Okay now, readers. This is the sixth chapter of this story!
Yeah. Seems like things are going smoothly for this story so far. I've been using sources on Mario Wiki for important stuff, like what certain characters look like, what items can be found in which location, the Tattles that Goombella has for areas, as well as important bosses, etc.
This is being done to make this story as consistent to the game as possible, without the need for the audience, since an audience will not be playing a role in this story, except for most of Chapter 3, for obvious reasons. That being said, I do have Hooktail's battle all planned out when I get to writing it.
But for now, let's focus on this chapter. Anyway, for this chapter, Andrew and Goombella head to Shhwonk Fortress, deal with some rock monsters, take a quiz, explore the sewer under the fortress, and deal with some Fuzzies. How will things turn out for the two of them? Read and find out, now!
ON THE PATH LEADING TO SHHWONK FORTRESS:
Leaving the town of Petalburg behind them for now, Andrew and Goombella walked along the path that was leading them directly to the Shhwonk Fortress. There were several more Goomba enemies in their path, but they weren't any trouble to them.
Additionally, they had also seen a couple of unfriendly Koopas; who had red shells and shoes, wore sunglasses, and had spiked collars on their necks and spike bracelets on their arms. Fortunately, they barely posed a threat to the two travelers either, as they made quick work of them.
As they continued towards the Shhwonk Fortress, where it started getting a little darker, and Andrew collected a Star Piece from a clump of grass that was nearby, Goombella couldn't help but think about Andrew.
She only knew his name and the fact that he came from the Mushroom Kingdom. There was so much more about him that she didn't know about, that it seemed mysterious.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him about it. Goombella thought as she cleared her throat and got his attention. "Soooooo, Andrew? Nice weather out, huh?"
"Uh-huh. Yup," Andrew nodded as he walked onward with Goombella behind him.
"Say, Andrew? Do you mind if I can ask you something?" Goombella started.
"What?" Andrew asked, not turning around as he stopped.
"Would you mind...telling me a bit about yourself," she wondered. "I mean, I don't know anything about you. And I totally would like to know more about you!"
Andrew had to sigh and look at the ground. "What else is there to say about myself? There isn't much about me that you should know about."
"Wuh?" Goombella was a little shocked by his answer as she shook her head. "Oh c'mon! Surely you can tell me a little bit more about yourself!"
"Look," Andrew then turned around to face her with a stoic look on his face. "All I can say is that I didn't always live in the Mushroom Kingdom. And that I used to live somewhere else before settling in a house near Toad Town."
"What? You didn't always live in the Mushroom Kingdom," now the Goomba girl was curious. "Where did you live before that?"
"That isn't important right now," the muscular man told her in a low tone. "Now, I must request that you please don't ask me to reveal anymore about myself. There's nothing left to say..."
"Oh, quit it will ya, Andrew?!" Goombella yelped in shock. "I was just wanting to know more about you! Why is that a problem?!"
Andrew then sighed once again. "Look, I'm sorry. But if I told you more about myself, you'll end up regretting ever asking me about it..."
"OK! OK! Fine! Jeez!" Goombella moaned, rolling her eyes. "I was just curious."
"Again. I'm sorry if I come off as harsh, Goombella," Andrew had to apologize to her. "There's just some things that shouldn't be revealed to anyone."
"I get it," Goombella sighed. "But can I at least ask you how you got so strong? Like you are pretty strong and buff, y'know?"
"I work out frequently," Andrew answered. "It's a result of keeping myself in top physical shape by exercising every day."
"Okay. That makes sense," Goombella then asked him one more question. "Can I at least ask about where you live currently? What is your address?"
Andrew then stopped to think in a thoughtful tone before shrugging. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it later on, OK? Right now, let's just head to Shhwonk Fortress to get the Stone Keys."
"Fine by me," Goombella decided not to pester him anymore as he found a POW Block in a nearby bush that she wasn't paying attention to. "Now, whattaya say we check out these small purple ruins here?"
"Might as well," Andrew had put the POW Block in his pocket already as he approached the entrance. "Let's check it out."
"Gotcha," Goombella followed Andrew into the ruins.
As Andrew and Goombella entered, they noticed that the ruins didn't look too fancy. There was a closed barred door keeping them from getting by, and on the two pedestals were what were 'apparently' known as Bald Cleft; a subspecies of the Cleft, without the spikes on its head.
"Gosh. This doesn't look too particularly interesting," Andrew proclaimed.
"That's because there are only two pedestals here, and that's it," Goombella shrugged. "It looks pretty decent, but this place is 'actually' insanely old, did you know that?"
"I probably would've noticed with the age and appearance of this place," Andrew commented.
"I'd say it was built about... a thousand years ago," Goombella took an accurate guess.
"Around the time the ancient town sank underneath from where Rogueport is today, right?" Andrew queried.
"Yup, that's right!" Goombella beamed. "What vibrant ruins!"
"I'll say," Andrew then saw what was on one of the pedestals. "Hey, what's this?"
Andrew then went over to investigate the creature on the pedestal, only for the place to start rumbling, and the Bald Clefts came to life. Andrew and Goombella were now left to deal with the two Bald Clefts before proceeding further.
"What are these things?" Andrew asked. "Are they some type of Cleft?"
"Hold on, Andrew! I'm already on it!" Goombella was ahead of him with her green Tattle Log out as she was about to tattle on the two Bald Clefts. "All right! Here it is!"
"Great," Andrew seemed interested to know about them. "What information did you find on them?"
"Well Andrew, these are Bald Clefts," she explained through her Tattle. "'Basically', a rock monster with a swarthy-looking face."
"I never would've guessed," Andrew said coolly. "So they are Clefts."
"Yup," Goombella continued. "Uh... This is kind of mean, but bald guys... 'really' just don't do it for me."
"I get what you're saying," Andrew took off his hat to show off his dirty blonde hair to Goombella. "It makes me glad to know that I still have hair on my head."
"Me too," Goombella motioned to her ponytail before continuing. "But yeah. These guys are rock solid."
"It would hurt if I try to punch it," Andrew proclaimed.
"Bingo," Goombella remarked. "And fire doesn't even hurt 'em."
"Just like all other variants of Clefts," Andrew shook his head.
"It might be best to attack with, say...a POW Block," Goombella finished her tattle as the Bald Cleft attempted to tackle them.
Fortunately, Andrew got out of the way as he grabbed Goombella before she got slammed and possibly crushed by the Bald Cleft.
"Thanks for the save, Andrew," Goombella thanked him as she put her Tattle Log away.
"Anytime. Now, if a POW Block is what we need, then we're in luck," Andrew went and took out the POW Block that he had recently found. "I happened to have one on me."
"Where did you find that?" Goombella queried.
"I found it in the bush just outside of these ruins," Andrew explained as he made the POW Block grow and sat above his head. "Well, let's hope this works."
From there, Andrew jumped up and hit the POW Block with his right fist, activating it instantly as it then disappeared. The Bald Clefts were flipped over and instantly defeated shortly afterwards.
Andrew seemed glad that it worked but then got surprised when the Bald Clefts suddenly poofed away into thin air by smoke. Once they were gone, the barred door went up and allowed Andrew and Goombella to pass on through.
"Well, I guess we can pass through here," Andrew proclaimed as he walked out of the ruins.
"You know it," Goombella smirked as they left the small purple ruins and continued toward the fortress...
Once they stepped outside, they continued on the path, fighting off more Goombas and Koopas that got in their way. As they were traveling, Goombella felt the need to say something to Andrew.
"Hey Andrew? Listen, about earlier, I want to say I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable with my questions," Goombella apologized. "I just wanted to know more about you since you seem like an interesting type of guy, y'know?"
"I get it. And I'm not angry," Andrew informed her. "But let's just say that where you came from was probably far better than where I came from."
"Oh, c'mon silly," Goombella made a face as she 'pffft' again. "You already know that I came from the University of Goom. There's nothing wrong with that place!"
Andrew took a deep breath and decided to elaborate. "I mean the place that you lived in originally. The place that you grew up in."
"Oh," Goombella then understood what he meant. "Well Andrew, if you're curious, I was 'actually' born in a place called Goomville, which is where I grew up."
"Goomville?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Don't ask for all the details and all, y'know," Goombella explained. "But it was just a typical village that I grew up in."
Sounds an awful lot like Goomba Village... Andrew thought to himself as Goombella continued.
"So yeah, that's it. There ain't much to it. My parents still live there. I still send 'em postcards and leave phone calls and whatnot," Goombella told him. "But yeah. I didn't have any friends there, or at least ones that are still living there. Everyone that I knew from there did not share the same interest in archaeology as I did."
"You always had an interest in archaeology?" Andrew raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Yeah! Duh! I've always loved archaeology ever since I was a little girl," Goombella exclaimed. "I had this hobby of exploring this area outside of Goomville, which is something my dad and I used to do when I was younger. Shucks, my parents got me an archaeology kit that I got for my 10th birthday. And lemme tell ya, best birthday gift I got, EVER!"
Goombella had to take a deep breath before she got all excited, as she then resumed. "And that's when I 'really' started expanding my interest in the field of archaeology! 'In fact', that's what landed me into being able to attend the University of Goom, and how I got associated with Professor Frankly, who saw me as a potentially excellent pupil."
"Wow. That sounds great," Andrew had to admit. "But wait, you didn't have any friends where you lived?"
"Only one or two of 'em. But even they didn't seem all that interested in archaeology," Goombella had to explain to him. "Most of the other friends that I do have attended the same college as me. Heck, none of my college friends were able to accompany me to Rogueport to find out about the legendary treasure under the town, since they were too busy. I came to this region alone, all by myself, before I met you."
"And you were cornered by that Lord Crump jerk, I stepped in and rescued you, and that's how we ended up traveling together," Andrew concluded.
"Exactly," Goombella beamed as Andrew found another ?-block right near the ruins that was dark pink. He then hit it and found another POW Block from it, which he picked up. "Uh, Andrew? Even though you don't feel like telling me about yourself...and I hope you don't mind me asking, but am I a friend of yours?"
Andrew turned around to face Goombella the moment he pocketed the POW Block. He saw her giving her that same cute and determined look she gave him when she wanted to know his name.
It was no secret now that Andrew was a loner. And he didn't have any friends. Unfortunately, since he was traveling with Goombella, and the fact that the archaeology-loving Goomba seemed to have grown close to him, it was clear what his answer was.
"Yes, Goombella," he admitted softly. "You are a friend of mine."
"Aww, that's good to know," Goombella smiled again before looking at the dark pink ruins in front of them. "Anyway Andrew, we better check out these dark pink ruins in front of us, don'tcha think?"
"Yeah. It's the only way to get to the fortress," Andrew nodded. "Let's check this place out."
"Right behind you!" Goombella once again, followed Andrew into the ruins as they decided to see what it looked like on the inside...
The place looked the same as the other ruins they just got through, with the same barred door being down to prevent them from passing. The only difference was that it was dark pink instead of purple. Standing in the place of the Bald Clefts on the pedestals were spiked creatures known as Bristles, which were covered in spikes all over. Despite this, Goombella was still somewhat interested in the place.
"Even though these ruins are identical to the other ones that we just passed by, to archaeologists, this place is a gold mine," Goombella admitted. "I gotta come back sometime..."
"I can see you coming back here once we're all set with this adventure," Andrew commented.
"You bet," Goombella gleamed as Andrew saw what was on the pedestals.
"Hey, what are these things?" Andrew was curious as he went to check one of them out.
Then right on cue, the place started rumbling like before, as the Bristles came to life. Now Andrew and Goombella had to deal with the two Bristles if they wanted to get by here.
"What are these things," Andrew wondered as Goombella took out her Tattle Log and started looking through it. "I've never seen these types of creatures before."
"Well Andrew, if ya wanna know, these are Bristles," Goombella read off from her Tattle Log on them. "...[Totally] covered in spikes. They're so prickly!"
"You're telling me," Andrew had to cringe at the thought of being poked by one of these creatures. "Those spikes are super sharp and pointy."
"Yeah, they are," Goombella continued reading for him. "And guess what? They're impervious to fire."
"Which means fire won't work on them," Andrew deadpanned.
"Got it," Goombella then revealed. "Even trying to get close enough to whack it with a baseball bat is dangerous! Seriously, its spikes will 'totally' pop out!"
"Yowch," Andrew winced. "That's one accident just waiting to happen to us..."
Goombella was about to finish her Tattle when Andrew noticed the Bristles extracting their side spikes out as they spun and moved right toward the Goomba girl.
"Goombella, duck!" Andrew yelled towards her.
Without reacting, he went over to Goombella, dragged her onto her stomach, and stayed on the floor next to her on his 'own' stomach as the Bristles went right over them, barely grazing them with their bottom spike. Thankfully, it didn't cause them too much pain. They were just moments away from getting speared if they didn't duck in time.
"Wow, Andrew. That's twice in a row," Goombella had to smirk at how Andrew was saving her like this. "You're good."
"Yeah," Andrew sighed as they got back up. "Well, we could've gotten skewered if we didn't duck in time."
"Tell me about it," Goombella finished her Tattle. "Anyway, since you can't jump on it or use your bat...you'd better use an item!"
"By item, you mean POW Block, right," Andrew asked as Goombella nodded proudly. "Looks like I was smart to grab this POW Block that I found right outside these ruins."
Without saying anything else, Andrew took out the POW Block, activated it by having it grow and placed above his head, and jumped and hit the block with his right fist again. He activated it shortly afterwards as it disappeared. The Bristles were flipped over, like the Bald Clefts, and then they were defeated instantly.
Then just like the Bald Clefts before, the Bristles poofed away through smoke. After they vanished, the barred door went up and Andrew and Goombella were able to continue onward.
"Okay. Now we can get by this area," Andrew sighed. "Hopefully, Shhwonk Fortress is just up ahead. Let's get moving."
"Right," Goombella agreed as they left the ruins and went down the path, with the fortress being just up ahead...
Just like before, the path was littered with Goombas and Koopas. But Andrew and Goombella quickly dispatched them with no trouble. They realized that the trip to Shhwonk Fortress was a slightly tiring one.
"Wow. I didn't think that this would've been quite a trip here," Andrew wiped his forehead.
"Yeah. You're telling me," Goombella sighed. "Luckily, the entrance to Shhwonk Fortress is just up ahead."
"Yeah," It was then Andrew found something behind a broken wall. "Hmm? What's this?"
Andrew went and picked it up as he read what was written on it. It was 'apparently' an Inn Coupon, which got him intrigued.
"Huh. What do you know," Andrew mused. "It's an Inn Coupon."
"An Inn Coupon," Goombella ran over to him and saw it for herself. "Wow. Those can be used to book yourself and your pals at an Inn, free of charge."
"Uh huh," Andrew nodded. "You know, we could 'actually' use this coupon to stay at the Petalburg Inn if we need to."
"Great idea, Andrew," Goombella beamed as Andrew saw another ?-block. "Y'know? Your resourcefulness is what I like most about you."
"Oh, come on, Goombella," Andrew jumped under the block and had a 'Fire Flower' appear from it, which he caught. "You're just saying that."
"No. I mean it," Goombella grinned. "We are 'really' making an effective team, don'tcha think?"
"Yeah. I guess we are an effective team," Andrew pocketed the 'Fire Flower' as he approached the entrance of the fortress. "Now, let's enter the Shhwonk Fortress, shall we?"
"Certainly," the Goomba girl proclaimed as they entered the Shhwonk Fortress, wondering what they'll be in for...
IN THE SHHWONK FORTRESS:
When they got into the fortress, they realized that the walls were dark yellow. And standing at the other end of the fortress was a pedestal, which resting atop of it was a Thwomp.
"Wow," Andrew said with a low tone. "So this is the Shhwonk Fortress."
"You bet! And that suspicious statue over there is a Thwomp bust," Goombella then remembered something important. "Hey, I just remembered something I read about this place in a book! Whenever the villagers were confronted with a monster, they'd hide in this fortress..."
"Is that so," Andrew rubbed his chin.
"Uh huh," Goombella then remarked. "I guess there's a little bit of history everywhere you look, huh, Andrew."
"Can't argue with that, Goombella," Andrew nodded. "Well, we might as well check out this Thwomp bust if we want to get any further into this place."
Andrew walked up to the Thwomp along with Goombella as he touched it. The moment he did, the place started shaking, which got Andrew and Goombella to jump a little. Then all of a sudden, the Thwomp came to life as he opened his eyes and saw the two adventurers for himself.
"Mmmm hmmm hoo ha ha! You're the first contestants I've seen in a while," the Thwomp had to admit. "If you've come all the way here to Shhwonk Fortress, you must want stone keys."
"That's exactly what we're here for," Andrew told him.
"Well since THAT'S the case, you must compete against me." The Thwomp said.
"What?" Andrew and Goombella exchanged looks before staring at the Thwomp again.
"If you win, I'll let you through to where the stone keys rest," the Thwomp told them the conditions. "However, if you lose, you will suffer a terrible fate. And by 'terrible', I mean awful."
"Pffft! Yeah, right," Goombella wasn't afraid as she rolled her eyes. "We aren't afraid of a little challenge!"
"Mmmm hmmm hoo ha ha!" The Thwomp laughed before asking them the all-important question. "So? What do you want to do?"
"The only thing we can do. We need those Stone Keys, and nothing's gonna stop us," Andrew proclaimed. "So with that said Mr. Thwomp, we'll take you on!"
It was then that Thwomp felt some kind of glint in his eyes. It's as if he was expecting these two to take the challenge and fall in defeat afterwards.
"Mmmm hmmm hoo ha ha! You're in for it now!" The Thwomp declared as the pedestal he was standing out slammed into a red button that was on the wall.
As soon as it was pressed, the boring dark yellow room instantly transformed into a game show with all the colorful flashy lights. Andrew and Goombella had found themselves behind a game show stand with a red button on the counter. As for the Thwomp, well, he was now shown with a microphone in front of him, and he was wearing a red bowtie with white polka dots. The Thwomp decided to get the show underway.
"Hey HEY, ladies and germs!" The Thwomp declared in a manner that was similar to a game show host. "Welcome, everybody, to the 65th Super Fun Quirk Quiz!"
"The 65th Super Fun Quirk Quiz?" Andrew and Goombella asked simultaneously in confusion.
"Perk up those ears!" The Thwomp continued. "If you correctly answer five of the following questions, you win! But get three of 'em wrong, and you'll suffer a cruel and unusual punishment!"
"In that case, we better get five questions correct," Andrew whispered to his Goomba partner.
"Yeah. Better put on that game face, Andrew," Goombella advised him softly. "We're gonna need it."
"I know," Andrew nodded as the Thwomp decided to start the quiz show.
"Now...for the first question! What's hidden in this place?" The Thwomp asked him. "Is it A.) Stone Keys, B.) Crystal Star, C.) Princess Peach, or D.) Pickle Stone?"
"I think the answer should be simple since we're looking for it," Andrew pressed the red button. "It's A.) Stone Key!"
"Is that your REAL answer?" The Thwomp decided to ask. "Are you suuuuuuuuure?"
"Yes, I'm sure it's A," Andrew confirmed.
A dinging sound went off in the background, a sign that Andrew got the right answer.
"Wow. Good job, Andrew," Goombella complimented him.
"Yeah. I know." Andrew said simply.
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! That's...correct!" The Thwomp yelled in frustration. "That question was too easy... But it only gets harder from here! Much harder! ...So prepare yourself!"
"We're ready," Andrew proclaimed as he and Goombella were prepared.
"On to question two! What do one Mr. Softener and one Fire Flower cost at the shop in Petalburg? Total!" The Thwomp moved on to question 2. "Is it A.) 10 coins, B.) 12 coins, C.) 16 coins, or D.) 20 coins?"
Andrew had thought back to when he and Goombella went shopping in Petalburg when they had gotten there. He had seen all the price tags for all the items sold there. And Mr. Softener and Fire Flower were no exception. Remembering what they cost and then adding them up, Andrew knew what the answer was.
"The answer is C.) 16 coins," Andrew declared as he pressed the red button.
That dinging sound went off again, which meant Andrew got the question answered correctly. Goombella only smirked at how Andrew was able to remember the price of the Mr. Softener and Fire Flower combined. The Thwomp, by contrast, was upset that Andrew got another answer correct.
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! That's...correct!" The Thwomp howled again. "That question was too easy... But it only gets harder from here! Much harder! ...So prepare yourself!"
"Let's continue then," Andrew braced himself for the next question.
"Moving on! Question three! What is the name of the mayor of Petalburg?" The Thwomp asked. "Is it A.) Kooskoos, B.) Burtle, C.) Moopa, or D.) Kroop?"
Andrew was a little stumped on this question this time around. How was he supposed to know the name of the Petalburg Mayor? Then again, he never asked the Mayor for his name, so there was no way of him knowing it. Needless to say, Andrew was reluctant to answer.
"Uhhhh..." Andrew trailed off in uncertainty.
Goombella saw that Andrew was struggling with this. And unlike Andrew, it just so happened that Goombella knew the answer to this question, as she stepped forward.
"I know the answer to this one," Goombella pressed the red button and answered. "The answer is D.) Kroop."
That dinging sound was heard once again, showing that she was correct. As the Thwomp was getting frustrated, Andrew wiped his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for the save, Goombella," Andrew thanked his Goomba partner, who was smiling.
"Anytime, Andrew," Goombella beamed as she leaned against him. "I 'actually' overheard one of the Koopas in Petalburg mention that his name is Kroop."
"Well, it sure helped us a lot," Andrew proclaimed. "That's for sure."
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! That's...correct!" The Thwomp let out another aggravated grunt. "That question was too easy... But it only gets harder from here! Much harder! ...So prepare yourself!"
"Right," Andrew gulped.
"We're not done yet, folks! Question four! Tell me, now! Where is the Crystal Star?" The Thwomp laid out the fourth question. "Is it A.) Rogueport, B.) Hooktail Castle, C.) Mushville, or D.) Petalburg?"
"We already know where the Diamond Star is being held," Andrew pointed out.
"You know it," Goombella agreed as they both pressed the red button.
"The answer is B.) Hooktail Castle," they answered simultaneously.
It was then that the dinging sound went off again, indicating that they answered the fourth question correctly. By this point, the Thwomp felt like he was at the end of his rope, as he needed to amp up the challenge a bit.
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Right again! Tell me you didn't just get your fourth right answer! It can't be true!" The Thwomp then bellowed declaringly. "That's it! I'm making the rest of these nearly impossible! Get ready for brain pain!"
"We can take it," Andrew said calmly.
"Are you ready for the diabolical question five? How can one get from Petal Meadows to Rogueport?" The Thwomp asked the fifth question. "Is it A.) Boat Across the Sea, B.) Only by Air, C.) Go Through a Pipe, or D.) Race in a Kart?"
"You can't be serious," Andrew huffed. "There's only one way we came to Petal Meadows!"
"And we already know it," Goombella beamed as they pressed the red button again, and answered.
"The answer is C.) Go Through a Pipe," they both answered in unison.
"Is that your REAL answer?" The Thwomp decided to ask once again, hoping it'd throw them off. "Are you suuuuuuuuure?"
"Yes!" Andrew and Goombella declared. "We say it's C."
At that moment, the dinging sound went off for the fifth and final time, as the two travelers managed to win the game, and were safe from a terrifying fate.
Meanwhile, the Thwomp was flabbergasted by how they answered five questions correctly. To say that he was outraged by the fact that he lost would've been an understatement.
"NOOOOO! AAARRRGGGHHH! That's... That's right!" The Thwomp yowled. "You correctly answered five questions! I don't believe it! You win!"
In a fit of fury, the Thwomp made the pedestal he was standing on press the red button again. This time, the gameshow room disappeared and it was transformed back to its normal boring self; in the Shhwonk Fortress. And the stand that Andrew and Goombella were on disappeared too, along with the Thwomp's bowtie. The Thwomp was fuming as he now had to allow Andrew and Goombella to go and get the Stone Keys.
"SO...VERY...AAAAANGRY! I can't believe I lost!" The Thwomp boomed in fury. "I guess I have to let you through! Stupid rules..."
The pedestal that he was on started moving backward as he spun around in circles on the pedestal, all while Andrew and Goombella were smirking that they beat him.
Once the Thwomp was now against the wall, a green pipe appeared right where he was standing, as he glared at them one last time.
"HMPH!" The Thwomp huffed before closing his eyes and going back into his motionless state.
"Well, I guess that pipe should lead us to the Stone Keys," Andrew went over and jumped on top of the pipe. "Well come on Goombella. Let's get those Stone Keys."
"I'm right behind you, Andrew," Goombella walked over and jumped onto the pipe next to Andrew.
In a matter of seconds, the two travelers went down the pipe, with the ambition of heading toward the exact location where the Stone Keys were at...
IN THE SEWERS - RIGHT BELOW THE SHHWONK FORTRESS:
By the time they exited the pipe, both of them felt water touching their feet. They had realized that they were now in the sewers, and the place was, well... dark and murky. In other words, not pleasant.
"Woah," Andrew flinched. "We're in the sewers now?"
"Ick. My shoes are 'totally' soaked through now... Just great," Goombella complained. "Plus, it's dark and cramped, and it smells 'totally' bad..."
"Yeah. This place is definitely on the murky side," Andrew had to gag.
"This place is not cool, Andrew." Goombella moaned, bobbing her head from side to side.
"I know it isn't. I'm not fond of this place either," Andrew admitted. "But we have to find the Stone Keys before we can get out of here."
"Right," Goombella sighed. "But it's still dark in here, and we can barely see what's in front of us. I 'totally' hate dark places..."
"Wait a second," Andrew came up with something, and it involved Goombella's helmet lamp. "Goombella? What about the light on your helmet?"
"Oooooh... Duuuuuuuuuuh! How could I be so stupid," Goombella grunted, in a way that was similar to a facepalm. "I forgot my helmet has a light on it!"
"Does it still work?" Andrew queried.
"I think so," Goombella managed to press something on her helmet, and in a matter of second, the light turned on as she was flashing a light from her helmet. "Yup. It still works."
"That's great," Andrew declared. "Now we can find our way around here."
"Good eye there, Andrew. I never would've thought of that," Goombella thanked him.
"Yeah," it was then Andrew saw a red ?-block as he went over and punched it.
It was then the Multibounce Badge came out of it, which Andrew managed to catch. He took out his badge kit and placed the Multibounce Badge into it.
"Sure was a great idea that I gave you that badge kit, wasn't it?" Goombella remarked.
"Yes, it was," Andrew smiled. "It was a great gift that I needed for these badges."
"Glad you think so," Goombella then suggested. "Now, let's find those Stone Keys. QUICKLY! Before I faint from this smell!"
"No need to tell me twice," Andrew put away his badge kit. "Let's move."
And that's what they did. They had to go through two doorways on both sides if they wanted to get the Stone Keys. They had to fend off any Fuzzies that were in their way. After a few moments, Goombella 'really' showed how much she hated these sewers.
"Gosh. ICK! Gross. Couldn't it be any either to find those Stone Keys? I can't stand walking in this murky water. It's disgusting," Goombella complained. "And that stink. The smell of wet Fuzzy makes me want to barf. EWWWWWWW..."
Andrew couldn't stand seeing Goombella being this miserable. Even though he was still skeptical about this quest he was on, and the fact that he was a loner who preferred working alone, he needed to do something. After taking a deep breath, Andrew decided to suggest to her.
"Hey Goombella?" He started. "Would you like to ride on my right shoulder until we can get out of these sewers?"
"Why Andrew," Goombella decided to tease him. "Are you starting to fall for me?"
In a matter of seconds, Andrew was red in the face from that comment as Goombella laughed.
"Kidding Andrew. I'm kidding," she told him while chuckling. "Of 'course' I'll ride on your shoulder."
"Errrm...Right," Andrew shook his head as the redness in his face started to fade. "Let me grab you and put you on my shoulder."
From there, Andrew walked over to Goombella, grabbed her, picked her up, and placed her on his right shoulder.
"Now don't let go, Goombella," the muscular man informed her.
"Whattaya take me for, huh?" Goombella gave him a look. "The only way I'm letting go of your shoulder is if we go crashing through one of the walls."
"Right. Let's find the Stone Keys," Andrew proclaimed as he continued walking with Goombella on his right shoulder.
The light she was emitting from her helmet combined with standing right next to Andrew's head 'actually' made it 10 times easier for him to navigate through this damp area.
Along the way, he had to use up both of the 'Fire Flowers' that he found to fend off the Fuzzies that were on their tail. Eventually, they managed to find the Sun Stone and the Moon Stone; the former resembled the sun, whereas the latter resembled the crescent moon, hence their respective names.
"All right," Andrew sighed in relief as he made sure both of them were in the front pouch of his backpack. "We got both of the Stone Keys. Now let's find our way back to the exit pipe."
"You got it," Goombella said as she remained on Andrew's right shoulder.
They had the ambition to leave the sewers and head back up to the surface. However, these moments were dashed, for once they were in the room they came downward in by the pipe, they saw something right in front of them.
It happened to be another Fuzzy. However, this Fuzzy was different in appearance, being that it was yellow instead of black. 'Apparently', this kind of Fuzzy was known as a Gold Fuzzy.
"What the...?" Andrew moaned, realizing that something bad would stand in their way. "Is that...another Fuzzy?"
Why did I get the feeling that this would happen? Andrew thought bitterly to himself.
"Ewww... Not another one," Goombella stuck her tongue out at the Gold Fuzzy, who started to talk to them.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeork! Hey, you suspicious types! This is our place," the Gold Fuzzy argued in protest. "And coming in here is rude, rude, RUDE!"
"Well the Stone Keys were here, so we had to come here," Andrew insisted in a rather deadpan tone.
"Sorry, suckers! If you want a warm welcome, too bad!" The Gold Fuzzy barked. "Now I lunch on your heads!"
"I take it that you want to pick a fight with us too, huh?" Andrew guessed as the Gold Fuzzy prepared to battle them. "I should've known. Well, Goombella? You got any information on this guy?"
"I'm already on it, Andrew," Goombella took out her Tattle Log, skimmed through the pages, and looked for the Gold Fuzzy, all while remaining on Andrew's shoulder. "Ah ha! Here is it."
"Well, go ahead and read it," Andrew advised her.
"With pleasure," Goombella gave him a smirk before reading off what she saw in the book on it. "That's a Gold Fuzzy. Whoa, those are super rare! I'm serious! Wow!"
"They're super rare?" Andrew turned his head to the right to face Goombella. "You mean that Gold Fuzzies are barely found in the wild, and this one happens to be one of the few out there?"
"You got it," Goombella smiled as she continued reading. "Oh, but hey! Even though it's a 'Fuzzy', it won't suck up your energy, which is nice."
"Then why did it just say that it'll 'lunch on our heads'?" Andrew quizzed.
"Likely a figure of speech," Goombella guessed. "I have to wonder though... How does this thing hide? Look at it! It's so gaudy!"
"No kidding. It does look like so," Andrew sighed as Goombella put away her Tattle Log. "All right, Goombella. If we're gonna fight this guy, you're gonna have to jump off my shoulder and Headbonk this creep."
"Awwwww... Are you serious," Goombella wondered wryly. "Oh, okay. I guess I can do that."
Goombella then took a good leap off of Andrew's right shoulder as she spun through the air and landed head-first on the Gold Fuzzy, performing an effective Headbonk. Andrew then followed by charging for it, taking his bat out and landing a rather strong Power Swing, getting the Gold Fuzzy a little roughened up. After regaining himself, the Gold Fuzzy realized what he was dealing with.
"Meee-OOOF! Hey! Ow! 'You' chumps are tougher than you look..." The Gold Fuzzy said as he now had a backup plan to be able to deal with the two travelers. "But I'm not through yet!"
The Gold Fuzzy cleared his throat and then bellowed. "Everyone! GET 'EM!"
In a matter of seconds, Andrew and Goombella found themselves surrounded by several black Fuzzies that came out of nowhere, which 'basically' formed a Fuzzy Horde. It looked like they were outnumbered.
"Ick. Great. Just great. This is just what we needed," Goombella said sarcastically. "More Fuzzies to deal with."
"Yeah," Andrew gripped his bat in both hands. "But that won't stop us."
Immediately afterwards, Andrew was surrounded by the Fuzzy Horde. Holding his bat correctly, he managed to swing it into any of the Fuzzies that tried to jump them. He managed to send them careening into the wall upon hitting them away like baseballs.
Once the Fuzzy Horde realized Andrew was too strong for them, they backed away from him, as the Gold Fuzzy decided to jump Goombella.
What the Gold Fuzzy didn't count on was the fact that Andrew slid right in front of her, willing to counter against him.
Andrew readied his right hand into a fist, pulled his right arm back, and then right as the Gold Fuzzy was within punching distance, Andrew threw his right fist forward, punching the Gold Fuzzy square in the face and knocking him back several feet.
Seeing that the Gold Fuzzy was in a daze, he disregarded the Fuzzy Horde as he decided to wrap this fight up.
"All right, we're finishing this," Andrew readied himself. "Come on, Goombella! Let's wrap this up!"
"You don't have to tell me twice," Goombella was all for it as she charged over and delivered two strikes to the Gold Fuzzy's head with a Headbonk.
Andrew then finished up the fight by leaping through the air and jumping right on top of the Gold Fuzzy, performing a successful Power Jump.
Seeing that their master was numbered, the Fuzzy Horde chose this as their best time to skedaddle as they backed away from them. The Gold Fuzzy looked like he was ready to pass out as he looked at Andrew and Goombella one more time.
"Meeeeeeee-uuuuurgh! You got me!" He moaned moments before he was completely knocked out cold.
Once the Gold Fuzzy was completely unconscious, the other black Fuzzies of the Fuzzy Horde scampered away from the scene, leaving Andrew and Goombella all alone again.
"Well, that takes care of that," Andrew started at the knocked-out Gold Fuzzy before putting away his bat and looking towards Goombella. "Anyway, what do you say we take the pipe back up and get out of this murky place?"
"I couldn't agree more," Goombella expressed relief as she followed Andrew back up the pipe, which led them back up to the surface, within the Shhwonk Fortress building...
As soon as they were back up, they jumped down from the pipe as Goombella turned off the light on her helmet, breathing in the air in the surface world.
"Ah. It's great to be back up above," Goombella remarked happily as they left the fortress.
"I agree. That was quite an experience we were put through," Andrew wiped his forehead, stepping outside with his Goomba partner. "Guess we better head back to Petalburg."
"Yup. We need to get prepared to head to Hooktail Castle, and be able to solve that puzzle that we saw earlier, don'tcha think?" Goombella reminded him.
"Mhmm," Andrew nodded as he took out a Mushroom from his backpack. "Here. Have a Mushroom. You can snack on it on our way back to Petalburg. It should help replenish our energy after all the fights we've been doing."
"Why thank you, Andrew," Goombella took the Mushroom and started snacking on it. "This should tie us over while we head back to Petalburg."
"Of course," Andrew then grabbed a Mushroom for himself as he started snacking too. "Let's head back."
"I'm right behind you," Goombella agreed as the two of them headed back to Petalburg, snacking on the Mushrooms that they had in their possession, which helped them replenish their tired energy.
Their next goal was to prepare themselves to get to Hooktail Castle and to solve that mysterious puzzle that involved the secret pipe that'd lead them to the castle. But what they didn't know was that they'd end up encountering someone the moment they headed for Hooktail Castle. And it would be a very important meeting for them...
END OF CHAPTER 6...
Yeah. That's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it with all the content that I added for this part.
Now, first off, I have decided to give some more background to Goombella's history, including her early life where she grew up, and all that stuff. And I also included how she enjoyed archaeology ever since she was a little girl.
I felt all of this was fitting, seeing that not much was shown to us about Goombella, aside from all the gut-busting tattles she makes in certain areas, and how at least one of her tattles has her make mention of her mother. So this is giving her a deeper background while keeping her in character.
Also worth noting is that if she was growing up, she wouldn't have many friends where she grew up and they had no interest in archaeology like Goombella does, and her interest in it spiked tenfold when her parents got her that archaeology kit for her 10th birthday. It landed her a place at the University of Goom and got her associated with Professor Frankly. Simple as that.
Another thing I'd like to say, it might seem that Andrew is a loner and could likely be seen as aloof in certain situations. But that's because he's never been on adventures before, and he isn't well-adjusted to socializing with people. Despite this, he will do the right thing and let Goombella know that he doesn't mean to be harsh to her.
Another reason why he's like this is also tied into his backstory, which isn't pretty, and parts of it will be revealed bit by bit. 'In fact', the next chapter will depict a part of Andrew's backstory that'll be noticeable as the story progresses.
Lastly, I think it should be noticeable that Andrew and Goombella's chemistry is in full swing here too, and it's something that'll expand with the other partners that Andrew gets the further he gets into his adventure.
Anyway, for the next chapter, Andrew and Goombella head to Hooktail Castle, and run into a familiar someone shy in personality, Andrew gains a second partner after hearing his reason for wanting to defeat Hooktail, and the aforementioned part of Andrew's backstory will be revealed, among several other things. What will Andrew and Goombella be in store for at that point? Find out next time, readers!
In the meantime, only if you like, you can leave a review, and let me know what you think of this chapter. Things are going to look interesting from here on out, so be ready.
Otherwise, I have nothing more to say. So until next time, take care and look forward to the rest of Chapter 1. And on that note, thanks again for reading everyone!