The Mole : Festive Saboteur !

by Princess Toady

The Mole... A tale of betrayal where ten players try to find the saboteur's identity while competing in various challenges... Many of them will try, but only one will prevail, and that will be the person who answers this question : Who is the Mole ? THE MOLE IS FINALLY REVEALED ! Read the reviews at your own expense.

17. Another One, Taken by Surprise

Krisetchers : Thanks for your review ! You might see a reference to your story somewhere in this chapter, I couldn't resist. XD I see I'm not the only one who likes crushing people under boulders. XD Thanks for reading ! ^^ Nice suspicions by the way. ^^

Charz : Thank you Charz ! And don't worry, I always seem to suspect the wrong person during the Mole too. XD I like reading your suspicions too ! ^^

...

Previously on the Mole, the players competed in a mini-challenge to see who would be able to win an exemption for this episode. This time, the challenge was more of a mental one : the players had to nominate four names before thirty minutes passed, otherwise twenty thousand coins wouldn't be added to the team pot. The players, through blackmail and shady deals, ultimately reached a decision under the limit time, successfully adding their deserved money into the pot, although some of them were not happy with the way things had gone. After that, they were taken to King Boo's Mansion by Monty Mole, where their next challenge awaited them. A haunted and deadly mansion which would test their ability to adapt in a hostile place. With Jojora failing earlier than expected, Mario, Noki, Toad, Birdo and Bootler now only have the possibility to win twenty five thousand coins out of thirty thousand. How well will they do?

First name : Birdo

Surname : Ribbon

Birthday : May 15

Job : Fashion Designer

First name : Bootler

Surname : Majordome

Birthday : September 6

Job : Butler

First name : Noki

Surname : Delphis

Birthday : August 7

Job : Air Hostess

First name : Toad

Surname : Phalloïde

Birthday : June 1

Job : Gardener

First name : Jojora

Surname : Teeheena

Birthday : December 27

Job : Sculptor

First name : Mario

Surname : Mario

Birthday : January 22

Job : Plumber

17 : Another One, Taken by Surprise...

Mario : Jojora's performance in the challenge wasn't really good. But I can't really blame her, as we really did not realize what was going on. Plus, you're more careful when you proceed in a pitch black room because you can't see a thing.

Mario was stunned, after Jojora's disappearance. Not only had they lost five thousand coins, but he was now alone, with no moral support, in a dangerous environment. Needless to say, Mario was not particularly confident that he would 'survive'. Standing up and dusting himself, Mario commented to himself the situation he was in. "Well, we're off to a great start... And just what is this...?"

Before him were an incredible number of razor blades, swinging in a fast motion. "Woo... Bowser's Castles never looked this fun."

He took a few steps, hesitantly at first, and when he saw that there was no other trap in the room he started to fasten his pace. The room was rather empty, with the exception of the swinging blades hanging from the ceiling, so Mario thought that he could take his time with this challenge. He evaluated the speed of the dangerous object, took a deep breath and dashed forward, anticipating the blade's movement.

Mario : I quickly came to realize that we weren't timed anyway, so we could take our time avoiding the traps. Really, there wasn't anything difficult. At least, not for me. The dark room was tricky, and I almost virtually died in it, but still, the rest was so much easier.

…

Noki had managed to escape the boulder in time and she had gone through one of the two doors that led to another room. She was currently in an empty room, aside from a strange mechanism located in the very middle of the room and a few boards situated on the walls.

Noki : The mansion in itself wasn't that scary... It was more of a test, to see how well we could do under a lot of stress and pressure. I did find some traps to be more difficult to avoid than others, though. Overall, I think it was doable. The producers would never create impossible challenges.

Noki was panting after having run at full speed. She took a small break and began to inspect the curious thing that was located in the center of the room. Hers eyes widened when she discovered that it was a bomb.

"Oh my god!" She let out a small cry. "What am I supposed to do?"

The blue-shelled girl panicked a moment but regained her composure when she saw that a combination was needed in order to disable the bomb. She frowned, seeing that only five little minutes remained. "Well, I don't have a single second to spare," she noted, making her way toward the boards, the only other things besides the bomb.

To her surprise, there were questions pertaining to the game written on it. "Multiply the numbers of letters the number of letters which are in the name of the fourth eliminated player by the number of letters of the players with the shortest first name," she read aloud. "Well, there are seven letters in Pauline, and I think that Toad and I have the shortest first name, which would mean that the answer to this one would be twenty eight."

She moved on to the second one. "Add the number of legs that all of the players have in total to the number of letters which are in Donkey's and Kooper's surname. Oh, that's a trick question! Flurrie and Bootler don't have legs, so hmmm...the answer would be sixteen plus ten. Twenty six!" she smiled.

She walked to the third board. "Remember the name of the first challenge. You need the number of letters that are needed to spell it. Mmmh... My mind is drawing a blank, here... I know that the first challenge involved our belongings, but..." Suddenly, she remembered it. "'Mixed-up Possessions' ! Eighteen letters."

Noki : Some people may find me suspicious because I know all the answers when it comes to mental challenges, but I just happen to have the memory of an elephant. Which is quite good in this game, as it helps me answer the quizzes quickly and efficiently. Some players told me that they couldn't manage to be fast and collected while taking their questionnaire, so I know that I have a good advantage here.

"Last one... Please be easy! Let's see. There have been three Mole games, as of now. Add the numbers of players of each game to find your last number. Nine, twelve and ten. Thirty-one!" she exclaimed, rushing to the keyboard linked to the bomb. She quickly entered the numbers and the timer stopped.

She rejoiced and went through the only other door of that room.

…

Unlike Noki, Bootler, Birdo and Toad chose to stick together and opened the door which was on the left of the corridor. Upon entering the room, they noticed that there was lot of wooden furniture all over the place.

Toad : I'm glad Bootler and Birdo are on my group, that way I can watch what they're doing. Or rather, what they're not doing in Birdo's case. Seriously, I don't want to sound mean, but she often led our team to failure. Is she the Mole? Or a genuine player? Or could it be a trick to stay in the game longer?

"Well, that seems rather easy," stated Birdo as she walked toward the door on the other side of the room and tried to open it. "Okay, I spoke too soon," she realized, when the door did not open.

"Wait, what's that sound?" questioned Toad as he heard something at the top of the room.

"Your guess is as good as mine," answered Bootler politely. "But, I do think that it is another trap."

Birdo looked at the ceiling and noticed something dripping from it. "Is that...water?" she asked to no one in particular. "Oh my gosh, it's really water, the room's going to get flooded!" she yelled, panicked.

"Relax!" ordered Toad. "Let's find a way out."

"We need a key!" exclaimed Birdo, feeling a keyhole. "Quick people, before the water level goes too high!" She went to a nearby desk and opened its drawers. "Hmm, there's nothing here."

"Search somewhere else, then," demanded Bootler gently, inspecting a piece of furniture. "Where do you think they might have hidden the key?"

"I don't know," confessed Toad. "I mean, you can't tell whether they used reverse psychology and hid it near the door or not. We better get a move on though, the water's reaching my shoulders!"

"Funny, I thought you didn't have shoulders," laughed Birdo.

Toad groaned. "Well, you can't really see them, but I do have shoulders. I don't have a neck, though..."

The room fell silent, except for the sound of water, which was leaking out of the ceiling. Soon enough, the players had to swim to move around the room, and were beginning to be really desperate.

Birdo noticed something on the wall, and swam closer to inspect it. To her surprise, it was the very key the players needed to escape that room. "Hey guys, I found it!"

Bootler looked at her strangely. "Hmm, it is rather strange, because I am in possession of that key."

"Don't stand there, try them on the lock," ordered Toad. Bootler cleared his throat.

"I am not the best swimmer out there," he hinted, putting the key in Toad's hand. Birdo did the same.

"I'm not a spectacular swimmer either, and if you can't do it, I doubt Bootler and I will manage to."

Toad nodded and swam toward the door, keys in hand. Birdo's key was a perfect fit.

Birdo : I'm a bit skeptical about Bootler's key. For all we know, he could have had it on himself at the beginning of the challenge, and he could have made us lose this challenge by giving it to Toad at the most appropriate time. Appropriate for him, of course.

The room was emptied of its water, and the players went through another door.

…

Mario had easily cleared the room he had been in previously, and was now before a strange altar. On it were written different symbols that Mario recognized as roman numerals. The red hero was puzzled at first, and could not clearly see the meaning of the numbers. But he realized what they meant as he approached the door which was behind the white altar.

"Wait. Wait a minute... Is that what I think it is? The thing engraved on that door... It's not a circle, it's a zero!"

He was ecstatic. The plumber went back to the altar and saw that there was a single pen as well as a sheet of paper near it. He took the two items and quickly went to work. "The good thing is that I know that that's some sort of combination. The bad thing is that... I can't really remember what all of these numbers mean."

Mario took a deep breath and resumed his activities. He was determined to win the money.

Mario : I was kind of confused at first... I mean, it's not everyday you have to remember what are the signification of some roman numerals. Sure, everybody knows the simple ones, but there are some signs that we don't use anymore, so I had to jog my memory a little for that challenge.

…

Noki was now in a rather unoccupied room. She smiled a little, finding amusing the fact that such a big mansion could be that empty, being the abode of a King. Noki took a few steps into the room, all the while glancing at her surroundings. Suddenly, a big sound was heard and the floor crackled. She was astonished and only regained her composure seconds before the floor was no more.

Noki let out a yell as she plummeted to her doom and was transported outside of the mansion. King Boo cackled. "And then, there were four..."

…

"Crap!" shouted Birdo, after she had heard the announcement. "I guess either Noki or Mario failed that challenge. Now it's only worth twenty thousand coins, which isn't really good for us."

"It's still a good amount of coins," noted Toad, farther into the room. Birdo and Bootler were still talking together, near the entrance.

That room was strange. The floor was not really a floor but more of a soil, with holes here and there. Other than that, the room was empty. However, the players remarked that there was a sound coming out of the holes.

"I really don't know what we're supposed to do," shrugged Toad, inspecting the other door.

"We should be on our guard," warned Bootler. "You never know, there might be more than meets the eyes."

Birdo followed Bootler, who had left to inspect the holes. "Yeah, but come on, how are we supposed to find the exit? I mean, I thought we had established that this mansion was just a giant maze?"

Suddenly, as Birdo left her spot, a loud rumbling was heard by everyone and the room spun. The calm Bootler was perplexed. "What is happening?" he asked to his fellow comrades who were too busy panicking.

After some seconds, the situation returned to normal, except for the fact that a giant cage was now present near the door they had entered by. "Soooo... Did someone notice something unusual in this room, except for the giant iron cage over there?" questioned Toad.

Birdo's eyes grew wide as she stared at Toad. "Toad, run! There's something behind you! Quick, let's enter that thing!" she shouted, pointing at the cage.

Bootler did not wait a second and reached the safe spot easily. Toad had a bit of trouble as he was pursued by a crazy mole with sharp blades instead of paws, but he eventually managed to run away to the cage.

"My guess is that we need to reach the opposite door without being 'tagged' by those moles," explained Bootler.

"Yeah, except for the fact that last time I checked the door was locked."

Birdo pondered for a second. "I think Bootler might be right. It's not like we can do anything else at the moment, anyway, right? I don't see any key, and it does look like we're playing tag with those moles. We even have a place where they can't touch us, that's exactly how I played tag when I was a kid."

Bootler eyed the moles. "We need a strategy. Obviously, rushing to the door on the opposite side will not work."

"I say we go there one at a time!" suggested Toad. "Also, we don't try anything risky. We're already down to four players, we can't afford to lose another one right now."

Birdo asked the dreaded question. "So, who goes first?"

…

Mario had finally figured it out. It took him a bit of time, but thanks to his quick thinking, he managed to fill some holes in his logic and cleared the puzzle.

Mario : So, I had finished the puzzle when I asked myself that question : should I wait for the others of should I go ahead and claim victory for myself? Ultimately, I decided to wait for them, but I kind of thought that there would be an award for the one who would manage to escape first. Oh well, at least I decided not to play selfishly, unlike Flurrie.

With the combination in hand, Mario walked out of the altar room and found himself standing in the very room in which they had started their challenge. A few minutes after his apparition, he saw that Toad had dived into the room in a similar fashion Mario himself had dived out of the dark room. Mario chuckled to himself and helped Toad to his feet. "So, how is it going?"

"Oh, hi Mario! Well, Bootler and I joined with Noki and Birdo, but then we triggered a trap which separated us from Noki. I guess that she has been eliminated since you're still here and after that we-"

Toad was interrupted when Birdo crashed into him. Once again, the hero in red helped his friends to their feet.

"Sorry Toad! I kind of ran straight for the door, opened it and quickly escaped the moles. Bootler should be coming soon so-"

"One of my kind collapsed under the weight of his task. Only three of you remain," King Boo's voice echoed.

"I guess he won't be coming soon then," smiled Birdo, hesitantly. Toad and Mario looked at each other, almost rolling their eyes.

"Anyway," Mario started, getting back on topic, "I've found our ticket out of this challenge!"

Toad raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? We've already lost three of us, so I hope that you know what you're doing..."

Mario nodded. "Relax. I actually stumbled upon a strange room in which was a single altar. And, on that altar was a combination that I had to decipher. I also found out that there was a number on each door. So all we have to do is follow the right order and we'll be out of here in no time."

"Awesome!" cheered Birdo. "So, where do we go, exactly?"

"We need to find door number two!"

Toad went to the door which was situated in the middle and opened it. "This one, follow me!"

The pink dinosaur and the red plumber followed the mushroom and found themselves in the boulder room. This time however, no trap was triggered. Birdo and Toad were surprised. They even tried to trigger the trap another time, but nothing was working. "That's weird..."

"That might be weird, but for once that something helps us, I'm not going to refuse that help!"

Mario was puzzled but said nothing as they advanced farther into the room. "Now, we need to go through door number four... This way!" he exclaimed, going toward the door on the left.

They were now in the bomb room. Noki had deactivated the bomb earlier, so they found no new obstacle along the way and directly went to the next room. It was where Noki had fallen to her demise. One part of the floor was totally gone, so the three survivors knew what was going to happen.

"As soon as I say three, we rush to the end of this room," ordered Mario. "One... Two... Three!" he yelled as they all departed. They were going so fast that Toad almost tripped at the end, but Birdo and Mario helped him and they succeeded. As soon as they passed the door, they noted that they were back in the first room.

"Well, that was easy!" smiled Birdo.

"Noki probably cleared the way before she lost," assumed Toad.

"Probably. Anyway, next, we are heading to door number three, which is the door I took in the first place. Birdo, give me your hand. And take Toad's."

"Why?"

"Well, it's where Jojora was eliminated. The room is pitch black and the wall on the opposite side was closing on us. I know where the exit is since I found it, but we need to stay united," explained Mario.

Birdo : That was really suspicious of Mario. He found the exit but couldn't help Jojora get out of the room in time? Oh please, that's not believable... And totally Mole-ish.

Mario guided the players through the darkness and in no time they were out of the room. "Okay, this room is really easy," nodded Mario to himself. "You just need to take your time."

Toad : I'm really glad this was just a simulation, otherwise I would have fainted.

No one had any trouble during the ordeal. They even managed to joke around while the blades were still swinging above their heads. "It's cool that most of the traps are only troublesome once," noted Toad.

They were at the end of the obstacle course in no time and looked at Mario's sheet. "So... Next door is number six."

"Wouldn't door six be the one we just passed?" questioned Birdo. Toad smiled.

"Yeah, my bad. Let's take door number eight then!"

Mario, Birdo and Toad found themselves in a long room full of lava. The only way to make it to the next door was to walk on a tightrope, avoiding falling rocks all the while. They looked at each other and gulped nervously.

"So... Ladies first?"

"Oh please, you know there's no way I'll do it first," responded Birdo, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you show us how manly you are?"

"If you wanted, I could go first," laughed Toad. "I have a good balance."

"Then it's settled!" Mario clapped his hand.

Toad took tiny steps at first, fearing that the falling rocks mad the tightrope wobble. After a while, he decided that it was safe enough and went a little faster.

"Toad! Be careful!" yelled Mario.

Toad reacted just in time and dived out of the way of the crumbling rock and reached the other side. "Thanks Mario! You guys should be careful too. We don't want to lose this challenge now that we're so close to winning it!"

Birdo and Mario soon joined him, and together, they opened the door. From then on, Birdo and Toad guided Mario, as they had previously visited the last rooms they now had to go to. The traps being deactivated, it made the route really easy to follow.

"Dang, this challenge took a lot of time," whined Birdo. "I really hope it's finally the end..."

"Logically, we only have to go through the moles' room one more time and we're finished," Toad told her. "Since you know, we already unlocked the door of the flooded room."

Mario chuckled. "Wow, I'm sure you guys had a lot of fun..."

Birdo smiled back. "Trust me, you can't even begin to imagine how much fun we had."

A little while after that, they reached the moles' room. This time, however, the moles were aligned in two rows, letting the players take a clear and direct path to the last door. The group of three was dubious at first, but when the moles made no attempt to attack them, they assumed the coast was clear.

Unlike most of the previous rooms, except for the first one, the three players felt like it was an actual room of the mansion, as it was really furnished and had a lot of candles hanging on the walls. The dark blue carpet, neatly disposed on the stairs, and the dilapidated guardrails gave them the impression that it was once a truly beautiful mansion, but that time had left its mark on the building.

"Hey! What is that?" asked Birdo, her keen eyes noticing strange devices on the side of the stairs.

Mario shrugged. "Probably nothing important. Let's go!" Mario took a few steps when suddenly, he felt that something had stung him.

"Surprise, surprise!" Toad exclaimed as he took Mario's arm. "You heroes really aren't careful... You've been shot by a tranquilizer."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, maybe he read what was written on that thing," Birdo explained, pointing at one of the tranquilizers.

Birdo : Mario was awfully distracted during that challenge, I wonder if it was natural or not... That's so not like him.

"Maybe we should avoid the darts," suggested Toad.

"I'm not sure. I mean, look at the wall on your left. Don't you think it's a little too sophisticated as compared with the rest of the room?" besought Birdo.

"It also looks like it goes straight to our only way out. As if it triggers something," Mario mused.

"Does that mean that it's game over for us if we don't get shot?" asked Toad. Nobody knew the answer, but in the end, they decided to let the tranquilizers shoot them. Except that their plan was not really to get shot.

The three players took off their shoes and put them in the way of the darts, effectively taking care of the threat that represented the tranquilizers. They reached the top of the stairs and Mario was the first one to open the door, followed by Birdo and Toad.

…

King Boo was sitting on his throne. Or at least, the three remaining players assumed that he was. He rose up from his position and glared at them, not sounding pleased one bit. "Hmph. I guess you managed to survive. How unfortunate! Anyway, you, in red, come here."

Mario did what King Boo expected him to do. "You are the first who reached me. So you get the power." King Boo cackled as he snapped his fingers. Two of his underlings appeared, each having a bag in their right hand.

King Boo pointed at the Boo who was on Mario's left. "She has the money you three deserve." He then moved his finger toward the other one. "He, however, possesses what you would call a lifesaver, in your game. Yes, he does have an exemption. Make your choice."

Behind him, Toad and Birdo were whispering. "I really hope he will take the money," prayed the latter.

"Tell me about it," responded Toad.

Finally, Mario made his choice. "As much as it pains me to do so, and I'm sure I'll regret later on in the game, I take the money," Mario smiled weakly.

"Here you go," smiled politely the Boo who had the money.

"Escort them to the dining room, Boonie," ordered the king.

"Very well sir. Please, this way."

…

Boonie led the three winners to the dining room where were awaiting them Jojora, Noki, Bootler and Monty Mole. When he saw them, Mario raised the bag of money up in the air. They all clapped for him.

Noki : As much as I like Mario, he just refused to take an exemption two times in a row. If I had been in his place, I would have taken one of them... It's really fishy. Birdo also told me that he conveniently discovered the whole solution of the challenge, which makes him pretty suspicious in my book.

Bootler : Who was suspicious during the challenge? Birdo. Definitely Birdo. She always refused to go first, it was as if she wanted to see the others fail without doing anything. If she had been the first to cross the 'finish line', she could have sabotaged the mission by taking the exemption...

Jojora : When we were waiting for Toad, Birdo and Mario, Noki told us how she deactivated a bomb before being eliminated by a disappearing floor, or something. Am I the only one sane enough to note that it is very strange that miss quick on her feet failed in that room?

Toad : Jojora... First one out. Really strange, don't you think so? Plus, maybe she searched on the right part of the wall because she knew that she wouldn't be able to reach the door in time so everyone would have seen that as an 'accident', if you know what I mean.

Birdo : Bootler knew what he had to do to escape the killer moles. I mean, Toad and I managed to make it to the next room without harm, so Bootler had already seen two ways to avoid them. Despite that fact, he still managed to lose, so I'm wondering whether he tried or just let the moles attack him to make the team lose five thousand coins. Not to mention that his key was most likely a fake one.

Mario : Toad could have made us lose. During the ultimate part of the challenge, when we had to face the tranquilizers, he suggested that we should avoid them. Yet, we later found out that if one dart connected with the wall it was game over for us, so that kind of makes me have doubts about Toad...

"Well, look at Mario's bag! It sure seems full of money, doesn't it?" Monty Mole grinned. "Mario, let's open it and reveal its content to everyone in the room, shall we?"

Mario put the bag on the table and opened it, revealing a check worth fifteen thousand coins. Everyone cheered, once again.

Challenge's Results :

Money Won : 30 000 – 15 000 = 15 000

Team Pot : 134 000 coins

"I also want to point out that Mario was offered an exemption. Fortunately for you, he declined it, seeing as he would have to sacrifice the coins won during the challenge," informed Monty Mole.

"You did that? Wow, you're really brave. Or foolish," Jojora added in an afterthought.

"Thanks Mario, I'm really glad that someone showed some team spirit. It's something we've been lacking of since the very beginning of the game!" chuckled Noki.

Bootler shook his head. "Above all, the Mole is an individual game, hence why we did not see many players acting for the team."

"You can't say that, Bootler," disagreed Toad. "Remember during the clue hunt? Most of us stayed together so we wouldn't lose coins for the team. I think it shows that we can act as a team, sometimes."

Bootler raised an eyebrow. "You surely cannot have forgotten what happened after this challenge, can you?"

"Anyway," the host started, rather loudly, "Way to end an episode! You won more than half of the coins which were at stakes, so congratulations! Unfortunately, one of you will be sent home tonight. Feel free to visit the mansion, King Boo was kind enough to let you roam freely through his abode. I'll see you later, after dinner!"

Monty Mole escaped quickly, leaving baffled players behind him.

Jojora : Wait, what? This can't be! We can't have another execution this soon! It defeats the purpose of the game! I thought I had time to prepare myself before the quiz, but it appears that I don't! Ugh, this show sucks!

Bootler : I was as shocked as the other players when I learned the news... Or was I?

Noki : Monty seemed pretty serious when he told us that we would lose another player that night... I prayed to obtain the exemption, because I knew that the game was moving on fast, and I really needed it.

…

The players had decided to explore the mansion together, despite Jojora's reluctance, and were now looking at the paintings of ghosts, displayed in a gallery. Some of them were not paying attention to the visit and opted for reviewing their journal entries. That was the case of Jojora.

"Jojora, why are you writing in your journal?" questioned Birdo. "Can't you stop for a minute and join us?"

"No."

"That was blunt," laughed Toad. He was quickly silenced by one of Jojora's death glares. "I'm going to...errr...watch more paintings. Do you want to come, Bootler?"

Bootler raised an eyebrow at first, clearly not understanding why Toad would require his presence, but quickly returned to his normal attitude as he realized why Toad had called him. "It would be an honor," acquiesced the old Boo.

Mario looked at them warily and was ready to follow them when Jojora stopped writing. "Honestly girls. Do you think you'll make it to the next round if you don't focus?"

"Oh please Jojora, don't think we're stupid. We all know that you aren't the 'real' Jojora. Chucklissa told us that you were the exact opposite of what you are right now. Stop being so strategic and enjoy yourself, for once!"

"I'm not being myself? Funny. I guess there's no helping you, huh? I'll see you later during the reunion show," she smiled innocently, before walking out of the room.

Jojora : Birdo and Noki expect to make it to the final round without doing a thing. Well, hello there! Earth to the Moon! You won't get anywhere if you don't start to take this game seriously!

Noki was hurt. "Does she really think that we're stupid? Because I'll show her that I'm not! I'll make it to the finals and win the game and then she will be sorry!" exclaimed the blue-shelled girl.

"Please don't take it personally," Mario finally spoke up. "You know how she is, she doesn't like when things don't go her way."

Noki raised an eyebrow. "Why are you in an alliance with her when you clearly don't have the same mindset?"

Mario glanced at the painting of a ghost he had seen before, Madame Clairvoya, smiled a little and responded to Noki. "Why don't you ask yourself why you are in an alliance with Birdo?"

"Mmh... It doesn't really answer her question, Mario," piped in Birdo.

Mario chuckled. "Oh yes it does. The reason why I'm in an alliance with Jojora is exactly the same as the one which unites the both of you. I'll give you a clue. We're not in an alliance because we are friends."

"Why are you so cryptic?" asked a bewildered Birdo.

Mario raised an eyebrow and smiled flirtatiously. "Because women always fall for the mysterious type."

The three of them burst out laughing. Farther into the gallery were Toad and Bootler, also discussing strategy.

"That's weird... The painting of Bogmire isn't on display," noted Toad. "Anyway, I actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to join forces with me, as we're the last two competitors without an alliance. I really think it would benefit us in the long run," Toad explained carefully, hoping to receive a positive answer.

"That could be a game changing move for me and I do not know whether it would result in a good or a bad ending... What I do know, however, is that unless we become allies, our chances to make it to the last episode would be very thin. We are in an agreement, aren't we?"

Bootler : I have a small suspicion on Toad, which is why I also agreed to form an alliance with him. I also feel like, by making this deal, I am securing my place in the final.

"Yes we are!" smiled Toad, shaking Bootler's hand. "Oh shoot, the others are coming! Do as if nothing had happened," demanded Toad in a whisper.

Mario, Noki and Birdo joined Bootler and Toad, and together, they resumed their visit of the mansion.

…

The players, with their host, were having dinner in King Boo's mansion, their meal prepared by the best cook of the abode. After having gone through some much trouble earlier, during their challenge, they were particularly happy to sit down and relax, even though their fear of the approaching execution was still present. When they had almost finished their meal, Monty Mole cleared his throat and clapped his hand together.

A pair of Boo came to him, pushing a big wheel behind the host's chair. Immediately, the six contestants grew tense.

"Oh my," Noki whispered to herself, "Is that what I think it is?"

Birdo closed her eyes. "Yes, here comes the wheel of fortune."

"Birdo, if that was a pun let me tell you that it sucked," Toad laughed.

"So you found me out, eh? My jokes are really lame," agreed Birdo, trying to lighten the mood.

Jojora rolled her eyes. "Can we please get to the point? I'm anxious."

Monty Mole nodded. "Toad, Noki, Jojora and Birdo. One of you will win an exemption, as I told you earlier this morning. I don't have much to say about that so... Mario, Bootler, who wants to spin the wheel?"

Bootler glanced at Mario. "We do not want to spin it. You are the host, you should be spinning it. I am sure that the others are thinking the same thing."

"Alright, I guess you don't want to take such a big responsibility," shrugged the host. "I'll spin it."

All the eyes were fixed on the wheel as Monty Mole spun it with all his might. It turned for a long while and finally stopped on the picture of one particular player.

"Yes!" she cheered as she claimed her prize.

Mario could not help but groan.

Mario : The person who deserved the exemption the least, Birdo, got it! That's so unfair! She shouldn't have won that, I should have said that I didn't agree with their choice back then, but then they would have seen me as suspicious! Ugh... This sucks.

Monty Mole summed up the situation. "Tonight, Birdo is safe from execution, which means that one of you five will be eliminated. I wish you the best of luck. Birdo, it seems that you are finished. Do you want to take the quiz first?"

Birdo rose from her chair and followed Monty Mole to the next room to take her questionnaire.

…

1. What is the Mole's gender?

-Male

-Female

Birdo : I suspect two particular players right now, so I'll base my quiz on them. Even though I know I'm safe, I should take this test seriously, as I probably won't be protected next execution...

2. During Episode 1, from which helicopter did the Mole get off?

-First Helicopter

-Second Helicopter

-Third Helicopter

-Fourth Helicopter

-Fifth Helicopter

3. What is the number of the Mole's journal?

-1

-2

-3

-4

-6

-8

Toad : These questions made me think... I've changed so much since I first got off from that helicopter... Thinking about it, it's not only I who changed but also my suspicions as well as the game. It has only been a little more than one week that we're playing, but it feels like months. This game is moving fast, but I think I have a chance to make it to the end.

4. During Episode 2, which mission did the Mole partake in?

-Floral Composition

-Twenty Thousand Bucks Under The Sheep

5. During Episode 3, was the Mole offered an exemption during the Challenge Feet Versus Wheels?

-Yes

-No

Mario : I found it a bit fishy that the questions were taking us back all the way to the first episodes. Also, I found it quite strange that there were so many filler questions... I don't know, it was...strange.

6. During Episode 4, was the Mole able to bring back a loved one?

-Yes

-No

Noki : I remember how frustrated I was, when I learned that Jojora failed such an easy task, especially after hearing from Birdo how she did that. Bootler was also very strange during that challenge, it was obvious sabotage. I think it was...

7. During Episode 5, was the Mole one of the four players chosen to obtain an exemption?

-Yes

-No

Jojora : It sucks that I didn't win it, even though it was just about luck. Now that a dumb competitor won it, I have more chances to get executed. The good point is that I most likely won't be executed.

8. What is the Mole's job?

-Plumber

-Air Hostess

-Butler

-Fashion Designer

-Sculptor

-Gardener

9. What is the Mole's last name?

-Teeheena

-Mario

-Phalloïde

-Delphis

-Majordome

-Ribbon

Bootler : All games have their twists and we just experienced one. Who knew that we would have two executions consecutively?

10. Who is the Mole?

-Noki

-Bootler

-Birdo

-Toad

-Mario

-Jojora

…

The time had come, for another player to leave the game. Six chairs were disposed outside of King Boo's mansion, in front of the usual execution screen. It was a cold night, so everyone had put on a coat before meeting up with Monty Mole. One by one, the players sat down on the chairs, watching their surroundings with anxiety. The eerie mansion was ten times more frightening during nighttime, the cries of the crows amplifying the dark atmosphere. Trying to divert their attention toward the host, the players could not help but feel like someone watched them, from the forest.

"Welcome to your fifth execution, as you may already know, the person who scored the lowest on the questionnaire will be executed from the game, with no way of ever returning back. Now that that's said, Birdo won an exemption, so she's safe and will partake in the sixth episode. I'll call you one by one, by alphabetical order, this time. Let's begin."

Birdo knew that her name would be the first one called, so she prepared herself. "Birdo," Monty Mole called.

Birdo stood up from her position and quickly made her way toward the host, inserting the exemption in the slot.

B-I-R-D-O

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

She nodded to herself and went back to her seat.

"Bootler," continued the host.

Bootler rose from his chair and walked toward the screen, as calm as ever.

B-O-O-T-L-E-R

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

He let out a sigh of relief and regained his chair.

"Jojora," pursued Monty Mole.

Jojora stood up and walked confidently toward Monty Mole, a smug smile on her face.

J-O-J-O-R-A

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

"Mario!" Monty Mole exclaimed dramatically.

The Mushroom Kingdom's hero followed the example of the three persons who were previously called, his face showing signs of nervousness.

M-A-R-I-O

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

"We're now down to two competitors. Let's continue. Noki."

Noki gulped nervously and made her way to the screen, biting her nails.

N-O-K-I

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

Noki was shocked but relieved. She turned to Toad and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Toad," finished Monty Mole.

Toad looked resigned and walked toward Monty Mole proudly.

T-O-A-D

…

…

…

…

…

GREEN

"Mmmh... You're sure this thing is working?" questioned Toad, baffled. The others were all surprised as well, except for Jojora.

"Pff, you guys are way too gullible, this is why I'm saying from the very beginning that this game will be a piece of cake," she gloated.

"Which means?" inquired Noki, raising an eyebrow.

"Which means that, had you paid attention to what Monty Mole had said at the beginning, you wouldn't have freaked out about your possible execution."

"Pardon me to interrupt, but were you not the one who left because you wanted to be well prepared for the quiz?" asked Bootler.

Jojora laughed. "Oh please. I tell you that I knew from the very beginning that it was fake. I just didn't want to spoil the fun for you guys. Well, whatever I guess, I had my fun. If you guys had listened, you should have known that three exemptions could have been won during this episode. However, we clearly only had the opportunity to win two of them, hence why this episode isn't over yet."

"I also remembered the fact that three exemptions had not been proposed during that episode, but Monty Mole confused me so much that I actually thought it was real," realized Bootler.

Monty Mole applauded. "Well, that was a remarkable explanation Jojora, and you were right all along. Tonight, you guys only took the first part of your quiz. The second part will be for tomorrow." He paused a minute. "Well, you must be tired, so why wouldn't we go back to our hotel?"

His suggestion received various positive answers, so they decided to walk back to their hotel.