Chapter 5: The First Mission
Artemis dashed after Dimentio through the catacomb-like maze that was Castle Bleck. She nearly lost him several times but managed to stay on track. The chase ended when they reached the entrance and both made an abrupt stop. In front of them stood Count Bleck, his face adorned with a malicious smile and look of madness in his eyes. Nastasia was nowhere to be seen. The most noticeable thing however was in the Count's hand. It was a large gray heart, pulsing with dark energy.
"The Chaos Heart!" Artemis mentally shouted. She felt frozen in place, like all time had stopped and that all that existed was the Chaos Heart. She stared at the dark object for a few moments more before finally managing to wrench her gaze away from it. She looked to Dimentio, and he seemed to be in a similar state, just staring at the heart with no expression on his face. Those tense moments finally ended when the count at last spoke.
"Minions! To me, Count Bleck! Bleh Heh Heh Bleck!" He declared, his voice seeming to reverberate throughout the castle, before flipping away.
"Where's he going?" Artemis asked her voice suddenly tense. Dimentio said not a word, his probably mind still reeling from the power of the Chaos Heart. He just lifted his hand and with a snap of his fingers he and Artemis disappeared.
The two reappeared back in the meeting room, with Count Bleck standing on a platform up high. They both joined him on similar white platforms both high enough to meet his gaze. Just then O'Chunks joined them. Artemis shifted awkwardly on the platform as they waited. Then Nastasia appeared, standing near the count. Even though Mimi was still missing, Count Bleck began the meeting.
"Minions! The Void has been ripped in the dimensional fabric! Yes, Count Bleck is pleased. All has gone as foretold in the Dark Prognosticus. Now it's just a matter of time until all worlds meet their demise! Bleck!" Count Bleck said excitedly.
"Wow, that's just super, Count! Yeah, first you'll erase all these naughty worlds… and then you're gonna build a perfect world without war and all that other icky stuff!" O'Chunks commented, which cause Artemis to raise an eyebrow.
"Strange… this dialogue… it seems familiar…" Artemis thought. Just then it hit her.
"Oh! This is…" Her thoughts were cut off when Dimentio made a comment of his own.
"Yes, yes, no one likes the icky stuff… Yes … A perfect world… sounds magical… Ah ha ha, I can hardly stand the wait." He said with a wide grin, his excitement showing.
"Sorry I'm late!" A loud voice cut through the room. Then another O'Chunks, the real O'Chunks appeared. He looked around confused, and then spotted his doppelganger.
"What in blazin' bog rats? How'd I beat meself here?! What goin' on?!" The real O'Chunks exclaimed.
"Oh, O'Chunks, you big silly! Didja oversleep or something?" The false O'Chunks said, the rough voice gone and replaced with a familiar girlish squeal. Then in a puff of smoke the fake O'Chunks changed into Count Bleck.
"I guess it's kinda hard to be on time, though, when you've got muscles instead of brains!" The shapeshifter teased.
"'Ey!" O'Chunks exclaimed, offended.
"Yeh can't fool me wit' that shape-shiftin' hoollganry! It's Mimi, innit?!" O'Chunks said, finally catching on.
"Show a little respect for the count! You can't go a'borrowin' his face, lass!" He scolded.
Artemis watched with exchange, a small smile tugging on her lips.
"How delightful, Mimi. Almost as dapper as…Count Bleck!" The count praised, amused.
"Aw, golly, thanks, Count! With you around, it's nothing but big smiles all the time!" Mimi said, her appearance now resembling Princess Peach. She sighed dreamily.
"Hanging out with the count! That's my idea of a perfect world!" She exclaimed, a blush creeping up on her face.
"And here I though Mimi's ideal world was a gem-filled pool with hunky lifeguards…" Dimentio added with a smirk, which caused Mimi to transform into Bowser.
"Hey! Dimentio! Have you been reading my dairy!?" Mimi roared in Bowser's booming voice. With all eyes on her, she suddenly became very self-conscious.
"I mean… um… never mind." She said, her voice now back to normal.
Artemis struggled not to burst out laughing, her hands covering her mouth.
"Well, different strokes for different minions…" Count Bleck said thoughtfully, his mouth still bearing a crooked grin.
"After all these rotten worlds are ended, Count Bleck will make all your dreams come true!" he continued.
"That's a lie…" Artemis thought, her mouth dropping to an almost imperceptible grimace.
"Um, about that, just an FYI? I've got an urgent memo for your inbox…" Nastasia spoke up, her voice flat.
"Apparently there's been some unapproved interdimensional activity lately. Yeah… I'm thinking it's the hero of prophecy. We're going to need an action plan for this guy…" She continued her report, her gaze falling occasionally.
"A dimensional interloper! And possibly the hero!? Are you sure of it, Nastasia?" The count asked fervently. With a nod of confirmation from Nastasia, the count put his hand to his chin, pondering his next move.
"Hmm… we must put an end to this nuisance…" the count said.
"Count Bleck!" O'Chunks called.
"Let me get this right in me brain… This hero Nastasia's on about… he your enemy?" O'Chunks asked, and then continued.
"Then you gotta cut me loose on 'em! You gotta!" O'Chunks pleaded.
"Very well, O'Chunks. I leave the hero chunking to you. Do not fail Count Bleck." The count commanded.
"You can count on me, Count!" O'Chunks assured before turning to his fellow minions.
"Ye all should come along. You could witness a proper chunkin'!" O'Chunks declared before leaving, his mission ahead of him.
"Hmm… I do enjoy a good chunking… how about you, Artemis?" Dimentio asked, barley concealing his sly grin.
"Oh, um… yeah. Wouldn't miss it." Artemis said somewhat awkwardly. With a small chuckle, Dimentio snapped his fingers and they were gone.
They arrived at Yold Desert, at the farthest reaches past the ruins. They reappeared atop a large sand dune. Artemis, not expecting the ground to suddenly shift under her weight, leaned forward about to fall on her face. She suddenly felt another hand grasp hers and she was pulled back up until she was steady. She then realized it was Dimentio who pulled her back, her hand still tingling from the sudden contact, her face now a bright red.
"Careful, careful… We wouldn't want to fall now would we?" He teased. She nodded, too embarrassed to speak. She then took in their surroundings, seeing nothing but desert for miles all around them. Something then dawned on her.
"This isn't where Mario fights O'Chunks! This looks like where Fracktail appears! So what are we doing here?" She thought in confusion.
"So we're not going to watch O'Chunks fight?" She asked, only for him laugh at the question.
"Of course not. He is certain to fail. The hero will best him and come here for the precious Pure Heart." He explained. He then grinned and let out a wicked laugh.
"Yes, just like a mouse caught in a trap, this hero will come." He said confidently. She nodded in agreement, knowing this to be true. So they waited for him to arrive. Finally, after what felt like an hour, at least to Artemis, Mario appeared; Tippi trailing behind him. Just then the ground began to shake and Fracktail, the large red serpent, emerged from the sand, roaring. Artemis steadied herself then grabbed her bow and notched an arrow, preparing for whatever may come. The giant guardian then spoke with Mario, analyzing him.
"YOU ARE LATE. I HAVE WAITED THOUSANDS OF YEARS FOR YOUR ARRIVAL. YOU MAY PASS, THE PURE HEART IS JUST AHEAD." The mechanical dragon said, his loud voice almost deafening.
"Ah, ha, ha. It won't be that easy, oh no…" Dimentio interjected causing the three of them to jump in surprise. Fracktail looked around to pinpoint the origin of the voice.
"WHO SPEAKS?" It asked, confused (or at least as confused as a mechanical dragon can sound.) Dimentio transported them into their field of view, landing right between Fracktail and Mario.
"Greetings~ It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Count Bleck's master of dimensions, the pleaser of crowds… I am… Dimentio!" Dimentio introduced himself, finishing with a bow. Realizing it was her turn to speak, Artemis gathered her courage with a deep breath.
"I am Artemis, Count Bleck's master archer." She stated, forcing herself to meet Mario's eyes. Okay, so she may have been exaggerating when she said "master archer" but she didn't want to be completely outdone by Dimentio.
"It would be so very dull if your journey ended so easily… Instead, it ends with magic!" Dimentio declared before snapping his fingers, causing a spark of electricity to hit Fracktail's antenna. The robot shook and sparked, shorting out.
"Yes, much better… Now you and this robotic guardian can spend some quality time… That is quality snack time! For you are the snack! Ciao!" Dimentio said, before teleporting both himself and Artemis away, leaving Mario to deal with the now malfunctioning Fracktail.
Hello there. Welcome to my Author's Note. First off I want to thank anyone still reading this story. I just want you to know how much I appreciate each fav, follow and especially review. I also want to apologize for my silence these last chapters. I am really nice and friendly, but I just have not written any notes like this because by the time I finish each chapter I'm tired and just want it to be done so I can release it as quick as possible. I am going to be more vocal from now on as I am going to write these before I finish the chapters. Now, to reward you for sticking it with me this far, here is some trivia.
I came up with the name Artemis Gracy from two different sources. Artemis is, of course, in reference to the moon goddess of the same name from Greek Mythology. She is also the goddess of the hunt, and is often seen with a bow and arrow, which is also appropriate for my character. Gracy is in reference to the last name of the owner of the Haunted Mansion (2003 Disney Movie).
That's all for now but expect more trivia in the next chapter. Please review! It really helps know what I am doing right or wrong. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts!
Until next time,
Amber