26

Bowser was at the destroyed temple entrance helping the Koopas dig it out so they could reach the Mario Brothers and steal the Diamond Star from them. There was so much rubble left from the collapse that it took over an hour just to dig half of it out. But now they were able to make it through the boulders and into the tunnels beyond. The bright morning sun was already making the outside air warm, so the shade had become a luxury. But Bowser was unaffected by the warmth outside.

"The Mario Brothers shouldn't have gone very far." Bowser said to one of the Koopa Troops. "These tunnels don't lead anywhere except to a few dead ends."

"Are you sure?" one of the Koopas asked.

"Well, of course!" Bowser replied. "I've only been looking at the underground map for some time now! They don't indicate any additional exits or entrances! If it did, then, I would've had you guys find them and trap the brothers from there! However, since there isn't any other way to get in, they're already trapped!"

Suddenly, Bowser received a strange signal coming from his radio. It was a distress signal.

"Somebody's in trouble?" Bowser asked. "That can't be possible! I wonder who it is."

Bowser pressed the button to answer the distress call.

"Hello?" he said.

"Bowser, you need to help me!"

It was Kamek.

"Kamek! What on Earth is going on at the castle?!" Bowser asked. "What happened?! DON'T TELL ME YOU LET THE GIRLS ESCAPE!"

"I'm not in the castle." Kamek replied. Bowser fell silent and became enraged.

"WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU IN THE CASTLE?!" Bowser questioned. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE WOMEN!"

"Bowser, I can explain!" Kamek said. "It's that dark-haired woman that you captured! She's the one who is responsible for this fiasco!"

Bowser rolled his eyes. "I'm listening..."

"Somehow she managed to get past the Koopa Troops and escape from the castle. The princesses are locked up though. I was able to use a sleeping spell on them."

"Yes, but what about the third?!" Bowser asked. "How did she escape from you?!"

"She took my wand and used the last bit of magic that was in it and used the long-distance teleportation spell on me!" Kamek replied. "Now I'm stuck in a different part of the world surrounded by ice and snow!"

"WHAT?!" Bowser yelled. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET HER DO THAT?!"

"I couldn't keep up with her cat-like reflexes!" Kamek said. "She knocked my wand right out of my hand with a swift kick! She's a fighter."

"No wonder I thought you were shivering!" Bowser said. "Hold on there, Kamek. I'm going to use my GPS locater with one our satellites to track you down...It shouldn't take very long!"

Bowser pressed another button on his radio and the GPS started giving a reading through the tiny speaker. Bowser listened to the numbers and immediately reacted.

"Kamek, you're not going to believe this!" Bowser said.

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just got you're coordinates." Bowser said. "It turns out that you're very close to one of our outposts located north of the Mushroom Kingdom in the snowy lands!"

"You're kidding!" Kamek said. "How far am I from the outpost?"

"You're about ten miles east of the outpost." Bowser said. "My advice is to start heading directly west. Once you get to the outpost, there will any army of Koopas that will most certainly keep you in a warm place until I get there."

"Great! I'll start heading over there now!" Kamek said. "Can you let the troops at the castle know what happened so they don't worry about me?"

"I was already thinking about it!" Bowser replied. "I don't want my children to starve either! And don't worry, I won't punish you. It's that woman that needs to be punished!"

"I'll let you go, Master Bowser!" Kamek said. "My signal is starting to fade. Good luck finding the Mario Brothers."

"Alright, Kamek." Bowser said. "Hang in there and stay warm!"

Bowser pressed the button on his radio and the signal was finally terminated.

Meanwhile, back in the Darklands, Pauline was nearing the first checkpoint just outside of Bowser's castle. Looking out towards the landscape, Pauline could see the faint outlines of mountains and erupting volcanoes laced with bright rivers of running lava. The sky was giving out a bright orange glow and the intoxicating volcanic fumes made it difficult for Pauline to breathe, choking her like a pair of strong invisible hands.

How does Bowser live in these conditions? she thought. It's unbearable!

Pauline's bare feet were also having a hard time dealing the hot stony ground. It was as though her feet were being roasted on a barbeque, though it was better than walking over lava. She was surprised that she even made it this far.

If I make it out of here, Pauline thought, I'll be the first person to escape from Bowser's Kingdom alive! I just hope that the Mario Brothers are alright! And the princesses...Why did I have to leave them behind?!

As thoughts continued to race through her head, Pauline looked up at the checkpoint and saw Koopas pacing furiously and observing the scene from watch towers above a towering brick wall laced with barbed wire on a medieval-styled walkway which surrounded the castle for protection. She was surprised that none of them saw her, but there was always that constant danger of getting caught.

"How am I going to get past these freaks?" Pauline asked herself. "There's no way I'm going to climb that large wall without getting electrocuted!"

Suddenly, she spotted something in the ground that seemed very peculiar. It was a storm drain entrance, leading to an underground sewage system. Pauline grimaced at the thought of traversing the sewers, but she knew it was the only way to get out of Bowser's Kingdom unnoticed, or at least try to get away unnoticed.

"Well, here goes nothing..." Pauline said to herself as she opened the lid and started climbing down the rusty metal ladder. Already, she could smell the unbearable stench of raw sewage from below. Pauline wanted to throw up, but she managed to stay strong and continue down until she reached the bottom. The smell was now even stronger and Pauline's eyes began to water as she gagged uncontrollably. She walked down a small tunnel until she finally reached the underground river that was stuffed with feces, trash, and everything else that was disgusting. Pauline gasped at the sight of both a Koopa carcass and a human carcass sticking out of the greenish-brown muck. It was too much for her to take in, so she ended up throwing up even after trying to fight the sick feeling.

This place is disgusting! Pauline thought. I'm just glad there are places to walk along the edges of the river to traverse on! I'm not walking through that crap!

Indeed, the sewage tunnels were lined with walkways and the tunnels seemed to form a large maze underneath the whole kingdom. Pauline started walking down the main tunnel followed it to see where it would take her. It was now just a matter of finding the right path...

Pauline is now trying to make her way out of the Darklands through the stormdrains. It turns out that the sewers are reaking with death and possibly a long and dark history of mass murder! However, Pauline never considers the possibility because she was too overwhelmed by the wretched odor.

Bowser's conversation with Kamek seems a little bit more controlled this time, despite the current circumstances that each of them have found themselves in. Kamek tells Bowser of the events that occured back at the castle and informs him that he is in another part of the world thanks to the actions of Pauline. Bowser activates the GPS and determines Kamek's location: a region just north of the Mushroom Kingdom that is dominated by ice and snow. However, instead of yelling up a fire storm, Bowser simply urges Kamek to travel to the nearest outpost which he had set up in these snowbound regions to seek help from the Koopa Troops that are stationed there.

I've just totalled the numbers... When counting both the chapters from Volume 1 and this volume, this will mark my 80th chapter! Holy crap!

Don't worry, this story isn't going to end anytime soon. There are still plenty of things to happen before the final showdown and the Mario Brothers' rise to stardom! But for now, I will see all of you later until I post the next chapter. Happy reading! :)

saturn95