Author's Note: Man, I really need to update the cover for this story and my profile.
Thank you to Sincereclock50 and Worldnotesongs88 for following! Also thank to you to those two again as well as lokeefemedford and Mason Topi for favoriting SWOL: New Game Plus! If you don't want to be mentioned, just send me a PM.
Now, onto exposition dumping!
Chapter 4: Whomst?
My eyes blink open, staring in the starry, night sky. Markus…Graves? Who spells Marcus with a k?
Where did that name come from anyway? I was dreaming about something but; the details are already slipping from my mind, like fine sand flowing through my fingers. The name came from that dream but I can't attach it to a face or person.
"Oh, you're awake." I try pulling myself up, only for my head to start pounding like someone's trying to drive a nail through it. Falling back down, I realize that someone threw a blanket on me. My jacket's been folded up and placed under my head like a pillow too.
I turn to the source of the voice. It's the same woman who gave me the Beam Sword to fight Kirby. She's sitting across a campfire from me, the Kirby figurine in one hand.
"Hi." My stomach grumbles audibly. I'm pretty sure that she heard it too. "Do you have any food?"
She sighs. "Of everything you ask, it's about food? Just my luck. Give me a minute."
She reaches into her bag and pulls out a sandwich. Tossing it to me, the sandwich bounces off my head, falling to the ground. It looks like it's covered in some kind of plastic wrapping.
I grab the sandwich, unwrapping it and taking small bites. I can feel my strength returning with each bite and manage to pull myself into a sitting position. Soon enough, I'm left with nothing but crumbs.
Out of the corner of my eye, the strange woman has been watching me the whole time I was eating, her chin resting in the palms of her hands. "You eat like a slob."
"Oh well excuse me for being hungry. I haven't eaten in, um, shoot. When was the last time I ate?" I frown, trying to remember the answer.
She frowns too. "You don't remember the last time you ate anything?"
"Well, yeah. I don't really remember anything."
"But you just told me your name." She says, with an accusatory sting.
"I don't know. I remembered it when I touched that figurine thingy that looked like Kirby." I pointed towards her bag. Following my finger, she pulls out the figurine again.
"When you touched the amiibo? Interesting." She takes a closer look at the amiibo before carefully putting the amiibo back in her bag with enough caution to make someone think she was trying to put a glass container of acid inside.
"So what's so special about it? Where did Kirby go? And what's even your name? I don't even know what to call you. Where are we? Why'd Kirby try to kill me?"
She sighs again, putting a hand to her forehead. "Next time, one question at a time. Let's start with the easier ones Nathaniel. My name is Crazy Hand, you are currently in the world of Super Smash Bros."
"Cool, another question. Do you have any more sandwiches?"
Facepalming again, Crazy throws another sandwich at my face. I caught the sandwich before it could hit in time though. Munching on the sandwich, I watch as Crazy continues to answer my questions.
"Next answer, the amiibo is Kirby. You defeated Kirby so he's been put into an inert and harmless state."
"So I beat the batteries out of him?"
"If only he did run on batteries. We would have been able to stop him from eating so much food," Crazy mutters, seemingly more to herself rather than me. She turns her attention back to me. "And next, what was the next question again?"
"I have no idea either."
Crazy can only let out an exasperated sigh. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she stares into the fire."Out of everyone in the multiverse I could have gotten, it's an amnesiac nitwit who's heavily food-motivated. I guess it could have been worse but it could have been so much better."
"Ouch. That's harsh."
"Can you blame me? I'm dealing with my brother kidnapped and/or dead, 70 more fighters like Kirby, an even bigger army of Puppet Fighters and then I have to deal with Galeem, who's basically a god! Ha!" She starts to laugh. It sounds like she's five seconds away from breaking into crying before she cuts the laugh off. "I have a lot to deal with right now."
"Oh. Have you considered taking a nap?"
"A nap? Really?" She begins to stare red hot daggers into me. Her eyes are bloodshot.
"Yeah, it looks like you haven't gotten any sleep in a while," I say, before taking another bite. Swallowing the bite down, I continue. "You can rest a while, I'll stay up to watch the fire and then when you wake up, I'll help with this Galeem person dude thing. Actually, what is Galeem?"
Crazy snorts. "Really? You're just going to help me fight a multiverse shaping god? Why? It's a big ask."
I shrug. "You gave me a sandwich. It was a good sandwich. Might as well find some way to pay you back."
"I gave you two."
"Right. You should give me a third to ensure my complete and utter loyalty."
Crazy stares at me with a blank face. After several moments, a small smile breaks out on her face. "Three sandwiches to save the multiverse? You drive a hard bargain Nathaniel."
Digging through her bag, she tosses me another sandwich along with a familiar item. "Isn't this the Beam Sword?"
"Yeah, you can go ahead and put it into your inventory. Just imagine a big pocket behind you and throw it in there. When you want something, think about it, reach in, and pull it out." Crazy reaches behind herself, presumably reaching into her own inventory. Pulling out a green leaf, she tosses it onto the ground where it poofs into a large yellow tent. Crazy steps inside but turns to look at me. "I'll be taking that nap now. Yell if something that wants to kill you shows up. Also, don't come inside my tent. I'll kill you if you do."
"Sure, meanwhile I'm not going to question the physics of nonphysical inventories."
"Good." And she closes the entry flap.
Munching on my sandwich, I imagine a pocket behind me and try putting the Beam Sword inside. When I withdraw my hand, it's empty. "Well, that brings up so many questions about conservation of mass."
Check what else you have.
What? Beam Sword should be my only item, there's nothing else in my inventory.
I frown, deciding to relent. There's no harm in just checking.
Clearing my mind and not focusing on anything in particular, I reach into my inventory. Rooting around, I can't really feel anything inside. It's not like where you reach inside an empty pocket and only feel the pocket. Reaching into your inventory is like sticking your arm out of the window while the inside is the same temperature as outside the window.
Something changes. I feel something different and I grab it. Pulling my hand out of my inventory, I look at the item in my hand.
It's a chrome handle with a crossguard made of the same material. Parts of it are covered in rust. It reminds me of my Beam Sword but judging from the rust, this is older. I press the button positioned just under the guard a few times.
*Click. Click. Click.*
Nothing happens. I guess it doesn't work. I frown as I check my inventory for anything else. Nothing, not even an instruction manual.
I look over the rusted handle. There's a name engraved on it, in small print.
"Markus G."
Crazy Hand has Joined your Party!
Save File 1: Saved
Party: Nathaniel, Crazy Hand
Items: Nathaniel-Beam Sword, Rusty Beam Sword
Crazy-?
Smashers: Kirby
Author's Theater:
Nathaniel: Wait, do our items come with instruction manuals?
Crazy: No, I don't think so?
Nathaniel: Why are you phrasing it as a question?
Crazy: No reason...
MG: Crazy, are you the type of person who throws away the instruction manual to something by accident?
Crazy *throwing herself out of her chair and running off the stage*: You'll never catch me alive!