RECAP:
After deliberation, Larry and Roy decided to accept Alpha's mysterious invitation, which turned out to be for a tournament being held in "Pleasure City", located within New Donk City. Daisy volunteered to join them. She confirmed a mutually held suspicion with Larry and Junior – which was that Omega and Alpha looked just like Wario and Waluigi. The princess suspected that Luigi may be working for Contemno as well, so she resolved to accompany the Koopalings to Pleasure City to find out for certain. Diddy also agreed to join them; holding a similar belief that Donkey Kong might also be there.
With preparations made by Goombella and Iggy, the newly formed team set forth on a train from Toad Town on their new mission to investigate this mysterious tournament taking place in the Metro Kingdom and how it was connected to the sinister substance Essence as well as Contemno himself.
Junior resolved to set off alone to seek out Kamek for training in using the magic crown that Kammy had left for him.
Meanwhile, Mario and Bowser learned from their new acquaintance Damian that Dammerel was known as the "Island of Regrets." In modern times, the former home of the Star Keepers was meant to be a sanctuary where people with deeply-held regrets could come seeking refuge. A tour of the town revealed to Mario and Bowser however, that the people were living in poverty on the ruins of the once-great kingdom. Mario felt immense empathy for their suffering, but Bowser was quick to remind him that they had more important things to worry about. Yet, how exactly they would get off this island remained to be seen.
Iggy poured steaming coffee into his mug. It was his fourth cup this morning.
Even before all the caffeine could kick in, his heart was already pounding madly against his chest as he descended the stairs into his lab in the basement. The Koopaling gripped the clipboard tightly in his other, sweaty hand.
This had to be the day. He needed to get something more substantial out of Hariet soon. He couldn't waste any more time.
And with most of the others away, now was as good a time as any for that. There would surely be fewer distractions. That meant he had more time to work closely with Hariet and finally get her to talk.
More than anything, Iggy was desperate to know what this "Phase 2" was.
It obviously couldn't be good. But Iggy knew that the sooner he determined what exactly it entailed, the sooner he could begin forming a counter-strategy.
A tinge of regret pulsed through him.
Was it wrong of him not to tell the others that there was a Phase 2 coming?
Surely it was bad of him to withhold any information from them, no matter how little. But on the other hand, what else could they possibly do with this revelation except panic? Not that they could be faulted for having such a reaction. This meant Contemno was moving right along with his plans – whatever they were - while the good guys were still scrambling just to catch up.
Iggy stopped on the step halfway down into the shadowy room as the weight of it all seemed to suddenly drop on him.
How did it get to this point?
It seemed like just yesterday the only concern on Iggy's mind was helping to prepare Junior for his coronation. There had been no surprise in that. The Koopalings all knew Junior was expected to succeed his father ever since the day they first met him. Yet it was only after Bowser was undergoing rehabilitation with Peach and the Koopalings were left alone to deal with his son that they began to truly feel the true gravity of the task.
Now that all felt so insignificant and so long ago. In retrospect, that responsibility felt like child's play compared to what they were up against now.
A power-hungry maniac murdered their beloved mentor, stole their castle, was imprisoning people all over the world, and was poisoning them with some ancient magic juice. All in what felt like only a matter of days.
If they wanted to have any chance at stopping Contemno, they had to know everything about him and what his ambitions were. They had to figure out exactly what this Essence stuff could do and what Contemno was using it for. Then, they needed to forge alliances with many people they previously considered acquaintances at best and enemies at worst.
And it was up to Iggy to help his team navigate through all the chaos while he was still grappling with it himself.
The Koopaling clenched his hands and strengthened his resolve. Not telling the others about Phase 2 yet was not a mistake. It was for the best. He had to believe that.
He knew them and how they would react. Well…he knew his siblings, at least. They'd never be able to focus on the tasks in front of them if they knew what Iggy knew right now. It would be much more efficient for Iggy to break the news to them after he knew more about what Phase 2 was.
By then, he would have already begun working on a strategy to stop it. They would expect him to have done his due diligence. Surely they would understand his decision to withhold the details from them temporarily. That was the only way he could let them all down easy. That was the right way to do it.
The unfortunate part however, was that figuring out what exactly will happen in Phase 2 and when was going to be insurmountably difficult.
As it stood now, Hariet would barely talk to Iggy about her siblings, much less anything remotely useful about Contemno. Not to mention the fact that she was just plain stubborn and argumentative in general.
She seemed ready and willing to pick fights with him over the most trivial things like his appearance or demeanor. Was it a clever misdirection to keep him off-topic and waste time, or was she really just that childish and petty? Regardless, getting Hariet to answer any question was an uphill battle that wasn't getting any easier.
Perhaps a different approach was necessary. Maybe Roy was right. Maybe Iggy did need to put some pressure on Hariet and stop being so nice to her.
It was likely the caffeine now fueling him with urgency and adrenaline, coupled with his fears of the unknown that was pushing Iggy to be hasty, as the Koopaling rapidly descended the remaining stairs and couldn't get to his chair fast enough.
Iggy plopped down in his seat, sipped from his coffee, then set the mug aside. He snatched up his pen, then locked eyes with Hariet.
Showtime.
"Back fa more, pineapple face?" she taunted.
Despite her brave expression however, Hariet did not appear to be doing well.
Her purple dress was wrinkled and losing its shine. The Broodal's hair was disheveled in several places, and noticeably large bags were forming underneath her bloodshot eyes. Judging by her awful appearance, it was obvious to Iggy that Hariet hadn't sleeping at all in the past few days she'd been locked up down here. Or at least, not comfortably. Not that he blamed her for that.
It was all beginning to take its toll on Hariet. But it was too soon to determine if this would put Iggy at an advantage by making it easier for him to break through her defenses, since it could just as easily diminish her usefulness as a captive.
"What exactly is your problem with me?" Iggy asked without first pondering if there was even a point in posing her such a pointless question. Hariet placed a finger to her chin.
"Les see, yous is my enemy. Yous gots an ugly face. Ya glasses are dumb. I hate da way yous talks. Yous is keepin' me trapped down here. Need I go on?" the Broodal retorted.
The stress pressured Iggy to retaliate with petty personal jabs of his own, but the Koopaling managed to stop himself before any of these thoughts could slip past his lips. He managed to find a better response.
"Some of that I can understand. But even so, I'd say your current situation is still leagues better than it otherwise would be if you weren't our prisoner right now. Wouldn't you agree?" Hariet rose an eyebrow at that.
"How's dat?"
"Well, think of it like this. Even if you hadn't been left behind, you guys still failed in your mission to stop us."
"Who said we's was dere fa you chumps?"
"You attacked us directly," Iggy reminded, not breaking eye contact with her for a second. "And even if we hadn't been your target, we forced you to abandon whatever else you might have come here to do and face us in combat instead." Hariet fell silent at that. "Even if you had all made it out together, Contemno probably would not be happy with your incompetence. If he's half the monster I believe he is, I'd venture a guess that your punishment from him would've been far worse than anything I've done to you thus far." Hariet folded her arms to block out Iggy's statements.
"…Tch, yous tink yous just knows everythin', don'tcha?"
"Not as much as I want. But I'm capable of learning whatever it is I need to."
"We's can do dis silly lil' routine all yous want, carrot top," Hariet replied smugly. "It won't change nuddin'!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I already told ya buhfore, idiot. I ain't tellin' yous nuddin'! It don't matta how smart you tink yous are. Ya got no powuh ova me if I don't talk!"
Iggy gritted his teeth and nearly snapped his clipboard in half. He managed to stop himself from losing his composure altogether. Although, the fact that Hariet's smile didn't even flicker meant she saw him slipping.
She expected his reaction, and she was enjoying it.
Iggy paused and took a breath. He couldn't give in to emotion here. Not now. Not this easily. That would never get him anywhere. And if Hariet realized she could get away with pushing his buttons once, she certainly wouldn't stop until she did it again and again and again. Then they really would be trapped in this pointless cycle.
No. That was simply out of the question. Iggy had to prevent that from happening at all costs.
He was better than that. The Koopaling had chosen to stay behind for a reason. It couldn't amount to nothing. He had to pull this off no matter what. He couldn't let the others down.
That's when it hit him.
The lightning in the bottle. The very ace he needed to win this exchange was already sitting in his deck.
The others…that's it! Iggy thought to himself.
He matched Hariet's smug grin with one of his own. Her smile faded ever so slightly at this.
"You think you're in control here. But the truth is, you're not," the Koopaling declared.
"Oh yeah, tough guy? And what makes yous tink dat?"
"The reason we took you prisoner in the first place was so we could get information out of you. But you think you've got the advantage over us as long as you keep dodging my questions and trying to misdirect me, right?"
Hariet didn't respond; sensing some kind of trap was being constructed for her. She couldn't give him ammo by confirming his statements, even if they were true. No sense in stumbling right into it so easily if she could help it. Unfortunately for Hariet, Iggy didn't actually need her confirmation, as he kept going.
"Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. As it turns out, we might not need you after all."
Hariet fought hard and managed to keep her jaw from dropping. Yet her eyes still widened slightly.
"…Y-yous is just bluffin'…" Iggy shook his head decisively.
"I'm not. Believe it or not, there have actually been some interesting miraculous developments in the short time you've been down here. I just sent some of the people in my group to New Donk City to investigate a tournament your buddies Alpha and Omega are holding."
"Dey ain't our buddies!"
"Regardless, it's only a matter of time before we learn everything we need to know about Essence from them."
"You're jokin'!"
"Are you really in any position to take a gamble on that? Doesn't seem like it'll do you any good."
"Well…dey won't tell yous nuddin'!" Hariet contested.
"Are you sure?" Hariet began to sweat as Iggy called her bluff.
"…Y-yeah! Yous guys would hafta beat 'em foist! And dat ain't happenin'!"
"We beat you and your brothers, didn't we? Right before they ran away like cowards. I wouldn't underestimate us if I were you. In fact, I'd be more worried about my own well-being instead."
"Wuz DAT supposed ta mean?!"
"It means we have other ways of getting the information we need than just you," Iggy explained as a matter of fact. "As it stands, you're only one pan we've got in the fire right now. But to tell you the truth, you're not as valuable to us anymore. Not while we have other means of gathering information taking place right now. So it really doesn't matter to me if you decide to talk or not. We'll get the information we want either way. And if you prove to ultimately not be useful to us, we'll simply dispose of you. At the moment, there's already little reason for us not to do that right now as far as I'm concerned." Hariet was growing more and more visibly flustered by the minute.
"O-oh yeah, smart guy?! If…if yous really don't needs me, den why am I still down here, huh?! Lemme go free den!"
"I very well could, and I just might if you really are that adamant about staying quiet. But think about it for more than two seconds. Is that really what you want?" Iggy probed as he folded his arms and smiled.
Hariet couldn't bear to look at that smirk on his face anymore. The Broodal wracked her brain, but it proved to be futile. She simply could not figure out what he was getting at. Unless she did, she couldn't find a way to trip him up again. All she could do was keeping barking fruitless opposition.
How did this happen? How did he get the drop on her so fast?
"Of course it is, idiot!"
"What would you do then?"
"…H-huh?"
"If I were to let you go right now, what would you do? Where would you go?"
"I…uhh…back to da Broodals! Duh! Den we'd tell Contemno and he'd come get yous guys! Den you'd be sorry!"
"Would you really go crawling back to your abusive brother so you could get scolded again for letting yourself get captured?"
"I…"
"But that wouldn't even be the worst of it, would it? You would probably also get punished by Contemno for failing your mission – regardless of whatever that was, wouldn't you?"
"W-well…I…!"
"Face it, Hariet. You have no power here or anywhere else."
"No!"
"You can fight me as much as you want, but it won't change anything."
"Shuddup!"
"Where then will you be once we already know everything you could've told us yourself about Contemno? You'll have nothing. You'll be of use to absolutely no one."
"SHUDDUP!"
"You already have nothing. Is that really all that you want to be in the end? Just as useless to us as you probably already are to Contemno and your brothers?"
"I SAID SHUDDUP!" Hariet screamed.
"Count yourself lucky that the worst thing I'm doing to you is keeping you confined in that cell."
Hariet grimaced and her watering eyes met the floor. The arrogance in her pupils vanished in a flash. The Broodal's ears drooped and she slouched further forward; as if she might fall flat on her face if she tipped a few more inches forward. The way her lower jaw was hanging, it appeared as though Hariet had just had the wind knocked out of her or she'd been told she only had 24 hours to live.
Meanwhile, Iggy sipped at his coffee once more with cold, judgmental daggers for eyes.
Checkmate. This time, he was certain he had her cornered.
"What…am I supposed ta do now?" Hariet asked softly in a high pitch Iggy didn't think she could reach while she sniffed and fought back tears.
The Koopaling got out of his chair and knelt down in front of Hariet. His shadow engulfed her tiny, crumpled body and their faces were inches away with only the glass between them.
"It's simple. Help me stop him. Tell me everything you know."
Hariet's head shot up and her puffy, wide red pupils – which were now overflowing with tears running down her cheeks - met Iggy's intense, determined glare.
A silent, electric intensity was exchanged between them. It was as though Iggy's eyes were trying to will Hariet's by those last few notches needed for her to finally submit to him.
The Broodal immediately shut her eyes and severed the connection. Iggy froze.
Hariet grimaced again, and she choked back a loud, intense sob. Then she took a deep breath.
She wiped her eyes, then placed one hand across her throat and squeezed it slightly. A minute of excruciating silence passed. Then Hariet loudly cleared her throat.
"F-fine…I'll tell you. But I'm not bothering with this stupid accent anymore," said Hariet calmly.
Iggy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
Suddenly, the grungy horrible butchering of English vaguely resembling a broken Brooklyn accent which she had spoken with up until now completely disappeared.
Now Hariet actually sounded…normal.
"Y-your…voice…!" Iggy stammered. The Broodal forced a small laugh.
"What, did you really think I've been speaking that garbage my entire life? Not quite. I've just been putting on an act for the sake of my brothers until now. But this is how I really sound."
"…Why would you adopt a fake accent like that? Are all the Broodals just faking it too?"
"No, that's how they really sound, sadly. I'm just…different from them. I always have been. But is that really what you want to know more about right now?"
"No, you're right. Let's get back on track. Hariet, tell me about Contemno."
Hariet shifted in place on the floor and straightened out her back; not taking her eyes off Iggy for a second.
"Get comfortable then. It's a long story. But I'll tell you what I remember."
Previously…
The Broodals cautiously huddled together in a wide open field of dead trees and pale yellow grass; an unsightly wound in Mother Nature's flesh. A chilling breeze rustled their fur and carried small particles of dust in its wake.
Standing several feet away were their new companions. There was the slender, regal woman with lush blonde hair who favored the color black – Eris. And at her side was a short man who had seemingly everything to hide as he wrapped himself up in a cloak and mask – Contemno. There were two other large characters whom had gathered here as well, but the Broodals didn't recognize either of them.
Topper clutched the heavy bag of coins behind his back. It may have been incentive enough for the Broodals to follow Contemno and Eris off of their home on the dark side of the moon hours ago and accompany the pair down to this depressing place. But it didn't instill much in the way of legitimate trust between the two parties. Not yet anyway.
Topper, Hariet and Rango all ignored the audible grumble which emanated from Spewart's famished stomach.
The Broodals had no idea what they were getting themselves into by agreeing to follow Contemno. But they didn't exactly have the luxury to care anymore. Having secured no wedding gigs in such a long time, they hadn't eaten in days. They couldn't go on as they were for much longer.
Change was desperately needed, and that was exactly what Contemno had offered them. For as much as he randomly paid them out of the blue, the Broodals were willing to do just about anything he'd ask.
"Are you sure about this, Kitsune?" Eris asked with a stern look. Contemno glanced back at her.
"I am," he affirmed.
"Once we do this, there's no going back. Everything's going to be different after today. You realize this, right?"
"There's nothing back there for us anymore. There is only the way forward now." Eris's face fell and she folded her arms. "And by the way, it's 'Contemno' now, my love."
"Oh. Right…"
Contemno stepped forward towards the center of the dirt clearing. He scanned his surroundings as his mask acknowledged each member of his humble audience individually: Eris, Midbus, Wart, and the four Broodals.
"I'd like to start by thanking each of you for accompanying me here," Contemno spoke aloud. "I realize I have kept my intentions vague up until now when I met each of you individually. But that is about to change."
The small audience remained silent. Eris gripped her elbows tightly. The mage continued.
"We stand here today on the Island of Regrets at the precipice of change; one of many that await us on the long road ahead. You needn't feel safe or assured in my presence. But rejoice. For together, we are going to change the course of history. You see, I was but a young boy when I lost everything; my family, my home, my dignity, my purpose. It was at my lowest point when I met someone very important. A gentleman approached me out of the blue one day, and he entrusted me with a sacred truth."
Contemno could not determine how his newly-acquired accomplices were reacting to his words thus far. Each of their expressions remained blank. There was no discernible interest or disinterest in any of their eyes. Yet, he knew that it didn't really matter if they understood what he was saying at that moment or not. For they would quickly come to understand his intentions in time. Thus, he continued on.
"This world has been corrupted. Centuries ago, the first people of this planet accidentally received a blessing that was never meant for them. It was thought to be a gift from the celestial gods. But I believe this was no accident, nor was it a gift. No, I believe humanity was to be tested on its integrity that day. Our ancestors were supposed to return that blessing to our unseen overlords. But they did not. They selfishly kept that blessing for themselves to fulfill their own self-centered and worldly desires. By committing this vile sin, they condemned not only themselves, but all future generations of mankind after them to a doomed future veiled in ignorance and greed. Bloodshed would beget further bloodshed in an endless struggle for power."
None of this seemed to elicit any meaningful response in Contemno's spectators.
"The stolen blessing from the gods would be shamelessly passed down from generation to generation; its true purpose fading more and more over the passage of time. Parents would instill lies in their children that man was gifted great power, when such a narrative has always been a farce. Thus, the world was sentenced to live in perpetual distortion, and its people would never even realize it. However, all is not lost. My eyes have been opened to this reality about our world. That gentleman was the one who helped me find the truth, just as he had long ago. And by choosing to follow me here today, you too have become enlightened."
Still no response. Luckily, the lack of reaction was precisely what Contemno had been hoping for. Their submission was already well underway. But the true challenge was still to come.
"The distortion of this world has only nurtured the cruelty in man's heart. Society was shaped by pulling the wool over our eyes and the eyes of all others. The story of our world is one that is filled with deep-rooted lies, celebrated misinformation, and blatant arrogance. The swords of our forefathers have been soaked in blood over a meaningless conflict that could have been avoided from the very beginning. But this curse is our reality. My beloved Eris and I are two of the many children walking this doomed planet who were wronged by a judgmental aristocracy which thoughtlessly labeled us as outcasts for challenging the status quo. The rest of you who stand here now were also wronged by this society. You once sought glory, undisturbed bliss, and riches beyond your wildest dreams. These were your very purposes for living. But they were all stolen from you. I'm here to tell you that all of that changes starting today."
This caught the audience's attention at last.
Midbus, Wart, Topper, Hariet, Spewart, and Rango all looked to Contemno intently. Eris was the only one unfazed. She'd heard this speech before. But only she and Contemno knew what was coming next.
"You have all made the choice to follow me. Soon you will see that you have made the correct choice. But first…" Contemno looked to Wart and nodded. Wart strolled over to his side curiously.
"Hmm? So…I take it this means you're ready to commit to the rest of my proposal after all?" Wart whispered with a smile and a soft chuckle.
"I am," Contemno confirmed as he matched the frog's hushed tone.
"For those unacquainted, this is Wart," Contemno introduced aloud for the other spectators to hear. "Much like the gentleman who showed me the truth long ago, I believe it was also my fate that I met Wart one night in my dreams. Wart is a rather unique individual. You see, he comes from the land of Subcon; a world of dreams. Long ago, Wart was once struck down by a band of four deviants. Although his physical form vanished that day, his spiritual presence did not. With the last of his power, Wart was able to transcend the fabric of time and space. As a result, he was able to witness all occurrences from the distant past up until today."
By now, the Broodals were visibly overwhelmed by the onslaught of information. They seemed to be barely capable of understanding what was happening. Meanwhile, Midbus's intense stare remained unchanged.
Eris had been monitoring Midbus and assumed that his lack of reaction was likely not due to him sharing any of the same prior knowledge as Contemno and herself. Rather, it was likely that this pig was simply an idiot with a one-track mind. Contemno's words were meaningless to him; traveling in one ear and immediately out the other. He was too stupid to understand what Contemno was talking about, and he didn't care.
It didn't matter though. Contemno was likely thinking the same thing as Eris: these idiots didn't need to understand exactly what he was saying right away. That was asking far too much of their tiny minds. They'd understand in time. For now, they simply needed to sit quietly and wait to be called upon. So far, they were fulfilling that role just fine.
"Wart possesses valuable knowledge on all people and events across our planet's vast history; knowledge that you and I could only dream of. He saw the very moment in time when humanity failed its test and stole the forbidden blessing. He can verify that everything the gentleman told me when I was a young boy is true, which only instilled further confidence in my own beliefs. He knows of all the events that brought ruin to this island on which we have gathered now. More importantly however, Wart introduced me to many, many courageous individuals who all share the same thread that ties even us together. These powerful people were also struck down in their prime by a certain deviant; one whom Wart himself fell victim to, and one whose name would likely bring any of our blood to a boil."
"W-who's dat?" Topper asked aloud.
"Mario," said Contemno.
Anger washed over each of the Broodals at once as they vividly remembered how thoroughly Mario had humiliated them all those years ago.
"Mario? No matter. Not the one…," said Midbus.
"Not to you, perhaps, Midbus. But what if I told you that Wart has extensive knowledge about Bowser as well?" Midbus's eyes widened at that.
"Bowser…," the pig repeated.
"That's right. Wart has amassed encyclopedic knowledge on a vast collection of people and creatures from all across time who were all bested by Mario and his pathetic associates. And now, Wart is going to play a pivotal role in shaping our futures together. Thanks to a generous donation from a valued benefactor, Wart now has the power to bring these powerful people back from oblivion to aid us in our grand crusade."
"How's he gonna do dat?" Topper asked.
"I'm glad you asked. Observe."
Without warning, Wart brought his hands together. Red storm clouds gathered in the sky above and began to swirl; darkening the land in a carmine tint. Violent winds raged and the ground began to tremor.
The frog's eyes glowed in empty, red voids. His chest and cheeks protruded out. Crimson lightning bolts pulsed through the sky. Wart cranked open his mouth as far back as his jaws would allow. All at once, a swarm of red bubbles rampaged out of Wart's esophagus. Dozens of these red bubbles raced and twirled in an ominous vortex and filled the sky.
After several minutes, the last of the bubbles made their exit. Wart closed his mouth and fell to his knees; gasping for air as the frog's eyes returned to normal. The lightning subsided just as quickly as it had arrived. Yet the clouds remained.
A momentary stillness was shattered as the airborne bubbles began popping one after the other in rapid, echoing succession. But in defiance of all manners of logic, various people and creatures in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes emerged from these bubbles and landed on the ground near Contemno and Wart. Midbus, Eris and the Broodals each stood back to avoid these creatures landing on them.
Though no one could see it thanks to his mask, Contemno's lips curled into a malevolent grin as he feasted his eyes upon the army that Wart had just amassed for him in a manner of minutes.
Petey Piranha, the Goomba King, the Whomp King, Grodus, Tatanga and so many, many more.
So much history and tyranny assembled together all in one place. It was simply unprecedented.
And they were all his to command.
The kingdoms of the world would crumble to their knees in seconds. Many of the worst tyrants and monsters from throughout the history of the Mushroom Kingdom and the many galaxies beyond were all gathered here.
With an army of this caliber at his disposal, Contemno knew he would be unstoppable.
Surely even the great Super Mario wouldn't be able to defeat them all this time around.
Especially not once they were each gifted the power of Essence.
As the monsters and villains gradually came alive, Eris immediately took off in a sprint and raced towards the center of the crowd. She leapt high into the air. Dozens of red needles materialized between her fingers and she threw them like darts in rapid succession all around her, starting at the height of her descent.
Within seconds, all of the newly-summoned foes had been struck with a needle. One by one, their eyes glowed red as they turned to face Contemno. Eris landed and stood immediately at his side. Midbus and Wart were unfazed, but the Broodals watched on in dumbfounded amazement. Hariet felt a deep sense of unease surge through her veins.
"Welcome, my brothers and sisters!" Contemno exclaimed with pride. "I am Contemno. Today is the first day of your new lives! You have been given a second chance; a new lease on life. I have brought you back to the land of the living for one reason only: to destroy Mario and all who would protect him!"
Monstrous roars and villainous cheers boomed and echoed through the air.
"Swear your undying allegiance to me, and together, we will take back control of our corrupt world! I will gift you power beyond your wildest dreams and we shall tear through the distortion! For we are united in this single cause of retribution! Let us take back what is rightfully ours!"
Waves of applause, howls, bellows and cackles surged across the island.
Without giving it much thought, Hariet glanced around and froze when something peculiar caught her attention.
Hariet was surprised to see Eris looking slightly unnerved, just like she was feeling herself at that moment.
But…why?
The female Broodal assumed that this was all part of Contemno's master plan and Eris herself surely knew all about it. Her actions just now even seemed to suggest that Eris agreed with what was transpiring.
Yet…she also seemed to be grimacing after Contemno gave his speech to the monsters and resurrected villains just now. Had Contemno said something that shook her composure? Maybe the woman was confident that no one would notice her troubled expression amidst all the rallying and commotion. So she was careless and failed to hide her obvious disquiet.
But Hariet noticed.
Although the Broodal had no way of knowing what exactly Eris herself was thinking, she couldn't help but wonder what was troubling her. Did Eris know something that no one else here did? Would she even share her concerns with Hariet had the Broodal shown her that she was not alone in this fear?
For such a momentous day radiating with celebration, something seemed to be amiss somehow.
It was a suspicion that Hariet never was able to get over.
From that day on, though she kept it to herself, Hariet could not shake a suspicion looming and persisting within the pit of her stomach that something about all of this was not right.
Iggy was speechless for several minutes after Hariet finished speaking.
"Everything you just told me…that was…," the Koopaling started. Hariet nodded solemnly.
"Contemno's grand plan. Well, the first phase of it anyway."
Iggy regained his composure and folded his arms to ponder this.
"So what you're telling me is that this 'Wart' character told Contemno about the dozens of villains and monsters Mario has defeated over the years. I'm guessing he was also able to bring them all back to life because Contemno gave him Essence so he could physically resurrect them. That would explain the red bubble power and storm you saw."
"Exactly. Contemno wanted an army. Wart gave it to him. I don't know how much deeper their relationship goes, but that's my understanding of it."
"But how was Contemno able to seize control over all of these guys at once? Surely at least some of them would have objected to taking orders from him."
"That was probably with Essence too," Hariet said with a shrug. "It's like…the ultimate mind control juice. As long as they've got it in them, they're his puppets forever."
"So…you know about it then!" Iggy exclaimed. "Do you have Essence too? Tell me! What is he using it for?"
"Slow down," said Hariet. "First off, no. I don't have Essence in me. None of my brothers do either."
"What?! Why not? You were one of the first ones to join him! So why wouldn't he start with you?"
"Contemno didn't need to use Essence on us. We were easy. All he had to do was bribe us with a big sack of coins to get us to join his team."
"But…that's so risky," Iggy reasoned. "If Contemno is using Essence to enslave people to his cause, you could technically turn on him at any time since you don't have it. He's really got nothing on you."
"I don't know what to tell you," Hariet replied. "Maybe he was planning to pump the stuff into us at some point and just hasn't gotten around to it yet. Or…maybe he doesn't see us as much of a threat as we are right now. So even if we betrayed Contemno, it wouldn't faze him. We're not strong enough to stand up to him"
"Either one is possible, I suppose. But isn't there some way to remove Essence from the body?" Hariet shrugged.
"If there is, I don't know it. I haven't heard of anyone being able to actually do that. So as far as I know, it isn't possible." Iggy's face fell.
"I was afraid of that…," he bemoaned. "Oh well, let's just put a pin in that for now. So, back to your story. Contemno had this whole army of powerful people at his control. What did he do next?"
"Contemno pitted them against each other to test their powers; you know, to see how strong they were and what each of them could do in combat."
"What was the value in that?"
"He was able to decide how to best use each one based on what he saw in them from the battles. Guys like Tatanga and Grodus were a cut above the rest for their smarts and abilities. So he put them in a higher level of command and made them part of his inner circle with Eris and us. Most of the others were just too mindless to be left alone. So they became more like pets that Contemno would send out whenever he felt like it. They were kept locked up otherwise."
"I see." Iggy's hand was beginning to cramp as he scrambled to jot down everything Hariet was telling him. He hadn't even really thought about what any of it meant yet. He simply had to gather as much of it as possible. "So he has this big, bad, powerful army at his command. He organized all of them into this nice and orderly chain of command. What did Contemno do after that?"
"Use the army to take over the kingdoms, of course," Hariet said simply.
"Right, you mentioned that before. But you also told me Contemno wants more than just world domination. I'm assuming by now that he pretty much has control over all of the kingdoms across the world and is holding their people hostage. So what is he planning to do now?"
"Not all of them. There are a few kingdoms Contemno hasn't managed to claim yet. But he's getting close. That's what he's been working on before all this 'Phase 2' stuff started getting thrown around. You know, loose ends and all that."
"Which kingdoms would those be?"
"The Mushroom Kingdom, Koopa Kingdom, and the Rose Kingdom," Hariet answered.
The first one should have occurred to Iggy. Toad Town alone was proof that Contemno hadn't taken over yet. As long as Junior's team was here operating out of Merlon's house, the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom still had a fighting chance to resist his rule. For how long that would remain the case however, Iggy couldn't bear to think about.
"But he has control over King Bowser's castle," Iggy argued. "I've seen it for myself. So how does he not have control over the whole kingdom by now?"
"I don't know much about that. The castle thing is new to me," said Hariet. "My best guess is he just hasn't gotten around to fully setting up shop there for some reason."
"Alright, and what about this 'Rose Kingdom?' I've never heard of it. What's so special about that place?"
"I heard through the grapevine that Contemno tried to take over that one by sending in some monsters, but they were beaten pretty badly. Apparently, that place has one heck of an army guarding it. We can't get through their defenses."
"Interesting. Alright, next question. If Contemno has this large army of monsters and criminals to dump all of his Essence into, why has he been capturing innocent people too?"
"What do you mean?" Hariet asked, looking slightly puzzled.
"A lot of our friends and acquaintances have gone missing since Contemno first made his presence known. We think Contemno has them. Any idea what he might have in store?"
"Look, you're asking the wrong person about all of this."
"So you're back to dodging me again?"
"I didn't say that. What I mean is, just because I follow Contemno, that doesn't mean I know everything he does and why. Heck, pretty much everything I've told you so far I only learned from going places I shouldn't have been and eavesdropping. It's all stuff I shouldn't know, yet I do. If you want specifics, you'd be better off asking Eris since she's his second-in-command."
"But the Broodals are part of his inner circle, aren't they? Shouldn't you know more than the average henchman?"
"I don't know! Probably! But the thing is…I'm not so sure that we're actually anything special to him. I mean, he didn't even put Essence in us. And we've only done two jobs total for the guy since he hired us. After that, we were told to stay put in our rooms until further notice. When we attacked you guys, we did so without Contemno's permission."
"What were those jobs you did?"
"You should already know that. After all, Prince Koopa Brat does," Hariet remarked.
"Junior…? Oh, I see. You're referring to Bowser and Rosalina. That's right, you did kidnap them, didn't you?"
"Sure did," Hariet confirmed with pride. "We also made Mario disappear."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Contemno said he was snooping around for clues. So we were ordered to blow him to smithereens while he was cruising around in that goofy hat ship of his. As far as we're concerned, plumber boy is history."
As someone who had extensive prior experience fighting Mario, Iggy found it incredibly hard to believe that Mario would really go down that easily.
The guy was irritatingly persistent and it was going to take a lot more than the Broodals to put him down for good. There was just no logical way that Mario could actually be dead if that was really all that had happened to him. Peach would be relieved to hear this when she woke up though.
Still, where was Mario now if he had survived the Broodals' attack like Iggy suspected? Why hadn't anyone seen or heard from him?
Iggy would have to ponder this later. He still had other questions he wanted to run by Hariet while she was still amicable.
"Well, that actually leads back into my other question. They're friends of ours. Or at least in my case, Bowser is my adoptive father. So why did Contemno want you to kidnap them?"
"Beats me. Bowser's pretty strong. He probably wanted to try putting Essence into him and see what would happen. I don't know anything about this Rosa chick, but if she's got any power, same thing probably happened to her."
"He's...experimenting on them…," Iggy said aloud as his pupils vibrated. Each syllable stung like a slap to the face as they parted his lips. "He's…turning them into monsters…"
"Could be," said Hariet nonchalantly.
"But…why? Doesn't he have enough manpower already with all the guys he had Wart revive for him?" Hariet chortled at this.
"You really think someone like Contemno would just stop at 'enough?' Heck no! He'll keep pulling in as many poor saps as it takes to bolster his numbers until he can steamroll anyone who stands in his way."
"Good point…"
Iggy's mind was already racing. There was so much to process here; so much he had to relay to the others. Only…there was one other piece of the puzzle he still needed at that moment. "Final question. Since you're being so open with me now, I'd like to ask you again. What exactly is Contemno planning to do in Phase 2?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, carrot top."
"You really don't have any clue as to what Contemno might do next?" Hariet glared at Iggy.
"No, I really don't. What'd you expect? The guy's an enigma. He gave some weird speech about the world being 'distorted' and some 'stolen blessing' at the start. Then he brought the dead back to life and fueled them up with all of this weirdo magic juice. He's already taken over most of the world, and yet this is somehow just the beginning? None of it makes sense to me either."
"Well, not yet anyway. I intend to get to the bottom of it. But this is a great starting point," said Iggy as he flipped through all of the notes he'd taken. He glanced up at Hariet and smiled. "You've given me plenty to work with. Thanks for opening up." Hariet folded her arms and looked away.
"Not like I had much choice."
"Yes well, don't think that your honesty will go unnoticed. I intend to make this up to you."
"And how do you plan on making that happen?"
"I could look into giving you a more comfortable place to stay in besides that prison cell, for starters."
Hariet turned back and watched as Iggy ascended the stairs. She didn't have anything to say in response to that before the door at the top of the stairs was shut and the sliver of light emanating from the outside world dissipated. In the darkness of her lowly prison cell, a tiny smile formed on her lips.
She hated that she cracked in the end. But even so, Hariet couldn't deny that it felt good to open up to somebody at last.
By mid-day, Junior reached the aforementioned fork in the road where the path he'd taken up until now split off into two directions. The Koopa Prince's padded feet were sore and blistered, his bag was heavy, and his overall pace had slown down to an agonizing crawl. As the merciless scorching sun beat down on him, Junior wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a seat on a boulder off to the side of the road, and sipped at his water bottle.
The only landmark in sight for miles was a wooden sign with arrows designating the two destinations waiting at the end of each path: Inferno Canyon: Home of King Bowser's Castle to the left, and Eternal Ember Retirement Village to the right. But Junior didn't even need the sign to recognize his current location. He recalled flying over this area in particular on many occasions over the years.
It was the most straightforward route to Peach's Castle, after all. To Junior, the world always looked so much smaller from up in his Koopa Clown Car. He always felt so much bigger looking down on it all.
What he wouldn't give to have the Clown Car with him right now.
The cool, crisp air cradling his face and caressing his red air; the spectacular view of plentiful color in all directions; the freedom to lounge back in his seat and nap while his autopilot would steer him for the rest of the journey. It was a luxury that Junior had taken for granted. Having that right now would have made this trip so much easier, to say the least.
Come to think of it, why didn't everyone travel by air like his family did?
The technology obviously existed, even if the Koopas were hogging it all to themselves. Having to walk everywhere was absolutely miserable, and Junior couldn't fathom how normal people could stand doing it.
He wondered if it would be possible to build a warp pipe from his castle leading into Toad Town so he wouldn't have to do this ever again. After all, Daisy had one of her own, and the sewers beneath the city allegedly had blue warp pipes connecting to all kinds of places all around the world. Or at least, that's what Junior had heard once from a Toad who loved to gossip.
A decade ago, it would have been utterly unthinkable for a former-tyrant like Bowser to get intimate access to the Mushroom Kingdom's capital city through a personalized warp pipe. But now he was part of the Kingdom Council. Surely he had special privileges and perks in his position now. So what was the harm?
That tore it. Once Junior was on the council himself, that would be his first priority. Peach's project was adding railroads connecting to the other kingdoms, and this would be his own.
A small laugh escaped his lips. Now he was finally starting to think like a king for once. His father would surely have been proud of him if he knew.
Junior's eyes drifted down the path leading towards his castle. He already knew what that path was like since he'd traveled down it alone not too long ago. If he really wanted to, Junior could have taken that route now to make a detour at the castle and pick up the Clown Car so he could fly to Kamek's instead. But as quickly as this idea struck him, Junior dismissed it.
The memories of his last trip home came rushing to the forefront of his mind all at once. His castle wasn't exactly his anymore. Now it belonged to Contemno. Or at the very least, Eris was occupying it on his behalf.
The Koopa Prince's heart sank. He then found himself wondering how Morton, Wendy and Lemmy were doing. With everything Junior and his team had learned since their first mission to steal the airship, he was sure now that his three captive siblings probably all had Essence inside them too. That would explain why they were fighting for Eris back then.
And that red liquid that Eris had flooded the castle with as his group made its escape on the airship. Was all of that Essence too? It had to be. It was one final attempt on her part to take control of them before they escaped.
As he reminisced over all that had happened to him up until this point, a wave of exhaustion washed over Junior; the kind that could only be cured by a good rest in the comfort and safety of his own bed.
How he longed to return to the normalcy that was once his life from not too long ago; another bliss he had taken for granted. Now such fantasies were out of the question. His home belonged to the enemy, and Junior was left to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Maybe soon he would have the power to remedy all of this. Or maybe this was simply the beginning of a much larger struggle.
With a heavy heart, Junior stood up from the boulder, chugged the last of the water in his bottle, and proceeded down the second, unfamiliar path.
He wasn't sure how far off this village was that Kamek supposedly lived in or what it would be like when he arrived. But he had time and he'd find out soon enough. Junior had never even heard of this place until Iggy described it to him. But he was about to learn all about it, apparently.
Kamek had always been something of a slight enigma to Junior. The guy would weave his way in and out of the Koopa Prince's life at random. Sometimes he would stick around long enough to be a pseudo-guardian to Junior, then he would disappear for years at a time. Junior wasn't even sure he ever got word when Kamek officially retired and moved out of the castle. The Koopa Prince held an extremely vague memory of Kamek holding him as a baby. But he also recalled a handful of occasions when Kamek and his father would verbally clash in heated disagreements over something he never understood.
What was his deal? Why didn't Kamek want to be more involved in Junior's life while he was growing up? Maybe this was as prime a time as any to shed some light on this little mystery too.
The Koopa Prince hoisted his paintbrush holster further up along his shoulder and scanned the winding road ahead with eyes of fiery determination.
In the vast, empty grasslands that surrounded him, Junior felt incredibly small; maybe even smaller than when he was a child.
But as the crown bounced around at the bottom of his bag and Kammy's parting words swirled around inside his head, Junior couldn't help but feel enormous.
Bowser awoke shortly after dawn and sat up with an obnoxious creek from the wooden bed frame. His droopy eyes filled with envy as he watched Mario sleeping peacefully in the bed across from him with his back turned.
How in the world did this guy manage to fall asleep the night before?
Being so unbelievably lumpy and hard, the beds were somehow even more uncomfortable to sleep on than they initially looked. It was bad enough that Bowser was already a nervous wreck deep down about having to stay in such a miserable place where his safety wasn't guaranteed. But even if his mind had somehow found some semblance of peace, Bowser had woken up several times over the course of the night when he tossed and turned in a futile attempt to relax.
How the poor bed didn't collapse under his weight, Bowser would never know. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that he would've actually been more comfortable jogging back up to Castle Olympus and reclining on the wooden table he woke up on the day before instead of staying here.
The Koopa King stood up quietly so as not to wake the snoozing plumber and emerged from the hut. This was the only way he could adequately stretch out his twisted back without bumping his fists into the low roof. The slight chill of the morning air nipped at Bowser's scales. But he had to admit that the cloudless, gold and blue sunrise was pretty enough to be worth getting up early for.
At least there was one thing beautiful about this miserable place.
"Morning," a familiar voice called out. Bowser turned to find Damian casually strolling up to him; his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"What, you planning to give us a second tour today?" Damian chuckled.
"I just thought I'd check in with you guys. That's all. Why? Are you wanting to follow me around all day again?"
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass."
"You've got other plans, I take it?"
"Something like that."
"I see. Well, care to join me for breakfast at least?" Bowser pondered this, then shrugged.
"Sure, why not. I'll go wake Mario."
When the three of them reached the cafeteria, Mario and Bowser grabbed an empty table while Damian approached the back of a surprisingly large line that was forming near the booth in the back.
Bowser sipped at his coffee and repeatedly tapped his claw on the wooden surface impatiently. The brew was bland, but not disgusting; passable, but nothing worth writing home about. Still, the Koopa King suddenly found himself missing the freshness of the coffee his servants prepared for him each morning back at the castle. Those Shy Guys knew what they were doing, that was for sure. Leanna's coffee wasn't bad either. Hell, he'd gladly take a pot right now like the one Toadsworth brewed for the council each morning over this heated sludge.
The rhythmic tapping of Bowser's claw was thankfully drowned out by the hum of chattering patrons at the other tables around him, so no one paid any mind to his agitated demeanor. Even if they had, they might just assume Bowser was cranky and in dire need of something to eat. In reality, Bowser was wracking his brain trying to figure out what his next move would be once Damian came back.
Whether he meant well or not, the man was persistent with questioning his and Mario's reason for being here. This was only likely to get worse if the guy tried to become friends with them. Then the duo would face even more ever-mounting pressure to eventually come clean.
It was still too soon for Bowser to tell if Damian was someone they could actually trust or not.
If he was, then maybe Damian would be able to handle the truth about them and could prove to be a valuable asset in helping them escape; just like Leanna had been to them before. After all, the guy seemed to be one of the most knowledgeable people on the island and could surely tell them the easiest way to get out. It sure would save time.
On the other hand, if Damian couldn't be trusted, then Bowser and Mario would be walking straight into a trap by opening up to him. If it turned out to be the latter, Bowser knew it would be exceedingly difficult to keep his story straight without Mario being able to back him up.
Bowser then recalled that silly rule Damian mentioned about people not prying into each other's past here.
The Koopa King wasn't sure if there was actually any truth to that or not. But it was as good an excuse as any to lean on at the moment for keeping Damian at an arm's length away from the pair. That would have to be his strategy until he had time to scope out this place more and devise an escape plan on his own.
While Bowser was lost in thought, Mario was casually taking in the surroundings and sipping his own coffee. He thought the pot Luigi made each morning was slightly better, but this stuff wasn't half bad either. Mario's face suddenly fell.
Luigi…
Come to think of it, how was he holding up in all of this?
Mario was deeply ashamed that this was the first time he'd even thought about his poor brother since this whole mess started. Bowser was right to have scolded him yesterday for not even thinking about his family.
Where was Luigi right now? Was he okay? Was he even alive?
No, there was no sense in assuming the worst. Luigi was okay. He had to be. He just had to be.
He was one of the world famous Mario Bros after all! Sure, Luigi was probably terrified out of his mind right now. But with someone like Contemno running around doing whatever he wanted, it was normal for anyone to be scared right now; not just his naturally timid little brother.
And it wasn't fair of Mario to assume that Luigi couldn't hold his own. They'd been on so many adventures together. Not to mention all the times Luigi came to his rescue when King Boo had trapped him inside a painting.
Luigi was strong too. Mario had seen it himself. He knew his brother. Luigi would pull through just like he always did. Maybe he was protecting Peach right now. Maybe Yoshi was there too for that matter.
They were all just fine right now, wherever they were. Mario had to believe in them.
Positively. He had to think positively for now. That was the only way he'd stay sane until he could make it home. The plumber turned his attention back to his surroundings.
For as many humans as there were here, there seemed to be just as many non-humans living in Dammerel as well. For instance, the chef at the food stand whom Damian was now conversing with turned out to be an alligator! Morris the pig was here too, and he was enthusiastically talking to a few other creatures in the food line. But they seemed rather disinterested in what he was saying. Poor guy. He seemed to be the only one excited in whatever it was he was talking about.
Someone that especially caught Mario's attention was a large yellow Yoshi seated at a table a few feet away.
It must have been a female, judging by the long eyelashes. She looked largely similar to the rest of her breed, though she did have a few features that made her stand out from the typical Yoshis Mario knew of. She sported a long, thin neck, she seemed to be much taller than the average Yoshi, and the orange spines were much further down her back towards the base of her spine and even across her tail. She also lacked the red shell most of them had resting on their tails.
The Yoshi was chatting away with a few other women who were accompanying her at the table. She responded in between nibbles at the fruit in her bowl, smiled, and nodded cordially every once in a while throughout the conversation she was enthralled in.
At one point, the Yoshi glanced up and noticed Mario staring back.
Her expression quickly shifted from mild shock to a warm, modest smile, and she rapidly wiggled her fingers in a timid greeting gesture. Did she recognize Mario, or was she just being polite? Either way, Mario waved back and the Yoshi quickly returned her attention to her tablemates before they could take notice of what had distracted their friend for a few seconds.
"Hey! Earth to Mario! Are you even listening to me?!" Bowser exclaimed.
Mario hopped in his seat and turned back around to face the Koopa King.
"Quit spacing out, will ya? Damian will be here any second now and I need to make sure you and I have our story straight in case he grills us some more," he continued. "Now listen, I know I'll have to do all the talking, so you just follow my lead. Don't do anything that might make him suspicious. Just nod and agree to everything I say, got it?"
Mario demonstrated his understanding by already nodding and agreeing subserviently.
"Sorry about the wait!" said Damian as he placed several bowls down on the table before taking a seat. Just a bowl of chopped up fruit.
"Oh…fruit salad, eh?" said Bowser. "Is that all?"
"I hope that's alright," said Damian.
"It'll have to do," was what Bowser said. But what he was really thinking deep down was: Ugghh, what I wouldn't give for bacon and eggs right now…
The trio ate their fruit salads in silence. Towards the end of the meal, Damian reignited the conversation again.
"So, have you two given it much thought as to what you want to do here?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Bowser replied.
"Well, today's the first day of your new lives, isn't it? How would you like to spend your time here in Dammerel?" Bowser and Mario looked blankly at each other.
"We're not sure…," the Koopa King confessed.
"Oh…I see. Well, that's alright. There's no rush. It can be a big adjustment for some people to completely uproot their lives and start somewhere new. Take all the time you need to think about it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"How are you guys okay living like this?"
"I don't follow." Bowser jammed his spoon into a slice of cantaloupe and looked Damian directly in the eye.
"These people are dirty and smelly. They're crammed into tiny little huts with the most uncomfortable beds I've ever slept on. They're just wasting their lives away wallowing around in their sadness, and they're starving themselves with very little food. Not to mention they're apparently choosing to live here when this place apparently has such a sad history. Why would anyone want this for themselves?" the Koopa King asked; diligently listing off each complaint on each of his fingers.
Damian frowned and his face visibly digested all of this for a moment. He took a sip of his coffee and placed it down before starting his response.
"I see where you're coming from. But you have to understand something, Bowser. Not everyone came to Dammerel for the same reason. I don't think there's anyone here who actually believes these living conditions are ideal. But for some people, they have nowhere else to go. Some people are here because of things they did in their past," Damian explained. "As a result, they were cast out of their homes and shunned from society in general. They're here now because this is the only community in the world that will not turn them away."
"But they deserve so much better than this," Bowser argued.
"I agree. Personally, I would love it if we could develop this place further and make it as pleasant a place to live in as say…Toad Town in the Mushroom Kingdom. Or even Isle Delfino down south. But the kinds of people we would need who have the knowledge and expertise to make that happen sadly don't live here," the man reasoned. "They don't even know this place exists or that there are people suffering here."
"If you care about this place so much, then why don't you go out and spread the word about it? You know, find those kinds of people and make them care about cleaning this place up?" Damian's face fell.
"Because I'm also one of those outcasts of society," he replied. Mario and Bowser both stared at him; the former with empathy and the latter with slight shock. "The world has no reason to pay me any mind and it owes me nothing. So, my place is here; trying to keep everyone together. Of course I want them to have so much more for their lives, but I'm just one person. It would take the cooperation and pooling together of the talents of everyone here to make any meaningful enhancements to this town. The few of us who do care are doing the best we can. But we can only do so much. The vast majority of these people lack any motivation to do anything except loaf around all day. They just can't move on from whatever it is they're running away from. They're trapped in the prisons of their own minds. Even if they hold the keys and could leave these cells at any time, they choose not to because they believe they don't deserve to be free and are choosing to punish themselves. And unless they ever decide to speak up about their problems and let other people in to help them, nothing will ever change."
"I…guess I hadn't thought of any of that…," Bowser admitted. "Sorry for being so brash. It's…been a tough habit of mine to break." Damian raised a palm to this.
"No judgement here. You can't help who you are."
"Well, sure. But, that's not a good excuse. I'm trying to change. I have been for ten years, in fact. I had someone very special who helped me do it. To me, that's better than just sitting around feeling sorry for myself like everyone else around here is doing." Damian smiled at this.
"I think that's what fascinates me about you, Bowser. I knew it from the moment I met you yesterday. You're different from the usual kind of person I meet here. You have drive and determination to enact change. You may have had a troubled past, but you don't let that hold you back anymore. With everything I just said, we could use people like you here, you know. You could be one of those people we need in order to make Dammerel a much better place to live. I'm sure Mario is no different, even though he isn't able to tell us that himself."
"Uhh…thanks, I guess," said Bowser with an awkward shrug.
"That's why I asked what you two wanted to do here. You obviously have made peace with your pasts enough that that you're able to take action. I think you could make a real change for these people if you tried. We would just need to find out where your talents are the best fit. What do you think?"
"Ummm…well…," Bowser hesitated. "We'll…think about it. Y'know, maybe we'll take a look around the island today and…see what catches our eyes."
"Fair enough," Damian said as he finished off the last of his coffee and stood up. "Seriously consider my offer. If you're not happy about living here the way it is now, you could change that for all of us. We'd be very grateful for your help."
Bowser and Mario stared at each other, but waited until Damian was gone before saying anything.
"Don't look at me like that!" Bowser exclaimed as he recognized the hint of sorrow in Mario's blue eyes. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not true! My feelings haven't changed!"
Mario crossed his arms and looked at him skeptically.
"It's like I said yesterday. We don't belong here! We have more important things to worry about!"
Mario sighed and shook his head as his shoulders slouched. He nodded solemnly and stood up. The Koopa King sighed as well.
"Look. Maybe…when this is all over…we could come back here and do something about all this. I know helping people is important to you, as irritating as that is to me."
Mario's head shot back up as hope filled his eyes. He smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"I mean, I'm sure you and your brother could give these guys indoor plumbing at the very least," Bowser theorized. "And with my troops, we'd have more than enough labor on-hand to..." the Koopa King stopped himself and growled when he realized what he was saying. "Stop that! Now you've got me thinking more about it too! C'mon, let's get out of here. We need to start looking for a way out of this dump."
Bowser stood up and led the way as he stormed out from the seating area with Mario by his side.
Little did they know, however, that the four women seated at the table nearby were watching them closely as the pair departed.
"Say…who were those guys?" one of the women asked.
"I think they're the new arrivals who showed up yesterday," the yellow Yoshi answered. "I saw them with Damian in the plaza. He was probably giving them the tour."
"That big one though…doesn't he look just like…?" the third woman pondered aloud. The other girls all gasped simultaneously.
"Oh my gosh, you're right! He does!" the fourth woman agreed. "I mean, he has the same red hair, the same yellow scales, and those big spikey shells aren't exactly common. He's the spitting image of Wanda! That means he just has to be-!"
"Do you think we should tell Wanda about him?" the yellow Yoshi asked. The three other women all froze at that.
"Gee…I don't know. Maybe not. I mean, who knows how she might respond…," said the first woman.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we should let her see him for herself first. After all, Dammerel's a small place. I'm sure they'll cross paths at some point."
Author's Note
Happy Mario Day, everyone! I've been hard at work these past few weeks trying to get this chapter done in time, and I'm so glad I was able to share it with you by today in celebration of a special day for the beloved franchise that inspired me to write The Promise and Son of Bowser in the first place!
Thank you so much for all of the reviews and feedback you've been leaving me so far. I want you all to know that I read every single one of them as they come in and it warms my heart so much that you're enjoying Son of Bowser! It's always a highlight of my day to read that someone is enjoying my work or is sharing their theory on what might happen next! I'm extremely proud of how Son of Bowser has turned out so far and I can't wait to continue updating it. Rest assured, there's still plenty of story left to go!
Now that the group has split up, the next several chapters will bounce across multiple different points of view. I just wanted you all to know ahead of time that not every chapter will touch on every single character/group going forward. For example, this chapter didn't delve into Larry's group headed to New Donk City at all. But that will certainly change starting next chapter. My point is that there may be some chapters or even multiple chapters where you don't hear from a specific person or party (Hmmm...I wonder how Leanna has been doing since she parted ways with Mario and Bowser...). Rest assured, I haven't forgotten about them! I just like to focus on certain characters or groups at specific times and will get back to the others eventually!