PrincessRosalinaFanboy : Haha! Well, I personally like Pauline's design, but I do admit that there's something weird about her hair in Nintendo's Official Fanarts (or her cheeks). I sincerely hope they would consider putting her in their latest games, like Mario Party 9 or whatever (even as a minor character) instead of creating stupid characters like Queen Bee. And I can see why you would think like Jojora. So Noki's your pick for the Mole? Hopefully, she won't be executed in this chapter. ^^ Thanks for the review, it's always appreciated. ^^
Champ : Yup, I understand. It's not confusing on the one hand because the rules are clearly stated, but it is confusing on the other hand because the players themselves are confused and don't know where to begin. We'll see if your suspicion of the executed character was correct at the end of the chapter. ^^ It's strange how you can come to like her character that you completely disliked in a story. That happens to me a lot. Well, I hope you like the chapter. And thank you for the review, by the way!
Previously, on the Mole, the players managed to identify correctly four journal entries over six, gaining an additional fifteen thousand coins into the team pot, all thanks to Jojora's quick thinking. The next day, the players mingled in the morning and after lunch they met up with Monty Mole outside of their hotel. There, the host asked them to write a list with the players' names. The person at the top of the list would be the one they wanted to see with them on the final episode, while the one at the bottom would be the one they did not want to see make the final three. Eventually, Monty Mole revealed that the player whom mostly everyone wanted with them on the final episode would have a special role for the next mission. Being the chosen one, Toad was blindfolded and taken to a secret location, whereas the host explained the goal of the mission to the remaining players : they were to elucidate clues that they would later transmit to Toad so that he could join them at Mystery Mansion with five peculiar objects in hands. The game had already started and the players were all confused, would then even manage to add five thousand coins to their team pot?
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
27 : Spooky Condemnation
Toad was rubbing his hands, trying to warm himself. He had been waiting on the same bench he had started at for quite some time now, and was not sure as to what his next move should be. The night was cold at Horror Land, and being caught off-guard, he had no time to prepare accordingly to his surroundings.
"What are they doing?" he asked to himself, exasperated. "I'm freezing!" Suddenly, he heard Bootler's voice at the end of the line and quickly put his walkie-talkie to his ear. "Oh please, tell me you found something!"
"Unfortunately, no," came Bootler's voice, sounding oddly discouraged. "Which is why we took the initiative to consult you."
Toad raised an eyebrow, flabbergasted. "That's fine and dandy, but I don't know anything. I haven't left my bench and I'm currently cursing my bad luck, so how could I help you?"
Bootler coughed. "Jojora found a clue, but we do not understand it. So far, we have uncovered the words hidden behind anagrams, so we wanted to know if they somehow rang a bell to you in view of the fact that you are the only one here who is knowledgeable about the area."
Toad : Honestly, Bootler wanted me to figure out his little clue, but that was stupid. I was freezing and alone whereas the two girls and he were in a warm place and had three brains to figure it out.
"Fine, fire away," Toad directed nonchalantly.
"As you wish. 'Indecisive', 'Klutzy', 'Nacelle', 'Originate', 'Whiner', 'Seagull'," the ghost enumerated.
Toad shook his head in disbelief. "I can't help you, it's a bunch of random words. Besides, I assume that you looked at the map trying to find a place related to those words, aren't I right? So if you didn't find anything, neither will I."
"I see," muttered Bootler, almost inaudibly. "Oh well, apparently, Jojora found something else, so I will leave you for now-"
Toad interrupted him. "No, stay in line, maybe I'll be able to help you as long as you explain everything to me at the same time."
…
Bootler made his way toward the commotion, thanking his ability to float over the various items which were lying messily on the floor. Noki and Jojora were already debating on the uselessness of the clue when he arrived.
"So," started the ghost, "may you be so kind as to tell me why you think it is a clue?" Bootler questioned.
"Hey, tell me what it looks like!" demanded Toad, since he could not see the supposed clue from where he was.
"Oh yes, of course! Well, it's a brown treasure chest with a yellow pattern on it," Bootler summed up. Toad did not reply, he seemed to be deep in thought.
"Well, I'm not sure, but look inside, there are tons of mushrooms," Jojora pointed out, opening the treasure chest. "Mushrooms, and Toad is a mushroom. To me, it seems like there's a connection between the two." Noki was thinking hard and gave a strange look at the chest. Bootler noticed this.
"Noki? Did you find something?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I might be onto something... Jojora, give me the map please," besought the blue-shelled girl. Jojora raised an eyebrow but did as she was asked. "Thank you," Noki stated, taking another look at the words they had unscrambled. Then, she glanced at the instruments from afar, and after that, she focused her attention on the treasure chest lying before her.
Jojora imitated her, wondering what the inhabitant of Isle Delfino could have remarked. "Well? Spill the beans!" she shouted, tapping her foot against the floor repeatedly.
"I think I found a way to discover what's a clue and what isn't," declared the blue Noki. Toad heard that through the walkie-talkie and was interested in her discovery.
"Please share!"
Noki laughed a little. "Just so you know, it's only a theory. Look at this map, we found out six anagrams, correct? One of them was 'Nacelle', right?"
"Well, I can't be sure seeing that I'm not here with you but-"
Jojora glared at the device Bootler held in his hand. "Shut up Toad, nobody asked you!"
Bootler put the palm of his hand on his forehead and motioned for Noki to continue her explanation. "Thank you, Bootler. At least someone pays attention. Anyway, as I was saying, we have the word 'Nacelle' and a bunch of anagrams. Don't you remember something involving those two things? To me, it seems oddly reminiscent of the challenge we played in Toad's Midway Madness."
Jojora frowned slightly. "Sure, but it could be a coincidence."
Noki shook her head. "Three coincidences look more like a similitude to me. Look at this chest! The second challenge involved a treasure hunt. And now, look at the instruments over there. Don't they remind you of last episode?"
Jojora : Noki kept finding little clues like this one which confused me because they were far-fetched. It's weird because she's always the one who finds these clues.
Bootler : I must admit, Noki impressed me. Her theories were contrived, however, they made sense and actually helped us during the challenge. I always noticed that she was much more smarter than everyone was giving her credit for, even though I cannot help but question the boundaries between intelligence and previous knowledge of the task at hand.
"Hmmm, if I may?" asked Toad.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me what sort of objects were in the treasure chest. Apart from the mushrooms, I mean."
Jojora opened the chest another time and began to make its inventory. "Well, there's a strange rainbow block with a question mark on it, some sort of mauve bell, a yellow key and – is this a bomb?" she screamed, dropping the item.
Toad chuckled at the other end of the walkie-talkie. "Don't worry, that's a Bowser Bomb, it won't explode. And Bootler, you told me there was a yellow pattern on the chest. Can you tell me if it represents an arrow?"
"It does!" Bootler exclaimed, surprised. "How did you know?"
"That's a Plunder Chest, an item which first appeared during 'Mario Party 2'," replied Toad. Noki clapped her hands and spoke next to Bootler.
"Then that means that your first stop is the item shop, right? There's only one in this world, apparently," the girl blurted out as she scanned the map, looking for the shop. "There it is!"
"I see it too!" Toad yelled. "Well, I better get going!"
Toad : Bootler's description of the Plunder Chest was very vague, which is why it took me a long time to realize what it truly was. Had he been clear from the beginning, we could have saved a few valuable minutes.
…
Toad checked his map and determined his course. He knew that he could be here faster if he was to cut through the thick grass, however, he would have no guarantee concerning his position, and the mushroom knew he was prone to getting lost.
"Well, either I take this shortcut, or I follow the normal path with directions," Toad whispered to himself, weighing the pros and cons of his action. "However, if I follow the marked path, I'll know that I'm in the right direction thanks to the Koopa Banks."
He folded his map and put it inside his pocket. Flashlight in hand, he began to run at a moderate speed, knowing that the key of success of this challenge was to pace himself. The mushroom boy kept on running until he passed the first Koopa Bank. From there, he had to go straight until he reached a small altar which first served as the starting point of this former adventure board.
Turning his head to his right, he found the second bank, and smiled to himself. "All right, I'm on the right track!" Knowing that his objective was near in sight, Toad ran at full speed toward the shop. He knocked on the door and immediately entered, not bothering to wait for an answer. An old Boo shopkeeper with curly gray hair welcomed him.
"Hello, how may I help you?" croaked the old woman, smiling and showing her missing teeth.
Toad rubbed the back of his forehead and tried to speak coolly, failing epically. "Hmm, I'm from a game show and I'm supposed to get something from your shop, I think?"
His interlocutor closed her eyes, nodding. "Well, I do have the item you need, but do you have mine?"
Toad : That was when it dawned on me. The others had forgotten to tell me the item I needed to bring back to Mystery Mansion. Maybe they didn't know it themselves, nevertheless, it was suspicious.
…
Jojora, being the nearest from the hand-held device, decided to answer it. "Yeah? It's Jojora."
"I know that, I mean, I'm not stupid, I can recognize your voice," Toad retorted. "Anyway, I'm inside the shop and the shopkeeper tells me that I need to bring her something, do you have any clue?"
Jojora : What was unnerving was the fact that we didn't know what Toad was doing. He could have been doing a great job, just like he could have been sabotaging, we'll never know.
"Hold on," the fairy told him, hopping over various items. She went toward Noki and Bootler who were still trying to find out the relevance of the anagrams. "Toad said the shopkeeper told him to fetch her an item, but he doesn't know what item."
"Well, that's problematic," Bootler sighed, scratching his chin. "Oh, I have an idea! Let us check one more time the items inside the treasure chest," he proposed. "The answer might be there."
Noki nodded and stood up. She and Bootler opened the chest and told Toad what were the items inside. "Red and golden mushrooms, rainbow block, Bowser costume, yellow key, purple bell, Bowser bomb, magic lamp-" She was interrupted by Toad.
"Hey!" they heard him say, "do I need to bring you a magic lamp? Really? Cool! Hey guys, that's what I need, a magic lamp! Where can I find one?"
Noki and Bootler glanced at each other, shrugging while Jojora took the map from them and studied it carefully. "There's a tiny village near Mystery Mansion, try to ask the people who live there," she suggested smartly.
Noki : Jojora wasn't even sure that there was a magic lamp in the village, but she told Toad to go there anyway. She could have tried to make us lose time. Not to mention that she didn't help much during the challenge.
After they had received a positive reply from Toad, Bootler, Noki and Jojora went back to their clue hunt. "This game is much harder than I thought," Noki smiled to herself.
Jojora scoffed. "Not really. Once you get the gist of it, you're pretty much settled for victory."
Bootler gave her a weird stare. He then decided to ignore the anagram and to look at the instrument formation, rubbing his temples.
Bootler : I knew that somehow, the answer to this puzzle was simple. It was so close and yet so far.
At the moment where he was going to say something, he heard Noki's shoot and faced her. "What is it?"
"I knows!" she yelled in an elated tone. Bootler shook his head, chuckling to himself.
"Now, now, Noki. Now is not the time to use improper grammar," he berated jokingly. Noki shook her head. She was so excited about her discovery that she did not get the old Boo's jest.
"'I knows' is the acrostic hidden in those words! Take the first letter of each unscrambled word and that's what you get," Noki explained. "It's like, 'Marvelous, Awesome, Robust, Intelligent, Outstanding'. Take the first letter of each word and it will give the name 'Mario'."
Bootler's eyes widened. "I see! How clever of them!" he praised. "This message must be the clue! Let us try to find out what it means, we are finally nearing the truth." Both contestants agreed and turned their full attention to the back of the map.
…
Toad knew that he could not afford to waste any time, which was why he was running. He was not running at his maximum speed, but he was still quite fast. With only a flashlight in his hands, he was not burdened with any weight and that allowed him to maintain his pace. In soon time, he faced Horror Land's only village and smiled, hopeful.
"Where to, now?" he mused. Taking a few steps forward, he was hit with realization as he saw another shop, much sober than the previous one, called the 'Genie's Den'. "So there wasn't only one shop..."
He climbed the stairs, knocked on the door and opened it, finding himself in a strange abode. On his right side, Cauldrons were bubbling and their contents were a strange purple color. On his left, multiple types of strange ingredients, ranging from Poison Mushrooms to Subcon Potions, lied on shelves. Toad naturally deduced that he was in an apothecary's shop.
"Hello, is someone here?" he tried, eyeing the dangerous mixtures with caution. Suddenly, someone appeared at the counter, startling Toad.
"Hey, can I help you?" questioned the purple Swooper, intrigued by Toad. The mushroom coughed loudly.
"I'm from this game, called the Mole. And I need to bring a magic lamp to the old lady at the other shop outside your village," explained Toad. "So basically, I was wondering if you had one that you'd be willing to give me."
"And I do have one!" grinned the apothecary. "Here, take it," he handed the golden lamp to Toad.
"Wow, thank you! Well, I'll be going now! Thanks again!"
As he closed the door, he immediately darted toward the item shop, remembering perfectly the path he had just used.
…
"Ugh! Where's the final exemption of the game?" groaned Jojora, tossing a painting carelessly to the side. "I've been looking for at least an hour now!"
Noki sighed. "Maybe it's time to face the truth, Jojora, there's no exemption in this mansion, and there might be no exemption at all," she speculated. "Besides, I thought you knew who the Mole was. Or was it a lie?"
The ice fairy rolled her eyes. "Hush. I've never had any exemption before, so if anything, I deserve this one. And yes, I know who the Mole is, I just want to stack the odds in my favor, that's all."
"Don't blame us if we lose this challenge then, you're not helping at all."
Jojora narrowed her eyes. "Who was the one who found two of the three clues so far? It was me, so think before you speak." Suddenly, she stopped and took another look at the painting she had just thrown on the floor. "A painting? Could it be our next clue?"
The painting represented a purple ghost which seemed to melt into the ground. Behind him stood his horrific shadow, which strangely did not have the same posture as the ghost, as if the shadow had a mind of its own. Jojora picked up the painting and made her way toward Bootler.
"Are you familiar with this painting?" she questioned.
"Why yes! I think I have seen it somewhere before, but I would not be able to tell you where," he apologized. "Why do you ask?"
Jojora shrugged. "I have a feeling this is another clue. Look, it's a painting, or, in a sense, a masterpiece. And it represents a ghost. Since we are in Horror Land, I think there's some sort of connection."
Bootler : Jojora did not help much during the challenge, however, she was the one who found most of the hidden clues, strangely. That was highly suspicious, considering the fact that she did not care about the challenge in the first place.
Jojora : Whenever you ask Bootler something, he'll respond with an answer as vague as possible. Yet, he always looks like he knows what's going on, which is find of fishy if you ask me. That and his secretive personality make me think about his real position in the game.
Suddenly, before they could utter a few more words, they heard Noki speaking inside the walkie-talkie and decided to what she had to say to Toad. "Toad! The next item you need to find is near the village! You have to ask Mr.I, I'm sure that's what the clue means."
"What?" they heard Toad's voice from the communication device. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier? I'm already headed toward the shop! In fact, I see it in the distance."
"Well, sorry but I'm doing my best," Noki justified herself. "And if you look closely at your map, you should see that there is another Mr.I located near the shop so really, no need to be upset."
"Alright, sorry, it's just that running around randomly isn't my forte," Toad replied. "Well, I'm entering the shop now, talk to you later!"
…
Toad : Just as I was reaching the shop, Noki called me and told me that there was another item on the outskirts of the village. I kind of doubt that the clues were so hard that she, Bootler and Jojora couldn't understand them in a short lapse of time. That was way too coincidental.
This time, Toad did not knock on the door and entered calmly, a smile on his lips as he showed the magic lamp to the old Boo. She smiled back, showing her wrinkles.
"I see that you have brought the magic lamp," she pronounced in a low voice. "Take this, this is the item you are looking for." The Boo lady gave him a music box on which was a single black musical note. The mushroom took it and spun the handle, releasing an eerie music in the air.
"Nice melody, huh?" smiled the owner of the shop. Toad returned the smile, although it was not sincere.
"Yeah, well, I have to go now! Bye!" he yelled hurriedly as he escaped through the front door. He did not have to travel much to reach Mr.I's place. He directed his flashlight toward the circular stone and moved around it in a circle, to make the Mr.I appear. After five minutes, he decided that it was enough.
"Obviously, he isn't here. Awesome," he muttered to himself sarcastically. Pushing the single button of his walkie-talkie, he spoke clearly. "Noki, I'm heading toward the other Mr.I, the one who lives near Mystery Mansion."
"What about the other one?"
"Well, he isn't here so there's not much I can do. Talk to you later." He pocketed the communication device and started running at full speed toward Mystery Mansion, cursing his bad luck.
…
"What did he say?" inquired Bootler who was studying the painting Jojora had found, a few feet away from her . Noki kept staring at the music instruments and took a moment to reply.
"He told me that it was the wrong place, nothing else," shrugged the blue-shelled girl. Jojora walked to them, empty-handed.
"I didn't find the last clue," she exposed. "I think I'll help you for the time being, since I don't have anything else to do."
"You're finally giving up on that exemption, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm not giving up. But maybe you're right. Maybe there's no exemption in this mansion," she stated her eyes closed. "Anyway, if you want my two cents on that painting, I'd say it's somehow related to King Boo Mansion. You know, when we visited the art gallery after the challenge?" she recalled.
Bootler sent her a suspicious glance. "I do not recall you looking at the paintings in that art gallery," he pointed out.
Jojora scoffed, still looking intently at the purple ghost. "Well, what did you think I was doing? Of course I looked at the paintings, I mean, I studied arts for crying out loud!"
Bootler : I did wonder at the time whether Jojora had slipped up or not. I knew for a fact that she did come with us at the beginning of the visit, however, as far as I remembered, she left as soon as the occasion presented itself. We have no definite proof that she came back at a later time.
"This is so not what I had imagined for the last mission of the penultimate episode," complained Jojora, crouching down on the floor, bored. "Where's the excitement?"
"You're behaving like a child," Noki could not help saying, turning her attention to the problem at hand.
…
Toad panted heavily as he skidded to a halt. He almost fell in the mud but thankfully, he managed to catch himself and used his arms to regain his balance. The mushroom waved his flashlight around, catching a glimpse of a stone which resembled the one he had seen earlier. Tiptoeing his way toward it, he suddenly took a step back as a Mr.I appeared before his eyes.
"Hello sir, I assume you are from The Mole, aren't you?" questioned the big clue eye. Toad only nodded in reply, unable to utter a single word. "Well, I would be disposed to reward you with what you need, unfortunately you can't take the easy way in your game, or can you?" he carried on, his speech sounding refine.
"What do you imply?" Toad narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me I have to fetch you something. Please don't," he could only hope. The Mr.I seemed to smile for a moment, or so Toad thought, seeing that he did not have a mouth.
"Fear not my friend! My goal isn't to be a nuisance to you, actually, it's quite the contrary." Toad blinked, speechless. "I am going to ask you one question, very easy for you to figure out, might I add! What is my greatest fear?"
Toad : Right, easy question.
"I'd say... Sharp things?" guessed the mushroom, randomly. The Mr.I closed his eye and shook his head.
"Why no! Take another guess!" he exclaimed energetically. Toad put both hands on his head, thinking furiously.
"Err... Tweezers?"
The giant eye blinked. "Hmm, not quite."
"Bugs?"
"Not at all!"
"Candies?"
"Why are you spewing nonsense?"
"Sorry!" Toad grinned sheepishly. "Truth to be told, I have no idea so I'm just taking wild guesses." The contestant then felt something in his pocket. "Oh, I'm so stupid!" Taking out his walkie-talkie, he tried to contact one of the other three players. "Hey, could someone help me?"
In soon time, he heard the other walkie-talkie being manipulated and heard Noki's voice. "It's me again Toad, what is it?"
"I'm in front of our second obstacle. The Mr.I asked me what was his greatest fear. Obviously, I don't know, but I thought you might have had a clue, like you did before with the magic lamp," he replied.
Noki was silent for a moment, it took her at least fifteen seconds to answer. "Well... Maybe he's afraid of seagulls. That was one of the words we unscrambled a few moments ago. Either that or whiners, though that would be very strange."
"Thanks!" Toad cut the conversation short and turned to the blue eye. "Your greatest fear...could it involve seagulls?"
Toad's interlocutor nodded his head. "Correct! I'm glad you were able to find it. Look behind me, there should be an animal inside a cage, this is your next item." Toad nodded and did as we was told. Behind the Mr.I was a frog.
"Oh man, I don't feel like doing this to one of my own," he trailed off, looking sorry for the poor animal.
"Don't worry, Monty Mole assured me that they would release the frog afterward!" reassured the eye. "I'll be seeing you!" Toad nodded absent-mindedly.
"I'll call you Toad Jr!" decided the mushroom, talking to the frog. It only cawed in response.
…
Bootler put the hand-held communication device back in place and focused his attention on the instrument formation. "Toad told me that he has succeeded in obtaining his second item, and asked us to hurry up a little."
Noki acquiesced, looking intensely at the musical instrument. Suddenly she reached for the map and shouted victoriously. "Guys, look at the map, there are musical instruments here! I think it's Toad's new destination!" she smiled victoriously. Bootler glanced at her nervously.
"I had realized that," he told her. "However, are we convinced that it is not one of the many red herrings this game contains?" Noki tilted her head.
"You think it's too good to be true?" Bootler nodded. "Well, you're right, but we don't have anything else so we might as well try. Besides, we must hurry or else we could lose this whole challenge. I'm going to inform Toad!"
"That's completely stupid and pointless!" Jojora remarked, putting her hands in the air, exasperated. "We don't even know what Toad has to bring back! So okay, let's say that he goes there. What's next?"
Jojora : Noki was making a stupid decision, and Bootler knew it, yet he didn't oppose much resistance. Do I think it's fishy? Heck yes!
"We'll know when he gets here," Noki declared, waving her off. Bootler shrugged.
"She has a point."
Bootler : Jojora was raising too many objections in my opinion. While I also thought that Noki's approach of the challenge was a controversial issue, she at least suggested something, which was the right thing to do, considering we were lost.
Noki : I was slightly suspicious of Toad because we couldn't see what he was doing. For all we knew, he could have made us lose time on purpose by taking indirect paths. Even worse, he could have been dilly-dallying without us knowing.
…
The mushroom had finally reached the place where the instruments were located, which was not far away from his starting point. Sighing to himself, he started to examine the violin. Feeling the fabric, he tried to see if there was something hidden on the instrument, to no avail.
"Well, let's not waste any time."
Toad went to the trumpet and put his hand inside it. The trumpet swallowed his arm entirely but Toad never found anything inside it. Frowning, he decided to inspect the trumpet closer, manipulating it from various angles. Once again, his hopes were shattered. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Still nothing," he muttered, puzzled. Gulping he turned toward the piano. Since he could clearly see that there was nothing on its surface, he wasted no time and began to crawl under it. It took him a while to examine the underside of the big piano thoroughly and when he emerged from under it, he was still without an item, raising to his feet, the mushroom banged his head against the piano.
"Ow!" he howled in pain. "That hurts!"
Suddenly, the light of his flashlight disappeared for less than a second, surprising him. "Okay, what's happening now?" He set his eyes on his device and then decided to shrug it off. "Hey, Noki?" he called through the walkie-talkie.
Bootler was the one who replied. "No Toad, this is Bootler. What is the matter?"
"There's nothing in the instruments," Toad told him.
"Oh, really?" After what felt like minutes, Bootler let out a small sound. "Oh Toad, sorry, we misled you! Not by much, but we did! I have in front of me four instruments, strangely disposed. However, if I were to add one more instrument to this creation, for example, a flute, I would see before me the same instruments we were supposed to find last episode!" explained the old butler rapidly. "Moreover, the instruments would then form a circle! Take a look at your surroundings and head toward a fire. I will give you further instructions once you are there."
Toad : That was very odd. Bootler and Noki always found the solutions to my problems, only it was always too late. We could have saved time, had they been correct from the beginning. Oh, and Jojora was being her usual self, she didn't help at all.
Toad walked toward the big flame and waited. All of a sudden two Boo and two Mr.I appeared, scaring him. "Woah!"
"Hi man!" greeted one of the Boo. "We're a band! Try to match the instruments with their owner! Do so and you'll win an awesome prize!" he exclaimed with a wink. Five musical instruments appeared before Toad.
"Okay Bootler," Toad spoke, "I'm supposed to give one instrument to each of the musicians. Kind of reminiscent of one of our previous challenges, huh?"
Bootler chuckled at the other end of the line. "Toad, if my assumptions are correct, there should be a musician located behind the others. Give him a trumpet. Then, you should see another musician located to your left. Give him a violin."
"Okay... Trumpet for you," he gave the Mr.I at the back said item. "And violin for you," he smiled, entrusting the Boo with the violin. "What next?"
"Return to where the instruments are located. Give a saxophone to the musician on your left and a guitar to the one on your right," Bootler directed. Toad complied and soon, he found himself with a flute.
"There are four of you, yet five instruments lied on the ground," he mused. "Alright!" He grabbed the flute and positioned himself on the opposite side of the Boo who had a violin. The four musicians clapped for his success.
"Congratulations, take this Magical Flute, it's one of the items you need!" smiled the leader of the group. Toad thanked them, picked up the cage where was the frog and the music box.
However, as he was leaving, his eyes darted toward his flashlight. It was off. Fumbling around, the mushroom tried to activate it so that he would at least know where he was placing his feet, unfortunately he had no success. The battery was dead.
"Bootler, we have a problem."
…
Toad was rushing toward Mystery Mansion, holding the most valuable items of the game. With the flashlight officially out-of-order, the four players had unanimously decided that Toad had to come back before their allotted time was over. Furthermore, the night was dark, and navigating without any source of light was no easy feat. The mushroom trudged along the patio and finally stopped in front of the building. Something, or rather, someone, was deliberately blocking his path.
A final obstacle needed to be braved. An obstacle which would test Toad's moral, his determination, as well as how much he valued teamwork.
"Why hello there," welcomed a mystical voice, belonging to a blue Boo with long blond hair, part of which covered her left eye. Two red hairpins were holding her lock perfectly. "My, you sure are quiet, did you lose your tongue?" giggled the individual.
Before Toad was standing season two's winner, Boonty Ghoste. Toad did not know what to say. "You're...the previous winner..."
Toad : It was unreal. I was flabbergasted, I had no idea that Boonty Ghoste would wait for me at the entrance of the mansion. I felt so special... And privileged in a way.
Boonty ran her hand in her hair. "That I am." She then crossed her arms. "And I have a little something for you... Something... That could help you achieve what I accomplished before you," she murmured as if she was casting a spell.
Toad caught a glimpse of a green glimmer in her hand. "That's...!"
She waved an exemption card in front of him. "Pretty much. The final exemption of this game... Just for you. There is a catch, however," she suddenly withdrew her hand.
Toad raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch then?"
"In this case, it's a trade. Give me your relics and I'll give you the exemption. It's only fair, don't you think?" she smiled, twirling the card in her hand. Toad looked tempted. "So, what will your choice be? Shall friendship prevail against greediness? Or will temptation ruin everything? The cards are dealt."
Toad looked at Boonty, and then he watched Toad Jr. Gulping, he made his decision. "This game's all about decisions. You're playing with people that you don't really know. At first, you think this game's about teamwork, that you're playing with everyone in order to win the money." Boonty stayed silent and nodded, remembering her own game.
"But then, over the course of time, as the number of players dwindles, you begin to realize that you're not playing for everyone. You're only playing for yourself. At each execution, someone leaves. This someone is most likely a person that you kicked out of the game, because you scored a higher score than them on the quiz. And when it's down to the wire, you know that you have to take every chances and possibilities that are offered to you," the mushroom pursued. Boonty smiled knowingly, recalling the fact that she had been a very cunning player, and that she had eliminated some of her opponents that way.
"And yet, when you are offered opportunities like this one at the latest stages of the game, you can't help but waver. The players that you regarded as your competition... You begin to see them in a new light. They aren't only your opponents, they are also your friends. And you don't want to backstab your friends, you'll never want to," he finished. "So no, I won't take the exemption. I know who the Mole is and I want to play a fair game."
Boonty could not retain her laughter. "Well said," she winked, opening the door leading to Mystery Mansion. "Your friends are waiting."
…
Bootler, Noki and Jojora waited anxiously before the door leading to the outside of Mystery Mansion. They had heard Toad talking to a person they did not know, they wanted to listen to the exchange, but it did not work. They could only understand snatches of conversation. Suddenly, they backed away, the door had been opened by someone and Toad stepped inside the building, glad his challenge was finally over. Before they could exchange a few words, Monty Mole appeared in the door frame.
Monty Mole grinned as he looked as the players. "Well, I see that Toad managed to reach Mystery Mansion before the sun replaced the moon! So congratulations, the first part of your challenge was a success!" He paused, taking a deep breath. "However, as you know, he also had to return with five different items in his possession. We'll now find out how well he fared."
The host waddled his way to the three different items Toad had brought to the mansion. "I see a frog, a music box and a magical flute which means that you guys earned fifteen thousand coins! Let's applaud for a job well done!" he shouted excitedly.
Challenge's Results :
Money Won : 25 000 – 10 000 = 15 000
Team Pot : 193 000 coins
The players began to clap for their success, but were immediately stopped by Monty Mole who had raised his hand. "A job well done, indeed... But you all need to consider a few things since your next elimination is tonight." At those words, the players felt a sense of dread, reminded of their final execution ceremony.
"Like what?" Jojora asked, annoyed.
"Well, for starters, Toad only brought back three items with him, instead of five. You all need to wonder why that happened. We were monitoring you for the whole duration of the challenge, and we found out that Toad decided to call quits once he saw that his flashlight didn't work anymore. Question is : did he sabotage it?"
"No I didn't!" Toad reacted strongly. "Really, I never dropped it or whatever, it just died on me."
"I heard that Jojora found most of the clues, but that she stopped once she discovered the fourth one. Why did she stop? Maybe she secretly hoped that everyone would dismiss her act of sabotage as a technical difficulty?"
Jojora rolled her eyes. "Enough with the witty statements, we'll all do what we have to do."
"But what about Noki? I heard that she made Toad run from places to places, wasting valuable time in the process. Not to mention that she seemed to be struggling to keep the meaning of the clues to herself."
Noki opened her mouth but she closed it afterward, shaking her head. "Pointing fingers is useless."
"And to conclude, I'd like you to reflect over Bootler's actions during the challenge. When describing the clues he saw before him, he was very vague. He also looked quite like the expert, when solving the last riddle. Suspicious much?"
Bootler let out a chuckle. "Why do you not take the quiz and vote for me then? That way, you would know whether you were correct this entire time..." Monty Mole laughed.
"Well, I'd also want you to meet someone who was privy to this game even before you first stepped off your helicopter back on day one," Monty Mole told them. "Toad already met her." The contestants sent puzzled glances at Toad, who ignored them and fixed the front door.
"Bonjour tout le monde!" greeted Boonty warmly. "I am most honored to see the final four of this game. Quite a diverse cast, if I do say so myself." Jojora's eyes were bulging.
"Boonty Ghoste, winner of season two!" Now, Bootler and Noki understood who she was.
"Our friend, Boonty, asked Toad if he wanted to trade his items for an exemption, thankfully for you he refused." The three players were relieved and thanked him profusely. "Any reason why you refused, Toad?"
Toad rubbed the base of his nose. "Well, let's just say that it would be stupid to play cutthroat now. I've never backstabbed anyone up to today and I don't intend to start now."
"Imagine that you leave the game tonight, how will you feel?" questioned the host. Toad frowned in response.
"Obviously, I'll be mad at myself. What kind of question is that?" Everyone chuckled. Monty turned to Boonty.
"This is our final four, who do you think the Mole is?"
Boonty raised an eyebrow. "Hahaha, as if I would tell you of all people! I know better than to tell you what I truly think..."
Monty Mole blushed as the players laughed at him. "Anyway, any advice for the players?"
Boonty nodded. "Remember everyone, it's a game. A simple game. Don't feel ashamed in yourself if you meet your demise tonight, instead, look at what you've done throughout the adventure and learn of that experience. That's all."
"Thank you Boonty, it was a pleasure to see you again," smiled the host. He then faced the players. "We will have dinner at the Broken Altar restaurant at nine P.M sharp. Feel free to do whatever you want until then! Bye!"
Monty Mole and Boonty left, reminiscing about the past adventure, as the players stared at each other, unsure of what to do. Noki broke the silence. "I know it's not like myself to do this but... I wish you luck everyone. Sorry to leave like this, I really need to look at my journal to take the best decision for tonight." The blue-shelled girl stood up and fled outside the mansion. Soon the others did the same.
…
The players had taken the last three hours to recollect their thoughts as to who the Mole was, and had met up with their host at the Broken Altar as agreed upon. Remarkably, the food establishment was empty, save for a few waiters and waitresses who were preparing the players' dinner table.
Monty Mole led the players inside the picturesque restaurant, looking joyful as he took his place at the end of the table. The others chose their seat and sat down. After choosing what they were going to eat, the players and Monty Mole conversed.
"Soon, there will be three of you," he started, gazing at the kitchen. "With tonight's final execution ceremony, I hope you're all more ready than ever. Remember guys, you're doing this for almost two hundred thousand coins. Surely you'd want to be prepared."
"Thanks for reminding us," Jojora rolled her eyes, tapping her nails against the table. "I had completely forgotten about the wonderful upcoming execution."
"Oh well," shrugged Monty, "I'm only doing what I do best : stating the obvious." The players laughed a sincere laugh, a rare sight in a game like The Mole. They knew that one of them would barely miss on the final and even the Mole was sad that things had to happen that way.
"I don't want to go home," Toad groaned. "I want to keep on playing, even though there are things that bother me in this game from time to time."
Bootler agreed with his coalition partner. "I have a strong suspicion that I might go home tonight, and if that was the case, I would like to thank everyone here for making the game as challenging as ever," he grinned, holding his glass of wine that had just been filled by a waiter. Everyone did the same.
"We've outlasted many players, we should be proud of ourselves," continued Noki.
"Well, I still want to make the final," Jojora noted. "I won't go down without a fight."
"Neither are we," retorted Toad.
"After dinner, each of you will take a quiz of ten questions, as usual, pertaining to the Mole's identity. I wish you luck, but for now..." The host clasped his hands together. "Let's have a good meal."
The players nodded and the group ate mostly in silence, thinking about the upcoming execution.
…
1) What is the Mole's gender?
-Male
-Female
Toad : Taking this final questionnaire, I don't feel fine at all. I have against me three strong opponents, and I know that even if I'm the strongest physically, I'm the weakest mentally. Take Noki for example, she has trouble lifting a fork – okay, I'm exaggerating – but she would beat us in any mental challenge. Perfect cover for the Mole. Weak on the outside, strong on the inside.
2) Who was the Mole paired up with during the Arts VS Craps challenge?
-Jojora
-Toad
-Noki
-Bootler
Jojora : Bootler completely sabotaged the art mission when he didn't mention to me that Toad and Noki were in the other room, doing the same job as us. Thinking about it, I should have known that something was wrong, he was acting all fidgety for no apparent reason.
3) Did McHallyboo select the Mole's creation as the best piece of work?
-Yes
-No
Bootler :Jojora was the one who chose the wrong masterpiece when we were asked to determine which one Toad and Noki had created. She was also the one who decided to be part of the group which was good at arts. In the end, she was the sole responsible for the loss of thirty thousand coins, which is a lot mind you.
4) Did the Mole correctly identify the masterpiece the other team had made?
-Yes
-No
Toad : Coincidentally, Jojora was the one who decided that our masterpiece was the heart-shaped one, while it wasn't the case at all. I heard from Bootler that she immediately discounted our 'ideas sprouting from Man's head' creation. I don't know, I just thought it was suspicious.
Noki : Bootler refused to listen to me. And after the challenge was over, the only thing he could say to justify himself was that he thought me and Toad would get exemptions if we were to make him stop the challenge. That was a very pathetic excuse, and there was no way I was letting it slide.
5) During the Distant Memories mission, how many time did the Mole give the name of the player they thought had written the excerpts to Monty Mole?
-One Time
-Two times
-Three times
-Four Times
-Five Times
-Six Times
Jojora : Just when the odds were not in our favor, Toad suggested that we answer Mario for the next to last journal entry. I mean, there was no way Mario had written this excerpt, so that made me question this mushroom's honesty. He does a lot of idiotic things like this one, which often cost us money.
6) What was the Mole's list?
-Top : Toad ; Middle : Noki ; Bottom : Jojora.
-Top : Bootler ; Middle Toad ; Bottom : Noki.
-Top : Bootler ; Middle Noki ; Bottom : Jojora.
-Top : Toad ; Middle : Jojora ; Bottom : Bootler.
Bootler : Oh, the irony. Monty Mole told us that our list would not be revealed and yet, here they are. While Toad's list does not really alarm me, I cannot help but wonder ; assuming that he is the Mole, would he not know everything about the upcoming challenges? If so, that would make a lot of sense for him to put me at the top of his list, in view of the fact that I am a very slow runner.
7) What did the Mole do during the Antic Relics challenge?
-They searched for clues in the Mansion
-They had to look for items in Horror Land
Toad : Bootler does things in this game, that are really fishy when you think about it. Strangely, there's always something weird that he does during each challenge, but you don't pay it much attention most of the time since his actions are overshadowed by that of the other players. And well, wouldn't it be great for the traitor to float by as blame is put on the others' back?
Noki : While everyone thanks Toad for refusing that exemption, they forget that the reason why we had to stop the challenge was because his flashlight had stopped working. It's The Mole, there's no way the producers didn't check the equipment before giving it to him. That's why I believe that he might have done something to it.
8) Was the Mole offered an exemption during episode seven?
-Yes
-No
Jojora : Bootler seems honorable, which is to his credit. Yet, that could be used as a good mask for the Mole. I'm pretty sure he executed many players because they thought he was your everyday old Boo, but I'll tell you a secret : he's not as innocent as he seems.
9) What is the Mole's job?
-Air Hostess
-Butler
-Gardener
-Sculptor
Bootler : I shall reiterate what I said at the end of the 'Arts versus Craps' challenge. Noki did not try to convince me that she was not playing for an exemption. I did not flee after telling her that I did not believe her, I kept on looking for materials that Jojora wanted to use in our workpiece. However, Noki immediately retreated to her room. She might have done that purposefully to avoid discussion and tell everyone that I refused to listen to her.
10) Who is the Mole?
-Bootler
-Noki
-Jojora
-Toad
Noki : You can't honestly believe that Jojora is innocent. She single-handedly made us lose thirty thousand coins. And that was only during the first challenge of this episode. In the mini-challenge, she proposed wrong answers at least two times and then she made it look like it was thanks to her that we had won. And in the last challenge, she wasn't helping. Actually, she found a pretext so she wouldn't have to help.
…
The moon was very high in the sky, and it shone greatly, illuminating the various white and fluorescent flowers which bordered a small pond. Monty Mole was located in front of this pond, on a gray slate which once served as the abode of Big Boo. He was not here tonight, probably busy stealing stars, which would explain why the sky was so empty. Monty Mole looked at the players as they all passed a row of bags – their belongings – and sat down on the very bench where Toad had started that afternoon's mission.
"Welcome players, to your seventh and last execution," Monty Mole began, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You all know how executions work, when I call your name, you make your way toward the screen. If a green light appears, you are safe and you will be one of our lucky finalists. However, if a red light appears, your game is over, and you have just missed out on the final," he carried on, his tone ominous. "Tonight, nobody but the Mole is safe, everyone is fair game."
Monty Mole paused for a long time before resuming his speech. As he pronounced that line, he looked at the players in the eyes. "In case of a tie, the player who scored the lowest will be executed." Another pause.
"Tonight, we have a tie."
The players glanced at each other. Some of them sighed while others buried their head into their hands.
"Well, everything is settled. Let's begin the ceremony!" he exclaimed, looking at a player in particular. "Toad, earlier today, you had the possibility to earn yourself an exemption. You refused it. Let's see if you made the right choice."
Toad nodded almost imperceptibly and walked toward the screen. He eyed the television with fear. Gulping one last time, he opened his eyes, facing his fate.
T-O-A-D
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
Toad let out a small sigh and went back to his seat, watching each of the remaining contestants. They were all afraid that tonight would be their night.
"Jojora, you were always so confident on the previous quizzes and you were always volunteering to show everyone that you knew who the Mole was," stated the host, playing with his mouse. "Let's see if your confidence can carry you to the next episode."
Jojora stood up proudly and made her way to the screen. One could see that she was anxious. Monty had told everyone that there was a tie, after all...
J-O-J-O-R-A
…
…
…
…
…
RED
"Damn," muttered Jojora, shaking her head ever so slightly. Toad's mouth was agape and Noki displayed a stunned look on her face. Even Bootler looked flabbergasted at what had just happened : Jojora was the seventh victim of the Mole.
Monty Mole stood up from his chair and grabbed her bag. The ice fairy cast a final glance at the three remaining players. "Good luck," she mouthed, immediately following Monty Mole afterward. The final three looked at her until she disappeared.
"I can't believe she was eliminated," Noki confessed truthfully. "She always seemed to know what was going to happen in the game, I remember how I suspected her in the first stages of the game," she smiled, reminded of her own journey.
"Yeah," Toad admitted, "I remember how she noticed small things, like the fake execution of episode five... When you think about it, it's probably her analytic skills that propelled her this far in the game. She played a great game," he smiled.
Bootler nodded in agreement. "Even so, she had her own agenda." Toad and Noki were puzzled at his statement, so Bootler developed. "Her strategy was far too developed for a game like this, she lied many times and yet, you could never know when she was lying. She was a great actor, a great player and a great strategist. It is a shame tonight was her night," Bootler pointed out.
"At first, I didn't like her," Toad mentioned, rolling his eyes. "I mean, who the heck is aggressive with players they barely know at the very beginning of a game? Also, there are many things she did or said that I didn't agree with, but as the game went on, I guess we all realized that she was hiding behind a fake personality."
"Maybe we would have liked the 'true' Jojora," Noki mused. "But now that she's gone, we'll never know."
"And now that she is gone, only three of us remain. One of us will be the winner, another one will miss out on victory, and the last one..."
"Is the Mole," they all finished at the same time.
…
Monty Mole and the seventh victim of the Mole, Jojora, were walking towards Mystery Mansion, where Jojora's mean of transportation was awaiting her for a while now. Monty Mole glanced suspiciously at Jojora.
"I'm surprised you didn't yell or anything," the host started.
Jojora rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Because that would've been real mature, of course. Besides, I don't know why I would yell at them, they either scored higher than me on the quiz, or were faster, or they were the Mole. It's my own fault that I'm standing next to you tonight."
"If that makes you feel better, I was surprised that you were eliminated tonight!" chuckled the host. "I really thought you'd win the game since you were one of the rare players who paid attention to every little detail."
"I'm flattered," Jojora smirked. "Well, I won't say that I'm not disappointed. I've known the truth for quite some time now and I kind of suspect that I was the first one on the Mole's trail. I mean, none of the others seemed to know who the Mole was when I announced to them that I knew back during episode six. Makes me wonder how they figured out the truth with so little time left."
From afar, the host and the ice fairy could see the deep blue car that Toad had used to reach Horror Land. Jojora frowned.
"I kind of hoped I'd ride in something a little more...exciting, oh well."
Monty Mole laughed. "Jojora, what will you remember about the game?"
She smiled. "Well, mostly how I fooled some people into believing that I was the Mole. Seriously, I think that was my greatest achievement. The games were also very exciting, which is why I'm sort of bummed that I won't be able to play in the last episode of the game. Well, there's also the fact that I won't be able to win the money."
"Your favorite game?" questioned the host.
Jojora thought hard about his question. "The artistic one. Even though it was an epic fail in the end," she added in an afterthought.
The host and the recently fallen player reached the car. Jojora shook Monty Mole's hand and grinned. "See you at the reunion show!" With that, she put her bag into the car and sat down on the passenger seat. She buckled her seat-belt and grabbed her journal, scribbling down her final thoughts.
Monty Mole watched the car as it finally became nothing but a speck on the horizon and turned back to the camera. "This is it everyone, with episode seven out of the way, the final three has been decided. They only have a few more days and three challenges to make their decision and hopefully be winner of possibly more than two hundred thousand coins. However, only two of them have to worry about the last and final quiz, the last one being the Mole, making the most of their holidays..."
The camera turned to the last three players.
"Who..."
A shot of Toad being brought to a house by Monty Mole could be seen.
"Is..."
A shot of Noki taking out a book from a shelf made its way onto the screen.
"The..."
A shot of Bootler looking intently at an unfolded map was displayed.
"Mole?"
A shot of a blurred figure jumping out of a warp pipe in a room occupied by the fallen players and Monty Mole ended the episode.
So there you are... Jojora finally leaves the ga- *hides behind a sofa as various projectiles fly by*
Okay, okay, I can explain.
Jojora was indeed my favorite player, and I actually wanted her to win the whole game. That was what I planned at the beginning of the story.
So why did I eliminate her, you ask? Well, as I told you in previous chapters, my stories are never set in stones. If I see that many people liked a player, then I'll most likely let them win. If however, the readers say in their review that they didn't like a character, I will, most of the time, eliminate them. That's what happened to poor Jojora. ^^'
So, you'll tell me, "wtf Toady, we're at least three people who support Jojora!"
The problem is that I decided to eliminate her when Mario went home, and at that time, no one was rooting for her. I think Charz rooted for her once whe reached Mario's Castle and still, that was only one person against five-six who thought she should be eliminated.
Additionally, she only received one vote at the previous poll, so that didn't help her reach the final. Hopefully, you won't be super mad at me for executing your favorite character. ^^' And yes, I know it's cliché to eliminate the villain before the final, but really, that wasn't my goal at the beginning.
Now, I suppose I should give you the results of the poll :
Who is the Mole, Episode 7 :
Six persons voted on the poll.
Mario got one vote, but he was already eliminated so it doesn't really count.
Tied with one vote are Noki, Toad and Jojora (20%).
So Bootler, with two votes, is most likely to be the Mole (40%).
Well, the results aren't really indicative because there were only five votes and nobody got a clear majority. However, they also mean that everyone could still be the Mole! ^^
Well that's all everyone!
PS : The shots at the end of the chapter should help you know what the last three challenges will be. ^^