, as that's what we as a group are trying to guard. Then we have our pawns-the weaker players who fail to realize that they are being deceived by a brilliant mastermind. As such, they meet their fate early and are removed from the board. I caution you because, from basic observations, I envision that you might be one of them."

"Hey! I...I resent that!" Parakarry stammered. The magician merely shrugged at the mailman's fuming.

Parakarry: Where does he think he can come off from, calling me weak on the first day of all things? I mean, yeah, I'm feeling pretty clueless as to who the Mole is, but so is everybody else! I mean, hello? It's the first day for crying out loud: nobody should be feeling that confident.

"I'm not saying you are or you aren't. I'm just warning you that you're playing against knights in bishops."

Parakarry scoffed. "And I suppose you consider yourself to be the so-called grand master at solving this mystery then?" To his alarm, Dimentio burst out laughing.

"Of course not. I believe that position has already been taken by this game's saboteur. Unless you're accusing me of being the Mole, that is."

"I'm not accusin-er..."

"And that hesitation confirms it," Dimentio stated with a grin. "Heed my advice: if you want to last long in this game, you have to respect the game and its architect. This isn't child's play, after all."

Parakarry grumbled in annoyance at his tentmate's coolheadedness. "Okay then hotshot. If you're feeling so confident about your faring in this game, who do you propose the grand master is?"

The magician flipped open his journal with a peculiar fluidity. "Depends on which angle you approach it from. What piece would the Mole choose to play on the first turn? Would they risk major sabotage or play it safer? In the end, 30000 coins were blown today, and there's definitely a Mole to thank for it." He bit on his pen cap for a moment as he thought about what to say next.

"Ms. Mowz," Dimentio stated bluntly. "Or Mamar. But which one do you go with?"

Parakarry considered this as he scribbled in his journal, but after a few seconds broke into a frustrated chuckle. "See, but I can't even be sure if you're being straightforward with me or trying to screw me over."

Dimentio smiled as he sank back down into his sleeping bag. "And that thought right there is how you separate yourself from the pawns."

Tent 5

"So there's no denying that Pennington was shady during the puzzle today," Goombella began, addressing her tentmate as she recited her recorded notes.

Ms. Mowz: We were up pretty late that first night discussing just about everything. I mean, Goombella was eager for a sounding board, and I'm not one to disappoint. And soon, I was extracting information from her without much effort on my part, mmm hmm hmm!

Ms. Mowz nodded cautiously. "I think you're looking at him too closely, dearie. Obviously you saw more than the rest of us since you participated in the game with him, but it might be wiser to avoid looking at it with tunnel vision, no?"

"Wanna just run through some of our suspects and evaluate them?" Goombella suggested. "Here, I'll dig deeper on Pennington. Tried dissuading searching for a guide to the puzzle, handled the situation a bit chaotically, which essentially flustered us. That might just be the competitive spirit in me suspecting him, but it did seem odd."

"No no, it's certainly understandable," Ms. Mowz agreed as she wrote in her journal. "I look at the sabotage that went on in my own game and am left scratching my chin in consideration of foul play. You have Sushie, clearly out of her element with the rappel, but you also have Dimentio, who cost precious time when he got tangled up with the ropes after he had finished."

"And how close was Sushie to finishing? It was something close to a minute, wasn't it?" Goombella reaffirmed through Ms. Mowz, though a bit loudly.

"Shh!" Ms. Mowz silenced. She paused before peeking outside of her tent. The five tents around them appeared to have the lights out. "Maybe we ought to be a bit quieter. Wouldn't want to let any vital information leave this tent, now would we?" Goombella smiled, a bit ruefully.

"Basically," Ms. Mowz continued, "if the Mole were in my group, they simply had to waste only a minute of time in order for us to lose the 10000 coins. Not hard to do in my opinion."

The Goomba took a moment to pencil these facts into her journal. "All definite possibilities. But I also wonder if the Mole didn't sabotage. Or perhaps they failed to do so? It's not like they've necessarily had experience, you know."

"So are you suggesting that the Mole may have been a paraglider?" Ms. Mowz asked, to which Goombella nodded. "Well, it makes sense. The game only cost 5000 coins after all, so if they had failed, it wouldn't have been a significant blow to the pot. Why not use that opportunity to build trust by succeeding when it wasn't even much of a success?"

"Out of those four, I would say...Andy," Goombella reasoned, "because he seems really enthusiastic about the game. And I can't tell if he's fudging it or not."

"Perhaps it's Nastasia? I mean, all the spotlight was on her during her task, so if she were to have failed, it's not like she could have shifted the blame elsewhere."

Goombella groaned. "Ug, I hope that's not the case. But wait...we're also forgetting that the Mole may have been...a mole?" Neither of them had the answer.

Ms. Mowz chuckled to herself before shutting off the flashlight. "Numerous possibilities...yet only one solution."

Tent 6

"Wow! That's a pretty ambitious career path," Koover noted, recording the information in his journal. The fighter grinned pridefully as he readjusted himself in his black sleeping bag. "How long have you been at the Glitz Pit?"

"Well, it's not as lucrative as you're probably thinking," Bandy Andy explained. "I've been there for about two years now, but I'm still stuck in the Minor Leagues trying to fight my way up to the top. Legends like the Rawk Hawk or Prince Mush have been in the ring almost their whole lives, yet are still some of the greatest to compete."

"Hey, don't be downsizing yourself. That's still quite the achievement, especially for someone as young as you are." Koover let out a reminiscent sigh. "Dude, I'm so jealous. You got to go paragliding today. I just got to watch."

"Haha, I guess I ought to thank you for giving me that experience...Mole," Bandy Andy teased. The tentmates shared a laugh before stopping suddenly, as if a draft had blown into their tent reminding them of their true game.

"I might be shooting myself in the foot for saying this," Koover began, "but at the moment I feel as though I can trust you compared to some of the others. It might just be that I see a lot of myself in you when I was about ten years younger, but my gut isn't setting off any warning sirens."

Bandy Andy raised an eyebrow, cautious about Koover's antics. "So, are you implying that you're wanting to form a coalition with me?"

"Perhaps...coalition is too strong of a word. For now," Koover explained. "What I'm saying is I think it wouldn't hurt to have a second set of eyes and ears. Obviously, it'd be up to you to judge whether the information I give you is candid and vice versa, but hey, the more you know, right?"

"The more you know, the more you know you don't know. I know how that quote's finished," Bandy Andy corrected.

"Well darn, there goes my sales pitch," said Koover lightheartedly. Bandy Andy laughed as Koover mimicked shooting himself in the head.

Koover: It's no doubt a risky strategy when the game's motto is trust no one, but the way I see it, only one person is the Mole. That leaves ten genuine players who aren't trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I'm a trusting guy as it is already, so by impulse I want to be able place my faith in someone. It's a social game, after all: recluses have a harder time in my opinion. And though there's nothing to prevent someone from attempting to deceive me, what's to say I can't rebound it back at them?

Bandy Andy stared at his tentmate, pondering his decision. "Know what...I agree with everything you've said. So you have yourself a deal. Shake on it?" Koover nodded, offering his hand to Bandy Andy, who grasped it firmly.

"In that case, if we have a mission tomorrow, I think we should try to be in different groups, if possible," Koover suggested. "That way we can cover more ground in our observations of the others."

"But who do you suggest we try to focus on?" Bandy Andy asked. "Personally, I'm a bit leery of Vinny after paragliding with him today. What were your thoughts about working with Peach?"

Koover stroked his chin. "I'm a bit questionable about her. It's possible she made some questionable actions. Perhaps we should switch perspectives in the next game: I could focus on Vinny while you pay attention to Peach's actions."

The Bandit nodded in agreement. "Well," he said, laying back down in his sleeping bag, "looks like we have a lot to take into consideration tomorrow. Guess we'll have to wait and see. Good night, sleep tight...and don't let the Mole bite." Koover chuckled lightly as he shut off the flashlight and closed the tent flap for the night. The moon could be seen peering out from behind the Wise Wisterwood's leafy branches. The first coalition of the game had been made.

Bandy Andy: Truthfully, I'm still all about playing this game for myself here. Do I feel like I can trust Koover? Heck no! To me, it's about winning, and if I have to make a deal with the devil to get one step closer, you can be certain that I will.

DAY 2 7:00 AM

LOCATION: FLOWER FIELDS

Beams of sunlight rose from above the petunia patches on the eastern horizon. The rays slowly lit up the makeshift campsite the players had slept at the night before, signalling the start of the second day.

Peach was the first to emerge from her tent. She yawned as she passed her fingers through her noticeable bedhead. The politician smirked as she headed to her bag in search of a much needed brush.

Peach: Camping on the first night was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It helped that the flowers here offer a lot of support from the ground, alleviating any discomfort. Nevertheless, I feel like I hardly slept last night. My mind was moving a mile a minute, just thinking about this game.

"I see you're up as well," Dimentio addressed as he zipped his tent flap shut. "Not like it's easy to stay asleep when one's olfactory nerves drag them from their slumber." Peach followed the direction of his index finger, which was pointing at a pair of picnic tables less than fifty yards from the tents. On them were twelve placeholders, as well as a set of buffet servers containing various breakfast items: danishes, sausage, eggs and orange juice.

"I don't recall those being there when were setting up camp last night," Peach observed, sitting down at one of the benches. "Well, breakfast is breakfast. No complaints about how it appeared."

"Did someone mention breakfast?" Vinny asked, having also detected the odor of food as distinct from the flora surrounding them. "Good! I feel like I could eat da wings off a jumbo jet!"

"And somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if you did," Dimentio smirked as he filled up his breakfast plate.

"Well, one day in, and I can already mark one thing off of my bucket list," Peach stated pridefully. "Pitched my first tent. I know; you're all mighty proud of me."

"Not to be Johnny Raincloud, but you did need some rescuing by yours truly," came a voice from behind her. Parakarry winked reassuringly as he sat down at the table.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the remaining players progressed from their tents to the breakfast provided. Nastasia removed her glasses to rub her eyes. "Yeah, just a head's up, but I'm probably gonna be a bit grouchy this morning. My sleeping bag did not warm up at all last night," she cautioned.

Goombella grinned. "No worries: I think we were prepared to embrace that possibility." Nastasia rolled her eyes as she took another bite of her pastry.

Goombella: I don't know...I think we're just two conflicting personalities. Of course, being the Type A that I am, I admit that I'm a contributor to that tension. Partially, at least.

"Well, you wouldn't be the only one," Koover admitted. "After all that's happened just after the day, I feel like I might go into an adrenaline withdrawal! An insomniac's worst nightmare."

Bandy Andy began snickering lightly. "What didn't help was your spontaneous snoring sessions throughout the night. Almost reminded me of the crowds at the Pit!"

Koover dropped his fork in alarm. "Wait, did I really? Damn...my wife wasn't kidding..." The other players laughed at the expense of their comrade as the Koopa sank into his shell, clearly humiliated.

Koover: I'm telling you, its gotta be the flowers! Sure, there's a good amount where I live, but it's just allergies! I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who suffers! Boy, talk embarrassing...

Sushie set down her glass of orange juice. "Just watch, Blue's probably going to pop out of nowhere like he always does."

"Aw, that spoils the surprise." As if Sushie's line had been his cue, Blue could be seen walking towards the picnic tables.

Mamar sighed in relief. "Thankfully I was more prepared that time than I was at dinner last night..."

"I assume that each of you have fared well with our makeshift bed & breakfast, no?" Blue questioned.

"Oh, it was the most excellent of accommodations," Pennington exaggerated. "Five-star quality. Give my regards to the manager."

Ms. Mowz batted her eyes. "It wasn't that unbearable, sweetums. But enough with this prattling: you didn't come over here just to be cordial, did you?"

The host chuckled. "Of course I did! I find it rather courteous of me to inform you about about a mission you will be participating in later, no?" Upon hearing this, the players silenced their table talk to focus on the host.

"Although today's mission will be taking place later, I'll need for you to determine what your roles will be. I need two people who understand the aim of the game, two people to whom time is their enemy, and two people who, well, don't have a clue."

"I'll take the time group," Dimentio volunteered before the others had an opportunity to give their say.

"Whoa whoa, let's make this a mutual decision," Parakarry cautioned.

Dimentio: I see no fault in exhibiting haste when determining what roles want for the upcoming mission. It's basic algebra: if you desire it, you secure it by being the first. Simple as that, wouldn't you agree?

Vinny: Maybe he was adamant about being in dat group because he knew it would be da easiest to sabotage? I dunno, I just found it a bit...odd.

Nastasia shrugged. "I have no objections to him wanting that job, so go right ahead."

"We should try to figure out what the groups mean before we rush a decision, though," Mamar advised. "Time is their enemy...what do we propose that could mean?"

"In that case...maybe Sushie or Pennington should do it," Bandy Andy suggested. Sushie appeared to have taken offense.

"Something you're trying to imply, sonny?" Pennington inquired, raising an eyebrow in response. "Well, not like I disagree. Time refuses to get agree with this back of mine, that's affirmative."

Sushie raised her fin. "I suppose I'm one without a clue," she offered. "If you need proof, just look at my performance on the ropes yesterday!"

"So Sushie will be the one without a clue. Does anybody wish to join her?" Mamar asked. Nobody responded. "Okay, I guess I'll nominate myself, since I don't have a clue as to who else will!"

"Now we just need two people for the aiming one," Ms. Mowz established. "Any takers?"

"I'll go for it," Peach proposed. "I suppose I have a fairly decent aim. I mean, I've pitched in baseball games before, so it shouldn't be much of a problem for me."

"But the question is, do they mean aim literally or in context?" Goombella rationalized.

Koover nudged Bandy Andy's shoulder. "Well, if it's to be taken literally, I nominate Andy. Considering he's a professional fighter, I'm pretty sure he'd need aim in order compete well, no?"

"I would nominate Andy as well," Pennington seconded. "And Peach. I feel confident with both choices."

"Well, if the team's chosen me, I guess I gotta represent!" Bandy Andy announced, flashing a peace sign.

"So would anyone wish to clarify the roles for me?" the host requested.

"It sounds like Peach and Bandy Andy will be da aimers, Pennington and Dimentio da time one, and Mamar and Sushie wit'out a clue," Vinny concluded.

Blue nodded in confirmation. "Very well. You won't discover what your roles signify until later, so until then, feel free to finish your fine dining and I'll leave you be." As he left the breakfast tables, the players returned to their meal, though in their heads each of them began conceptualizing what their choices would entail. Except for the Mole, who, while finishing the remains of their breakfast, simply checked over their to-do list for the day.

And undermining the other eleven was circled at the very top.

AH SNAP!...actually, that wasn't really a cliffhanger. More like a plateau of player development. But hey, it's an update!

And even though the previous reviews were all written within the past two and a half years, I've decided I'm still going to reply to them! I value your comments like Energizer batteries: they keep me going. :)

PRINCESS TOADY (1): Thank you for your comments! Glad to hear that you like the cast I selected. But yeah, I do agree with you about the SPM characters. They're dandy, but just can't be compared to the brilliance of the first two games. Though at the same time, compared to the lacking atrocity that was Sticker Star, they're practically raised to sainthood. :P I'll probably add future polls only before execution chapters to allow more time for thought. Hopefully that won't be a ridiculous amount of time...

CHAMP 15: Mole Hunter for the win! You say you don't like Pennington? RUDIMENTARY! I appreciate your confidence in my clue-hiding ability, but I think my biggest fear is that everybody will solve them and I'll in essence fail as the writer. But I've done my best, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled! As for the cast, I tried to come up with as diverse a group as I could, hence the inclusion of the different species. Developing personalities is probably more important than designing the Mole, after all. Thank you for sharing your suspicions! (Even though my second update wasn't soon...nor was this one :P)

LEONPIANTA: It's the Don himself! Thank you for your kind words! I'm hoping I can succeed at writing a setup as demanding as the Mole is. I'm definitely paranoid that I'll do a poor job, but I guess that keeps me on my toes. I believe I've clarified this via PM before, but to specify, Koover was the first Koopa Mario meets in Koopa Village before having his shell stolen by a Fuzzy. After that, he also serves as part of the #tedious letter-chain, specifically writing about a fishing trip. The Mario wiki discusses him in a bit more detail, but otherwise he's pretty minor in the first Paper Mario. I tried creating a cast that including both better- and lesser-knowns in the series.

FREDTHEMONTYMOLE: Thank you for reviewing and for your suspicions! I enjoy seeing the mindsets of the readers compared to my own since I already know what's going to happen whereas your frame of mind progresses as the story progresses...if it progresses quickly, that is. :P

PRINCESS TOADY (2): Yeah: I was surprised as well, considering my reputation for slowness! (This additional hiatus just dumps more fuel on that already burning fire) I tried describing events like the paraglide and the rappel as best as possible. While I have been rappelling, I've never paraglided, so I tried my best to be accurate considering my lack of field experience. I guess I understand Sushie's pain. :P Thank you for your suspicions! I look forward to seeing how they may grow or change with the results of the first mission.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this story in spite of my haphazard updating! I understand my delays can be frustrating, but I appreciate you sticking with it! Again, my goal would be to complete this episode by the end of August at the latest, which should be two more chapters. I promise no guarantee after that, but even in spite of my busy schedule, I'll do my best.

One last note: over the past few days, I have been constructing a website for this game. This will contain player profiles and episode summaries as well as a gallery to post picture clues that may appear throughout the story. I anticipate to have it published and available for use sometime in the near future.

Thank you for supporting this story! I look forward to speedier updates. (Hopefully, I won't have begun my future of ramen-and-popcorn dieting by then...)