Well now, readers. Here is the eighth chapter of this story!
Now, there isn't much that I can say about this chapter. This chapter involves Andrew, Goombella, and Koops exploring their first dungeon area; Hooktail Castle.
Essentially, they navigator through the traps in the castle, they find a letter in who they thought was Koops' father's remains, Andrew gets cursed again, Koops is clued in on the Crystal Stars, and the three of them meet a mysterious woman for the first time, and a few other things will occur. How will this go for them? Read and find out, now!
RIGHT OUTSIDE OF HOOKTAIL CASTLE:
It took no time at all for the three travelers to go through one of the buildings that led to Hooktail Castle, which had a second floor with a jump pad leading up to it.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw the front entrance of the castle itself. They realized that the place was even more grim and horrifying up close than it did from a great distance away. After all three of them got a good look at the place, they managed to comment on the place.
"So, this is Hooktail Castle, huh?" Andrew wondered, placing both of his hands on his hips.
"Well..." Goombella couldn't help but gulp at its rather unsettling appearance. "It sure is ominous, that's for sure."
"Oh, man... The stories were all true..." Koops felt his feet clattering together as he saw the building and all its awful ugliness. "This place is TERRIFYING..."
"Guys, I know how you feel. And believe me, this place does look far spookier and creepy up close than it did from a distance," Andrew had to reassure them. "But we have to get through here. Hooktail has been terrorizing the people of Petalburg, and we have to put an end to it."
"Yeah. Great speech and all, Andrew. But there's just one problem," Goombella then motioned him towards the bridge that was out. "The bridge is out, and we can't get across it."
"Yeah. That is a problem," Andrew mused.
"Seems that it's been out for a while too," Goombella proclaimed. "And there's a moat down below too."
"Ummm... Yeah," Koops agreed as he saw something right underneath the bridge. "Hey, ummm... Andrew? Look down there?"
Andrew saw where Koops was pointing to and was amazed by what he saw. It was another badge. This one happened to be the HP Plus Badge.
"Great find Koops," Andrew found a way down there as he motioned his Koopa partner to follow. "Come with me, Koops. We're gonna go get that badge."
"Right..." Koops nodded as he followed him down there.
"Just be careful not to fall into the moat," Goombella warned them as they jumped from rock to rock until there was nowhere else to jump. "There are plenty of Nibbles in that water!"
"We know Goombella," Andrew told her as he then advised Koops. "Okay, Koops. Let's do it."
Koops nodded as he went into his shell, Andrew jumped and had Koops careen forward to the badge, where he picked it up with his shell and came back to Andrew like a boomerang. Andrew grabbed the badge as he and his Koopa partner made their way back to where Goombella was standing.
"Hey, Andrew. You got the badge. And perfect timing too," Goombella decided to inform him of something she found as he put the badge in his kit. "Look what I found that's just above us."
Andrew looked up to where Goombella was facing as he realized what it was. It was another airplane panel. He can turn into that paper airplane with Goombella and Koops with him so they can get across.
"All right Goombella," Andrew said as they went back into the building they came out of previously. "Guess we're gonna have to get into paper airplane mode."
"Paper Airplane Mode?" Koops was confused as they jumped onto the jump pad and made it to the second floor.
"Oh yeah, Koops. We didn't tell you before," Andrew informed him. "I have this ability to turn into a paper airplane every time I stand on those panels."
"Ummm... Really?" Koops wondered.
"Long story short, Koops," Goombella informed him as they stepped outside and stood on the panel. "Andrew got cursed by a creep in a black chest, which caused him to turn into a paper airplane on those panels as a result."
"Wow..." Koops couldn't believe what he heard.
"That's right. And now it's time to do it again," Andrew remarked. "So grab my left arm, Koops."
"Ummm... Okay," Koops obliged as he did just that.
"Okay Goombella, you know what to do," Andrew informed his Goomba partner.
"You betcha," Goombella beamed as she jumped onto Andrew's right arm and was being held by him.
In a matter of seconds, Andrew turned into a paper airplane and managed to get them across the taken-out bridge, and were now in front of the door that was on the other side.
"See," Andrew turned back to normal while letting go of his two partners. "Piece of cake."
"W-Wow!" Koops was freaking out for a moment. "I didn't know you could d-do something this...ummm... extreme..."
"Extreme is a good way to put it," Goombella remarked. "Now, shall we head into the castle?"
"Absolutely," Andrew nodded as he opened the door leading into the castle, stepping in along with Goombella and Koops.
INSIDE HOOKTAIL CASTLE:
As soon as they stepped in, they realized just how humongous it was on the inside. The place also looked like a graveyard for dead Koopas, considering all of the Koopa skeletal remains that were all over the place. They resembled what appeared to be Dull Bones; a subspecies of Dry Bones.
There were also two Paratroopas and one Koopa that were trying to pick a fight with them. But they were quickly dispatched by the three of them.
Andrew also found the Power Bounce Badge in the red ?-block that was nearby. Seeing that it may be important, Andrew decided to put this badge on right next to his Power Jump and Power Swing Badges.
"Sure is a spacious place," Andrew admitted. "And it looks like a graveyard too."
"If by 'graveyard', you mean a place for bone-pile decor, then yes," Goombella proclaimed before feeling a shiver. "Y'know, I'm not exactly a fan of that."
"Me either," Andrew shook his head.
"I don't really wanna have my bones end up here, Mario. How about we move on?" Goombella suggested, feeling a bit creeped out.
"I'm all for that," Andrew nodded before facing his other partner. "How about you, Koops? Ready to move on?"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Koops uttered as he nodded quickly in agreement as the three of them went into the next room.
The next room they went into didn't seem any better, as there were more remains of Dull Bones lying around. In addition to that, Andrew also saw a prison in front of them. And he also saw a red key with the end shaped like a fork. He felt that he'd probably need that, but since he couldn't get through the bars, it would have to wait.
"Ick..." Goombella had to cringe at what she saw. "There are bones scattered everywhere."
"Tell me about it," Andrew deadpanned in agreement. "I rather not know how all these bones got here."
"Yeah. You could 'totally' choke on the stench in this place," Goombella remarked. "What with all the mold and dust lying around."
"Yeah," Andrew said in agreement.
It was then their attention turned towards Koops as he gasped loudly and saw something that horrified him.
"Oh... OH, NOOOOO!" Koops yelled as he walked over to another pile of bones.
These were slightly different, being that the shell and shoes were colored blue instead of lime green.
Andrew and Goombella walked over to his side as they saw that Koops was almost on the verge of tears by what he saw. Before Andrew could ask what was wrong, Koops decided to say something about them.
"These bones... They remind me of my father..." Koops told them sadly. "There's... There's no doubt about it! It's my father!"
Andrew and Goombella didn't need to think about that, as they pretty much knew what was going through his mind as he started crying. "DAAAAAAAD!"
At that moment, Andrew and Goombella went ahead and took off their cap and helmet, respectively, placed them right where their hearts were, closed their eyes, and offered a moment of silence in mourning for Koops' loss.
Suddenly, Koops stopped crying when he noticed something on the bones. It was a handwritten letter that was attached to its bones. This got Koops a little curious so he decided to comment on it.
"Ummm... Wait, what's this?" Koops wondered as Andrew and Goombella opened their eyes. "Andrew! My father's clutching some kind of letter. Or at least, his...ugh...bones are."
"Really," Andrew saw it for himself along with Goombella. "Oh. It is a letter."
"So... What should I do?" Koops queried. "Should I read it?"
"Well, since that's your father, you have every right to read it," Andrew encouraged him.
"Yeah. You should read it," Goombella agreed.
"Umm...OK. I can do this," Koops settled on that. "I... I'll read it."
With that, Koops pulled the paper out from its bones, unfolded it, and looked at it.
"Ahem..." Koops began to read it, and this is what he read:
"I came to this castle to destroy Hooktail, but I am stuck and can go no further. So, in this letter, I shall note Hooktail's weaknesses for those who follow. The dread Hooktail cannot tolerate creatures that begin with 'cr' and end with 'icket'."
Cr-icket? So Hooktail's weakness is crickets? Andrew thought as Koops kept reading.
"Hidden somewhere in this castle is an item related to Hooktail's weakness. If one is to have any hope of defeating Hooktail, one must first find that item."
There's an item here that relates to the dragon's weakness? Andrew thought again as he mused. I guess I'm gonna have to survey this whole castle if I hope to find this item...
"One last thing: if faced with ultimate doom, the fiend will use any trick to save itself. If you hope to defeat it, do not give in to your kinder nature and fall for its tricks."
That makes sense. Dragons are notoriously tricky. Andrew thought once more. They will do anything they can to get the upper hand against whoever challenges them.
"Alas, I do not have the strength to continue writing... Already, mist veils my eyes..."
Koops was almost done as he read the last of the letter.
"My last words go to my son, Kolorado: I love you, and I'm proud of who you've become."
It was then Koops had to back himself up a bit when he realized who this dead Koopa was referring to as his son. He was shocked and surprised by this.
"Huh?" He expressed his shock. "My son, 'KOLORADO'? Not 'Koops'?"
"Well, that was awkward," Andrew admitted as he put his cap back on while Goombella put her helmet back on.
"You're telling me," Goombella had to roll her eyes briefly.
It was then Koops turned around to face them as he said while blushing in embarrassment. "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooops... Ummm... Yeah. I guess this isn't my father, after all."
"Honest mistake. It happens," Andrew informed him before thinking of something else that was mentioned. "Anyway, I know who Kolorado is. He is a Koopa who lives in Koopa Village with his wife. Unfortunately, he's always touring the world, exploring new places and looking for whatever treasure and artifacts that he can find, that he's rarely ever home."
Andrew then had to muse while rubbing his chin. "I think he's an archaeologist."
"You're darn right he is," Goombella decided to share with him. "And Kolorado was once a student of Professor Frankly's archaeology class. Betcha didn't know that, didja Andrew?"
"No, I didn't," Andrew shook his head. "But what I do know is that Kolorado's protege happens to be Kooper; who happened to have traveled with Mario and 7 others on a quest to rescue the seven Star Spirits and take the Star Rod back from Bowser."
Goombella was shocked that Andrew even knew that, as was Koops. Andrew could see the stares they were giving him as he decided to explain.
"I happen to keep track of what's going on in the Mushroom Kingdom," Andrew explained out of flatterly. "And I've also read up on many of Mario's adventures that he's been on."
"Whoa. Cool," Goombella mused at that.
Koops only nodded as he turned around and saw something else that caught his attention.
"But if this isn't my father... I wonder if that pile of bones over THERE is my dad..." He commented.
"What pile of bones, Koops?" Andrew queried.
Koops pointed towards what he was looking at, and what he saw got him curious. It was another pile of Koopa bones, but that's not what intrigued him. It was the color. Specifically, the shell and shoes were colored red, while the rest of the bones were all colored pink. This stood out to him as he approached the pile of bones along with his two partners.
"Whoa! What kind of bones are these?" Andrew wondered.
"I dunno. But what a creepy pile of bones," Goombella grimaced at them. "I mean, they're ALL creepy, but this one's SUPER creepy! I don't 'really' feel like taking a look at it, but if we don't, we'll never get farther..."
"Yeah. These bones are blocking the door," Andrew sighed. "So I guess I gotta check these bones out."
And that's what Andrew did as he laid a hand on one of the bones. As soon as he did that, however, the bones started shaking and the three travelers were spooked by this. The pile of bones started speaking to them all of a sudden.
"Blaarf harf harf HARF!" The Red Bones uttered. "You 'clearly' don't value your lives much if you've come to this castle to disturb us."
"Well we need to fight Hooktail, and you happen to be blocking our way," Andrew had to deadpan in annoyance as Goombella had a shocked expression on her face while Koops was quivering.
"Well too bad," the Red Bones declared. "You will go no farther, and from this moment on... You'll be nothing but bones!"
All of a sudden, the Red Bones came to life as it stood straight up. After that, an entire horde of Dull Bones appeared out of nowhere as they proceeded to push Andrew, Goombella, and Koops away from the Red Bones. They felt how forceful the Dull Bones were being.
"What's with these numbskulls?" Goombella griped as she winced from being shoved around. "Ow! OWWW! Watch it, Pushy!"
"Ouch! It's no use, Andrew!" Koops had to comment too. "They're all over us, man!"
"I think these Dry Bones are trying to kick us out of the castle and keep us away from the Red-colored Bones." Andrew figured it out.
"They're 'actually' Dull Bones, Andrew," Goombella told him. "They happen to be a variant of Dry Bones. And those Red Color Bones over there are Red Bones."
"Well that helps, sorta," Andrew sighed.
"What should we do, Andrew?" Koops queried.
"The only thing we can do," Andrew got his bat out and started swinging it. "We'll have to fight through and take down those Red Bones."
"Smart thinking, Andrew," Goombella advised him as she Headbonked another Dull Bones.
And so Andrew, Goombella, and Koops fought their way through the Dull Bones and were now in front of the Red Bones.
"Okay. Now we just need to take down the Red Bones, and then we can get by," Andrew pointed out when they were now in front of the Red Bones.
"Just be careful Andrew," Goombella warned him while looking through her Tattle Log that she took out. "Unlike Dull Bones, the Red Bones crumbles... And it totally might revive! Like a zombie! My advice is that you should use fire on it when it crumbles."
"Right. And since they look hard," Andrew took out one Mr. Softener from his backpack and he held it up high. "We can use these to soften them up and do more damage to them."
"You got it, Andrew," Goombella encouraged him. "Let 'er rip!"
Andrew nodded as he activated the Mr. Softener. Immediately, the Red Bones along with the Dull Bones surrounding it softened up and now were squishy like a marshmallow.
"Alright. That seemed to work," Andrew got ready to charge. "Now to see how this new badge works out."
Andrew jumped through the air and landed on the Red Bones where he proceeded to Power Bounce on him at least 7 times in a row before jumping onto the ground and slamming it with his bat.
Goombella followed suit by Headbonking the Red Bones since it was softer, and she had no problem doing it.
"Okay, Koops! It's your turn," Andrew informed him. "See if you can hit the Dull Bones that are with the Red Bones."
"Ummm... Okay. I can do this," Koops retreated into his shell to perform a Shell Toss on the Red Bones. He then followed this with a Power Shell, striking the Dull Bones surrounding the Red Bones. The Dull Bones turned to dust instantly.
As soon as Koops was next to Andrew again, he got onto the back of his shell and performed what seemed to be breakdancing with four spins on his back before getting back up and doing that motion with his fingers. Andrew and Goombella were surprised by this as the former commented.
"Wow Koops," Andrew blinked. "I didn't know you could breakdance."
"Ummm...Y-Yeah," Koops rubbed the back of his neck in flattery. "It's sort of a hobby I pick up along the way... You know?"
"Yeah. Some interesting hobby," Andrew seemed impressed.
"Well interesting as it is, I noticed something with the Red Bones," Goombella took notice of something. "Look! The Red Bones have crumbled! You have to set it on fire to get rid of them!"
"And I got just the tool for the job," with that, Andrew got out one of his 'Fire Flowers' and activated it, and the Fire Flower spat out several fireballs at the fallen Red Bones.
This seemed to work as the Red Bones were engulfed in flames and turned to ashes afterwards. The charred Red Bones turned into burnt dust as they disappeared afterwards.
As soon as the Red Bones were gone, the Dull Bones who were surrounding the three travelers scurried out of the room, retreating since their leader was taken out of commission. In a matter of seconds, the three of them were alone once again, with the door no longer being blocked as they could keep going.
"Well, looks like we're in the clear," Andrew sighed. "We can continue through the castle. Come on Goombella. Koops. Let's get going."
Goombella and Koops nodded as Andrew opened the door and stepped into the next room, with his two partners following right behind him...
The next room that they stepped into was enormous. It felt like the room was five stories high. Andrew, Goombella, and Koops were somewhat amazed by its size. As expected, there were more Dull Bone remains scattered on the ground. Some of the Dull Bones came to life and tried to attack them, but Andrew took them down with one swing of his bat.
"Ummm... Hey guys," Koops saw something as he wanted to get Andrew and Goombella's attention. "What's that?"
He pointed towards the object that the muscular man and his Goomba partner saw. It was a Shine Sprite that was kept in a yellow clear box.
"Jeepers, Koops... Is... Is that...?" Goombella tried to say as Andrew walked over to it.
"Yes. It's a Shine Sprite," Andrew jumped and hit the yellow clear box, causing the Shine Sprite to fall into his hand. "These are the things that Mario collected while being forced to clean up Isle Delfino."
"Hmmm...I have heard about how the Shine Sprites were the source of Isle Delfino's sunshine after some research I've done on it," Goombella had to admit. "But I wonder why a Shine Sprite was found here, of all places?"
"I dunno. But something tells me that it'll be important to us later, so I should keep it," Andrew ended up pocketing it into his backpack. "And I get the feeling that there are plenty of other Shine Sprites out there in this region that we should collect."
"Wow. That's nice," Koops had to admire the image of the Shine Sprite that he got a good look at before Andrew put it away.
"Sure is," Andrew nodded as he noticed he needed to get the key on the ledge to open the door that was on top of the stairs.
He also noticed some stone blocks and a black and yellow block with a yellow triangle in the center. A yellow block was on top of that block, and there were smaller blocks nearby that were yellow and purple respectively; in which he had assumed that they were switches. And finally, Andrew saw a red switch with a '!' in the center of it.
"I guess we need to achieve this puzzle to get by this locked door with the key over there," Andrew sighed. "Koops? I'm probably gonna need your help with this."
"Ummm... Right," Koops nodded as he followed Andrew.
"Don't worry. We can get by this area," Goombella said as she trailed behind them in anticipation.
Jumping down to the cubed-shaped switches, Andrew started by whacking the small purple one with his bat. This caused another small purple block to fall from above, which Andrew could use to reach the yellow block.
Going back up, Andrew jumped up on it and stepped on one of the stone blocks before jumping towards the other one. Koops remained right behind him, with Goombella sticking close to them. Andrew smashed the yellow block with his bat before jumping back down and hitting the small yellow switch, which caused the black and yellow block to go up and get out of the way.
Seeing that the red switch was accessible, Andrew got Koops into his shell as he jumped and sent him forward in his shell, where he managed to hit the switch. The switch caused the stairs that they climbed up towards the door to flip over vertically.
"Okay. Now that the stairs are facing that way, we can climb up on that ledge over there," Andrew pointed out as he went over to the stairs with his two partners as they now stood on the ledge. "Okay, Koops. You know what to do."
Once they were at the edge of the ledge, Koops went into his shell as Andrew jumped and sent him forward to the red key. Koops managed to grab it as he went back to Andrew like a boomerang.
"Cool," Andrew grabbed the key and decided that they should move forward. "Now let's get these stairs facing towards that locked door again."
"Gotcha Andrew," Goombella smiled. "Just have Koops use his Shell Toss on that red switch again, and we can continue through the castle."
"Right," Andrew nodded as he turned around towards the other edge of the ledge. "Ready Koops?"
"Ready..." Koops got into his shell as he was sent forward again as he pressed the red switch, resulting in the stairs flipping vertically again.
The three travelers walked up the stairs as they approached the locked door. Andrew took out the key and used it to unlock the door. The lock pad fell off as a result and then disappeared.
"Okay. The door's been unlocked," Andrew then opened the door. "Let's continue."
Goombella and Koops nodded as they followed Andrew into the next room of the castle...
The trio went by another massive corridor with a set of stairs, leading towards a giant green and black block with a triangle in the center, and a nearby smaller green cubed switch. Andrew felt that that would be important for them to check out later, as the threesome went through the door across from the door they came through.
The next room they reached was a dungeon with some weaponry in the corner, including a flail, a rack, and what appeared to be some cannonballs. A Paragoomba and Dull Bones were present, but Andrew, Goombella, and Koops took care of them rather quickly.
"Wow, there are a couple of cells here," Andrew remarked. "I wonder how they get them to open."
"Hey Andrew? See that Red Switch over there," Goombella motioned him to the Red Switch. "Might be a good idea to use Koops' 'hold' ability to maybe open that cage on the right, don'tcha think?"
"Good idea. That might open it up," Andrew walked in front of the red switch and turned his back towards it. "Koops, if you wouldn't mind?"
"Right, Andrew," Koops got into his shell and flung himself a few feet away from the switch as he performed his 'hold' ability while spinning in place.
"Let's go in front of that particular cell so we can enter it the moment it opens," Andrew informed his Goomba partner.
"You got it, Andrew," Goombella nodded with a smile as she followed Andrew to the front of that cell.
Once they were in front of it, Andrew called out to the shy Koopa. "Okay, Koops! LET 'ER RIP!"
With that, Koops slammed his shell right into the red switch. And upon pressing it, the cell opened up which Andrew and Goombella quickly entered before it closed up.
"Whew. We made it into the cell," Andrew sighed in relief as he walked towards a bigger room beyond the cell room with Goombella by his side.
"Yeah," Goombella then noticed something. "Hey? Where's Koops?"
To answer her question, Koops' shell landed right next to Andrew as he then emerged and got back onto his feet. "Ummm... Here I am."
"Great. Now that all three of us are in this room, now what?" Andrew had to ask.
"OMIGOSH!" Goombella gasped as she saw something. "Andrew! Look!"
Andrew saw what she looked at, and he was surprised himself. It was a big black chest, similar to the first one that he encountered.
"Oh my... Another black chest," Andrew moaned.
"Ummm...I don't get it," Koops was confused. "I-I mean, it looks scary looking, but what's the big deal?"
"You remember that paper airplane curse that I got struck by?" Andrew reminded him. "This chest looks like the chest that gave me that paper airplane curse before."
"R-Really? So... So you think this one..." Koops had to gulp. "Could be a cursing chest too...?"
"I dunno. But I guess we should find out," Goombella advised. "Right, Andrew?"
"Yeah. Let's check this chest out," Andrew sighed as he walked over to the black chest, with Goombella and Koops right behind him. As soon as Andrew touched the chest, someone inside spoke out loud.
"What the heck?" The Black Chest said as it wiggled a bit and realized something. "Hey! Guests! It's been a long time since anyone came here! A REAL long time!"
"Gee, and I wonder why," Andrew had to roll his eyes at that as he then said to the chest. "Anyway, in case you're wondering, yes. I can hear you."
"...Huh? You can?" The Black Chest seemed curious about this before concluding. "Wow! Wait a sec'... If you can hear my voice, you must be some legendary hero or something..."
Again with the legendary hero talk... Andrew thought to himself.
"Or not!" The black chest continued to talk. "To be honest, I'm sure anyone with ears can hear me. ...But it sure is fun zinging people with that whole "legendary hero" bit!"
"Yeah. I guess people can get a great kick out of that," Andrew retorted with a sigh.
"Hey, but seriously, folks, I was wondering if you could let me out of this chest..." The Black Chest begged. "I've been locked in here so long, I'm starting to cramp up like you wouldn't believe. All you have to do is find the key and let me out. Easy!"
"I dunno..." Andrew crossed his arms and told the chest. "The last time I opened a black chest like this one, I ended up getting struck by a horrible curse. And I think the same thing will happen if I let you out."
"Come on! Don't be ridiculous!" The Black Chest yelled. "Who would do that, 'really'? Wait in a box and curse folks! A real slimeball, that's who! But I'm no real slimeball, and I would do no such thing! But that should be obvious."
"Doesn't seem like it," Andrew started thinking about what to do. "I'm still not certain though..."
"Look, if you help me out, maybe I'll help you out," the Black Chest gave a proposition. "You know, a little I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine! Except in reverse order."
"And you're certain that you won't try anything funny to me, right?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Of course, you don't have to if you 'really' don't want to," the Black Chest told him dryly. "Like finding a black key is hard..."
"Oh, okay. I suppose we can find the black key," Andrew sighed as he walked towards the door that was towards the right. "Come on Goombella, and Koops. Let's go find that black key."
Neither of them objected to it as they followed him into the next room.
The next room they got into was an empty spacious room with nothing but a brown treasure chest in the center. Andrew walked over to it with Goombella and Koops. He opened it and saw what was inside.
"Well, what do you know," Andrew took out what was revealed to be a black key. "It's the black key that we needed to find. Now we can unlock that black chest and...huh?"
It was then he felt a horrible sensation in his stomach as if he had activated a trap in this secluded but large room. This was proven corrected as some spikes popped up through the various holes in the ground. This was bad enough, but what Goombella and Koops saw made it even worse as they shook.
"Andrew! Look at that!" Goombella yelped as she got Andrew to look up and see a spiked ceiling that was closing in on them.
This was more of a good reason for them to need to escape.
"Oh, I don't like the look of this..." Koops gulped anxiously. "Come on! Run!"
"But HOW!?" Goombella panicked. "We're stuck in a maze now, and we're about to be skewered by the ceiling!"
"Calm down Goombella," Andrew had to inform her. "It just so happens that I have a plan to get us out of here."
"H-How?" Goombella uttered.
"I'll show you," Andrew turned towards Koops. "Koops? Get in your shell!"
"Wuh?" Koops was confused by this.
"Now's not the time to ask questions! Just do it!" Andrew told him.
Koops didn't object as he went into his shell. From there, Andrew jumped on top of Koops' shell and then he recommended.
"Now Koops, I need you to fling yourself through this spiked maze so we can get out of here before we get turned into Swiss cheese."
"Oh, uh, okay..." Koops obliged again as he flung himself and sent himself through the floor with Andrew riding on his shell.
"Wait! Andrew!" Goombella cried out frantically. "Don't forget about-"
She wasn't able to finish her sentence when Andrew zipped by her on Koops's shell as he immediately grabbed Goombella by her waist and placed her onto his head.
"Gosh, Andrew!" Goombella seemed slightly relieved, if only because they were still in the spike trap room. "I almost had a heart attack. I thought for a moment there that you'd forget about me!"
"Don't be silly! I wouldn't leave you in here to be killed," Andrew informed her before telling Koops. "Come on Koops. Move faster! We have to get out of here!"
"Don't worry Andrew! I'm trying..." Koops informed him as they got through the maze.
To help him out, Andrew decided to use his weight to steer Koops through the maze and head for the door. It was similar to how Mario rides on Koopa shells in Super Mario 64.
It didn't take long for them to get close to the door. They were only a few feet away as the spiked ceiling was closing in closer to them. It looked like they weren't going to make it as Koops poked his head briefly out of his shell.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Goombella and Koops yelled frantically as Andrew remained determined, not saying a single word.
Eventually, they burst right through the door. Right in the nick of time too, for the spiked ceiling met the ground right after they got out.
Once they were back in the room with the black chest, Andrew jumped off of Koops' shell, allowing Koops to get out of his shell and back onto his feet.
"Ummm..." Koops looked around. "Are we dead?"
"Far from it, Koops," Andrew assured him. "We made it out of that room in the nick of time."
"We did?" Koops asked as Andrew nodded.
"Ahem!" Andrew had heard Goombella clear her throat, recalling that she was on his head as he grabbed her.
"Oh. Sorry about that, Goombella," Andrew placed her on the ground.
"Really Andrew. I have to wonder if I should be mad at you for how we were almost killed," Goombella told him straight up. "But really, my panicking didn't help either. So I'm at least grateful that you saved our lives."
"It was my pleasure," Andrew said out of flattery.
"And I'm so glad that you didn't forget about me in that room," Goombella went over and rubbed herself against Andrew's left leg.
"Like I said, I wouldn't forget about you," Andrew rubbed her head.
"Yeah. But more importantly, that was seriously close!" Goombella remarked. "Well, whatever. We're still alive."
"Don't remind me... Man... That was TOO close!" Koops panted. "Gotta shake it off... Hoo."
"Well now that we have the key, we better open that black chest," Andrew showed them the black key.
"Yeah," Koops nodded. "Let's go open that spooky chest."
Goombella simply nodded as Andrew approached the black chest and got its attention.
"All right. We got the black key," he told the chest.
"Hey there! Boy, I am SO glad you found that key!" The Black Chest remarked with excitement. "Unbelievable!"
"Yeah," Andrew used the key to unlock the black chest.
No sooner after he did that, the black chest suddenly spoke more maliciously.
"WHEEE HEE HEE HEE HEE! FOOOOOOOLS!" The Black Chest cackled in a scary tone as the chest opened up.
Here we go again... Andrew thought with a bored look as he knew what would happen.
Right on cue, Andrew was engulfed in ominous smog again. Then popping up in front of him was a ghost that looked 'exactly' the same as the first one he encountered in Rogueport Sewers. The Ghost then spoke to him.
"Why, only the most idiotic, pudding-brained dolt would fall for a scheme like that!" The Ghost taunted Andrew and insulted his intelligence. "The castle's traps prevent anyone who's entered this place from ever leaving it!"
"That would explain why my two partners and I nearly got killed in that spike trap room," Andrew retorted.
"Yes. No matter which path you take, you're fated to waste away to a slow, painful end," the Ghost told him snidely. "But wait! There's more to this great deal! I'll throw in a free CURSE! No charge!"
"Another curse? Oh boy, I'm already quivering in fear," Andrew said in a strong sarcastic voice.
"Oogly-googly-BOO!" The Ghost bellowed before placing the curse on Andrew.
Then just like before, Andrew got struck by a bolt that was filled with some unlimited magical powers, in which its force overcame part of his body afterwards.
"Wheee hee hee hee hee! Now you're cursed, doofus!" The Ghost cackled rather madly. "And it serves you right! This curse is more cursedly curse-worthy than any curse that's ever cursed you!"
"I think I should ask," Andrew sighed. "What is the curse?"
"For...this curse makes you like a piece of paper when you think like a flat piece of cardboard," the Ghost explained.
"Oh great! Now I'm trembling at the sound of it!" Andrew was pretty sarcastic with his comments. "Oh, how will I go on with myself?"
"Wheee hee hee hee hee! What a curse!" The Ghost took great interest in Andrew's suffering, not knowing that he was being sarcastic. "What a curse! Who curses like me? NO ONE! Now I shall show you just how frightful a curse it is! Go on! Think like you're a flat piece of cardboard! NOW!"
"Let's just get this over with," Andrew sighed as he thought of himself as a flat piece of cardboard.
Seconds after he did that, he was now shown as flat as cardboard and was thin enough that he could slip through vertical slots in walls.
"Wheee hee hee hee hee! Just look at yourself!" The Ghost made fun of Andrew for how he looked like a thin piece of paper. "How embarrassing for you! Eat a sandwich, skinny! Hee!"
"Wow. That makes me so much better," Andrew deadpanned, letting out all the snarky comments as he returned to normal.
"...Do you understand what this curse means for you?" The Ghost asked in curiosity.
"Yes. Yes, I do," Andrew said flatly.
"Then farewell, you dumbbells!" The Ghost let out one last cackle. "Wheee hee hee hee hee!"
Then, just like last time, the ghost that cursed Andrew vanished into thin air, as the ominous smog that surrounded Andrew also disappeared from plain sight. Goombella and Koops had witnessed the whole thing take place. As Goombella wasn't surprised by this, Koops was a little frightened by what he just saw.
"What...Uh, w-what was that?" Koops queried nervously. "Ummm... What just happened?"
"Believe me, Koops," Goombella told him. "I felt the same way the first time Andrew got cursed like this."
"Yeah," Andrew looked at his gloved hands again. "I was granted another special ability that's disguised as a curse..."
"Just like the last one," Goombella took a guess.
"Exactly," Andrew nodded. "And now that it can allow me to make us as thin as cardboard, we can use it to get through bars. Which means we can get out of here."
Andrew walked back over to the bars that they couldn't get back normally, with Goombella and Koops behind him. After thinking like a flat piece of cardboard, Andrew turned paper-thin along with his two partners. While in that state, they slipped through the bars and got out of that room. They turned back to normal seconds later.
"All right. I guess we're out of that room," Andrew wiped his head in relief.
"Ummm... Should we continue?" Koops wondered.
"Yeah, we should...hmmm?" Andrew then noticed something in one of the cells.
It was a badge. However, it wasn't a regular badge. It was a circular badge that was red with a white musical note on it. Something about this badge looked extremely important as he made himself paper-thin again to slip through the bars, he grabbed the badge before slipping back out. He then turned back to normal with the badge in his hand.
"Whattaya think that badge is for?" Goombella asked.
"Something tells me that it could be important to us," Andrew put the badge into the badge kit for now. "For now, we should probably backtrack to the room where the remains of Kolorado's father are resting."
"Uh, why?" Koops queried.
"I saw a key in there earlier that I couldn't get normally," Andrew explained. "Now that I can turn paper thin, I think I can retrieve it. Come on."
His two partners didn't argue with him as they headed back to that one particular room. Once they were back in that room, Andrew turned paper thin to get through one of the bars and got into the other side as he walked over and grabbed the key.
Using his newfound Paper mode, Andrew got out of the cells through those bars, turned back to normal, and approached his two partners. "All right. Let's continue onward."
They then walked back to the same massive corridor, as Andrew figured that they had to travel up by activating that green and black block. And it also involved the cubed green switch that was nearby.
"Well, I guess we have to activate that cubed switch over there to get this giant block to go up," Andrew claimed. "Koops, you know what we need to do."
"Right..." Koops went into his shell again as he sprang a few feet forward in front of the cubed switch, spinning in place as Andrew and Goombella walked right onto the giant block.
"Okay, Koops. We're ready," Andrew told him as he slammed his shell into the switch.
This seemed to work, as they managed to get the block to go up. Koops' shell landed on the block right next to them as he emerged moments later.
"I'll never understand how you can do that, Koops," Andrew sighed as the block reached the top, leading to another stairway. "But that's hardly important. We're making good progress."
Andrew went up the stairs with Goombella and Koops and they saw that the door was locked with a lock pad on the front. Andrew took out the key he found and unlocked it, causing the lock pad to fall and vanish upon hitting the ground.
"Well, it's a good thing I grabbed that key before we came up here," Andrew told them. "Let's continue."
As the three continued, reaching the highest floor near a set of windows, Koops was getting curious about something. Why did Andrew and Goombella want to defeat Hooktail? They knew why he wanted to take down the dragon, but he still didn't know about their reason for it. Surely, it wouldn't hurt for him to ask them, would it?
"Hey umm... Guys? Can I ask you a question?" Koops started. "Uh, you know why I want to finish off Hooktail. But uh, why do you two need to take down Hooktail?"
Andrew and Goombella heard him loud and clear as Andrew slammed his bat onto a blue switch, making a walkway appear right where the gap was. Seeing that there was no harm in telling him, Andrew was the first to reveal to him.
"Oh, well Koops. It goes like this," Andrew explained as he stopped at another gap along with Goombella. "Goombella and I needed to come here and take down Hooktail because we are after something important. I don't know if you've heard of it, but we're after this object known as the Crystal Star."
"Crystal Star?" Koops wondered as the name rang a bell to him. He has heard a little about the Crystal Stars from tales that he was told when he was a young Koopa. "Wait, uh, don't the Crystal Stars have something to do with... Ummm... A legendary treasure that is hidden underneath Rogueport?"
"Exactly Koops!" Goombella beamed at how he got it right. "And we're on a quest to collect all seven of them to open the Thousand-Year Door."
"Thousand-Year Door? Golly..." Koops uttered. "Always thought that was a myth."
"So did I Koops. Use your Shell Toss to hit this blue switch," Andrew requested as Koops did just that as the switch vanished. "But I got to see the Thousand-Year Door for myself. And I was amazed."
"Wow..." Koops said in awe as a new pathway appeared in front of the gap that was just in front of them. "Amazing..."
"Isn't it?" Goombella smirked as she saw something. "Well Andrew, looks like there's no more switches. So I guess we'll have to go out the window and get by that way."
"Right," Andrew nodded as he approached the open window. "Just don't fall off."
"We won't," Goombella said as she and Koops were behind him. "Right, Koops?"
"Uh, yeah. Right," Koops nodded as they climbed out the window.
Andrew managed to find a nearby Star Piece and he grabbed it before reaching the door leading to the next room.
Another Dull Bones tried to ambush them in the next room, but Andrew made quick work out of it. He then saw another green giant block and a green cubed switch. Seeing this made him sigh as it was becoming slightly redundant.
He did the same thing as before with Koops' hold ability as he and Goombella stood on the block. Once it was released, the switch was hit and the block went up. While they were going up, Andrew took notice of a specific item and gasped at it.
"What the...?" Andrew blinked. "A Life Shroom?"
"Woah my gosh Andrew," Goombella saw it too as Andrew got Koops to retrieve the Life Shroom and bring it back to him like before. "Didn't think that we'd find that here."
"Me neither," Andrew grabbed the Life Shroom and examined it. "Holy cow! I've heard that these items are valuable and very useful in certain predicaments."
"Omigosh! That's right Andrew," Goombella gasped as Andrew put the Life Shroom into his backpack. "I've read that if you have one of those bad boys, and you feel like you're on your last leg, barely hanging on, those things can help with revitalizing you and bringing back some of your energy."
"That's what I've heard," Andrew nodded as he looked at Koops. "Isn't this a good find, Koops?"
"Sure. I guess," Koops shrugged. "Life Shrooms are helpful, from what I've heard."
Andrew nodded as the block made it to the top. A Dull Bones and Paragoomba were on the pathway, but Andrew, Goombella, and Koops took them out with no problem. Seeing that the door to the right was locked with that padlock, Andrew knew that there only open was to check out the room to the left.
"Looks like this door's locked," Andrew pointed out before directing them to the door on the left. "Let's explore this room over here."
Goombella and Koops nodded as they followed Andrew to the door on the left as the three of them entered the room...
The room that they entered was a simple treasure room, with several racks that had more weaponry on them, along with some barrels and vases. Not to mention the crate of cannonballs that was present.
Andrew, Goombella, and Koops thought they were the only ones in there until they saw that someone else was in the room on the other side.
"What the...?!" Andrew yelped as he had to examine this strange figure that was in the room.
The person was identified as being a Little Mouser. But there were several differences from the Little Mousers Andrew had seen and heard of before.
For one, this one was a female. Also, she had white fur. She was also wearing red high-heels on her feet and wore a red Zorro mask over her eyes. But the most distinguishable feature of her involved her tail, in which the end of it was curved into the shape of a heart.
Just the sound of Andrew's yelp got the Little Mouser on edge as she realized that she had been caught.
"Hmm?" The Little Mouser had a sharp tone in her voice as she turned around to see who it was that entered the treasure room. As soon as she saw who it was, her expression softened greatly as she decided to say something.
"Huh? Oh, my! Who's this handsome piece of cheese?" The Little Mouser asked in a far more seductive tone, with her eyes entirely on Andrew. "I can't believe there are other thieves here besides me. How very strange..."
All three of them were feeling some mixed emotions from seeing this Little Mouser.
Goombella was feeling 'absolutely' disgusted by this strange woman. There was something about her that made her sick. And the way she was staring at Andrew made her feel some sort of fury towards her.
Koops, by contrast, felt like he was just struck in the chest. He felt his heart pounding under his shell. One could assume that he was possibly smitten with this mysterious woman. But being the shy dorky Koopa he is, and the fact that he has a girlfriend already, Koops was way too shy to say anything about it.
And then there was Andrew, who disregarded the look the Little Mouser gave him, and remained suspicious of her. He had no idea who this woman was, but he felt like she was up to something. A sensation in his stomach was warning him that she could mean big trouble for him and his two partners.
After remaining silent, Goombella was the first to speak. "Who... Who are you?"
"H-Hey!" Koops stuttered, unable to say much. "Who are you?"
"I think what we want to know is who are you supposed to be," Andrew informed her, remaining suspicious of her.
"Me? Why, I'm Ms. Mowz, the globe-trotting thief!" The Little Mouser, known as Ms. Mowz, introduced herself in a flirty manner. "Heard of me, sweetie?"
"I'm afraid to say that I haven't," Andrew shook his head before introducing himself and his two partners. "In any case, I'll have you know that I'm Andrew, and these two happen to be Goombella and Koops."
"Andrew, hmm? Well, you seem to be a sight for sore eyes," Ms. Mowz told him with a saucy-looking gaze that she was giving him. "And you have quite a big pack of muscles on your body too. Mmmm hmm hmm! Very nice."
"Uh, yeah. I happen to work out a lot," Andrew told her before asking her. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"Well, if you must know, I heard there were rare and valuable badges here in this castle. That's why I'm here," Ms. Mowz answered before asking. "But the real question is...why are people like YOU roaming in such a run-down place?"
Andrew didn't bother answering. He wasn't going to blurt out about how they were hunting for the Crystal Stars to someone he never heard of. Sadly, this was foiled when Goombella spoke up.
"I'll tell you why, Miss Ugly-Pink-Shoe-Whatever-Thief: we're here to beat Hooktail," Goombella told her with a rather sharp tongue. "And just so we're clear on this, we set our sights on the Crystal Star before you!"
"Yeah, so...don't think we'll let you get the Crystal Star first," Koops decided to add as he spoke up. "No matter how cute you are!"
"...Crystal Star, you say?" Ms. Mowz mused. "Mmmm hmm hmm! I didn't know a thing like THAT was hidden in this castle... Sounds intriguing!"
She then decided to remark. "Perhaps I just heard something you didn't want me to hear? Mmm hmm hmm hmm!"
"Shoot!" Goombella cursed herself for revealing too much.
"Darn!" Koops said under his breath upon giving that away.
Andrew was now frowning, feeling that Ms. Mowz would probably get the Crystal Star before them. And that she may have some role in the disappearance of Princess Peach.
Fortunately for him, Ms. Mowz didn't seem interested in it, as she was just about ready to go on her merry way since she already found what she was looking for.
"Oh, but that's OK... I mean, you were looking for this Crystal Star first..." Ms. Mowz proclaimed calmly. "And I already found the badge I was after, so I'll let you get your Crystal Star."
Andrew couldn't help but jaw-drop at that in shock, as he was now confused. Since when would any thief allow someone to go and get something that they rightfully came here for and not plan on stealing it? Just what was Ms. Mowz's deal? Perhaps she didn't have any involvement in Peach's disappearance after all.
Andrew was immediately brought out of his 'own' train of various thoughts when Ms. Mowz walked up to Andrew. She stopped once she was half an inch away from his body. Goombella and Koops were wondering what she meant as they were also confused by this.
"LET us?! LET us?! What's that supposed to mean?!" Goombella yelled rather furiously.
"Ummm... Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Koops stuttered as he asked the same question.
Without wasting a single breath, Ms. Mowz jumped up and kissed Andrew right on the cheek. Andrew couldn't help but flinch and jump at what she just did to him. He then saw that Goombella was fuming from what she witnessed, while Koops was all confused, wondering why he was feeling the way he was feeling.
"Mmmm hmmm hmm hmm! It means I must say bye-bye, for now, Mr. Cutie," Ms. Mowz stepped away from Andrew. "I know. It's sad. We just met, and already it is time to say farewell. Alas..."
Ms. Mowz wasted no time in jumping up onto an open window. Andrew was still processing what just happened.
"H-HEY! You little flirt!" Goombella shrieked angrily, feeling large amounts of jealousy. "Who do you think you are, kissing Andrew?!"
"Oh, my! You're so...bold..." Koops gawked in awe as he commented. "Is that legal?"
"I...have no idea what just happened," Andrew shook his head.
"Oh, I almost forgot... I have a little secret to share with you," Ms. Mowz felt like sharing with Andrew.
"What is it?" Andrew was curious about this.
"Somewhere in this castle is a badge that'll help you best Hooktail, or so I've heard," Ms. Mowz explained. "I don't know what kind of badge it is. Maybe you found it already, maybe not."
Maybe I have... Andrew thought as he thought back to the letter Koops read earlier, and the recent badge that he found in one of the cells.
"If you're going to fight Hooktail, I'd recommend finding that badge first," Ms. Mowz advised him.
"Yeah," Andrew nodded before giving her his thanks. "Hey, thanks for the advice, Ms. Mowz."
"Anytime. Mmmm hmmm hmm hmm," Ms. Mowz then gave her farewell. "Well, take care, handsome muscular man! Let's get together again real soon!"
And with that, Ms. Mowz jumped out the window, even though it was several stories up. She managed to survive jumping from that height. Andrew felt that this wouldn't be the last time he'd see Ms. Mowz. He knew for sure that he'd see her again soon. And now he no longer felt too suspicious of Ms. Mowz.
He was brought back to reality when Goombella felt like expressing her distaste for Ms. Mowz.
"What is WITH that girl? What a flirt!" Goombella didn't hide exactly what her bitter feelings towards her were. "Who acts so disgusting like that?"
"Ummm... I dunno Goombella," Koops then decided to comment. "I wonder what her story is... I bet it's an interesting one... Full of romance..."
"And mystery," Andrew mused.
"And being a floozy," Goombella added hotly.
"Well no matter what our personal opinions are of her, she's gone," Andrew told them. "And she did give me some good advice on how to beat Hooktail."
"Say what?" Goombella was confused by this.
Andrew took out the recent badge that he found earlier from his badge kit. It was 'apparently' called an Attack FX R Badge.
"If what Ms. Mowz said is correct, and since Hooktail's weakness to crickets has already been established from that letter we read," Andrew mused. "Then this badge might be what we need to beat Hooktail."
"Oh c'mon, Andrew! You aren't gonna tell me that you like her, do you!?" Goombella yelled, unable to believe what she was hearing. "I-I mean, you saw what she did to you!"
"Well, I'll admit, the kiss did come out of nowhere, and I wasn't expecting it," Andrew rubbed his cheek that was kissed. "But other than that, I don't think she's too bad."
"Just great," Goombella moaned.
"Look, let's just drop it already," Andrew looked to see the other three chests that weren't opened yet, as a fourth one was already opened, and whatever was in there was taken by Ms. Mowz. There was another item that was in a clear yellow box. "'In fact', look what I found. Another Shine Sprite!"
Andrew jumped under it and grabbed the Shine Sprite. He then put it away with the other Shine Sprite he found earlier. He then checked the three chests. One of them contained the key needed to unlock the door just across from this treasure room. And the other two contained a Mushroom and Honey Syrup, which he put in his backpack.
"Well, that just about does it for this room," Andrew showed them the key. "Now let's go unlock that door, and we can continue."
Goombella was still in denial about Ms. Mowz, but she obliged and followed Andrew out of the room along with Koops. They left the treasure room and unlocked the other door, which they passed through as they continued trekking through the castle...
Once again, the room they had entered had several piles of Dull Bones come to life to attack the three travelers. Fortunately, Andrew was ready for them as he took them down with his bat. A Koopa was also found trying to pick a fight with them, but they dispatched that too. As they went to the end, Andrew saw the same yellow and black block in the corner and had a blank stare.
"You know something? I'm starting to see a repetition in some of these puzzles that we've encountered here so far," Andrew moaned.
"You're telling me," Goombella admitted. "The door up on that platform to the right is hard to reach. I wonder if the switch on the right might control the block that could get us up there... Looks like a job for Koops..."
"Let's do this again," Andrew sighed. "All right Koops. You know what we need to do."
Koops only nodded as he did the same thing he did to the previous ones, regarding the hold ability and having Andrew and Goombella get on top of the block before slamming into the switch. They ended up on a steep ledge which they had to walk slowly on once they reached the top.
After Andrew retrieved a Star Piece that was on the other side, the threesome made it to another Paper Airplane Panel. As soon as he stood on it, Andrew knew what he had to do as it started glowing. Grabbing hold of Goombella and Koops, he turned into a paper airplane as he made it over to the ledge where the door was. He turned back to normal and let go of his two partners, who were right by his side.
"Well, that wasn't so hard," Andrew sighed as he wiped his forehead. "Whew. Let's hope we're almost at Hooktail's lair. We've done quite a bit of traveling through this castle."
"No kidding. I'm pretty tired of dealing with all of these traps and such," Goombella agreed with him.
"Yeah. I'm kinda feeling worn out myself," Koops had to admit.
"Well fret not, Koops," Andrew opened the door for them. "We should be almost done with all of this. Shall we get going?"
Both of them nodded as they walked through the door with Andrew in front of them.
Andrew decided to go down the stairs nearby to see a giant yellow block in the way of something important, and a yellow cube-shaped switch was right over his head. Seeing that he had to do this, he jumped up and punched the switch over his head, which caused that giant block to drop downwards. He could now see a fourth castle key that was needed to unlock a door.
"Okay, Koops," Andrew faced his Koopa partner. "Go and get that key."
Koops was pretty much used to this by now as he went into his shell and allowed Andrew to jump and careen him towards the key, which he went back towards the muscular man, who took it.
Afterwards, Koops felt himself fall off the edge as he landed on the giant yellow block. When he came out of his shell, he saw something valuable that was right in front of him. It was a badge. Specifically a Last Stand P Badge. Seeing that it was important, Koops managed to grab it. Andrew looked down and saw Koops at the bottom on top of the giant block.
"Hey Koops! Are you okay!" Andrew hollered to him. "I'll get you back up here! Don't move off of that block!"
Koops obeyed as he stayed put on the block. Andrew jumped up and punched the cubed switch again. This time, it managed to bring the block back up with Koops standing on it, with the Last Stand P Badge in his hand.
"Seriously, Koops, you're not hurt, are you?" Andrew wondered.
"No. No, I... I'm fine," Koops shook his head. "Oh, I got this for you... Thought it might help..."
"Thank you," Andrew took the badge from Koops as he put it in his badge kit. "Let's go upstairs, Goombella."
"You betcha," it seems that Goombella had forgotten about Ms. Mowz, for now, as she was beaming.
At that moment, Andrew, Goombella, and Koops went up the next flight upstairs until they reached the top. When they got there Andrew saw a third Shrine Sprite in that same yellow clear box. He jumped and punched the box, causing the Shrine Sprite to fall into his hand.
"Well, that's Shrine Sprite number 3," Andrew put the Shrine Sprite with the other two that he found previously in the castle.
"Hey Andrew," Goombella directed his attention toward the locked door. "I hate to be a bearer of bad news. But the door is locked. And we need a key to get by."
"Not a problem," Andrew got out the key that he just recently found. "We got the key right here."
Without saying anything else, he used the key to unlock the door, with the padlock falling onto the floor, and disappearing shortly afterwards.
"That takes care of that," Andrew dusted his hands off. "Well come on! We should be close to Hooktail's lair by now!"
"Right on, Andrew," Goombella cheered. "Let's get this show on the road!"
"Ummm...got it, Andrew," Koops added. "Let's get this over with."
With that said, the three of them decided to head through the door. But what they didn't know was that they were almost to the lair of Hooktail. And as far as they were considered, they were almost about to begin their first challenge on their journey. The fight for the first Crystal Star; the Diamond Star, was almost about to get underway...
END OF CHAPTER 8...
Whew. I didn't realize how much material I used for this chapter. It's quite a lot. I think this chapter could be a contender with the second chapter being the longest chapter in the story thus far. Still, with all the stuff I included, I hope you've enjoyed it.
Now, I think I did good with several scenes in this chapter, such as how the three of them got out of the spike trap room, how Andrew was 'clearly' sarcastic with that curse spirit, and of course, his first encounter with Ms. Mowz.
Speaking of which, I think I nailed Goombella's lines completely in that part with Ms. Mowz while showing just how furious she was and that she was insanely jealous that Ms. Mowz had to kiss Andrew. That interaction was spot on and I enjoyed writing it.
Another thing that I should point out, regarding Koops. A part of this chapter showcased Koops's breakdancing, based on his stylish moves in the game. I have him take it up as a hobby of his. I think it's an interesting character trait that Koops could have. It'll be brought up more as the story progresses.
Lastly, I'd like to bring up the Shine Sprites; another object that Andrew will be collecting during his adventure. They will become useful in upgrading the partners that'll be traveling with him, for them to learn new moves. For instance, having Goombella learn and master Multibonk, among others. So just be aware that Shine Sprites will be appearing more frequently in this story.
Anyway, for the next chapter, we see Andrew, Goombella, and Koops battling Hooktail, using that weakness to their advantage in the form of a badge, we'll see a happy reunion, and the first Crystal Star is revealed, along with a few other things. How will this go from here? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. Nothing more to say about that.
Otherwise, that's all that I've got for now. So until next time, I hope you look forward to the end of Chapter 1. And on that note, thanks for reading again, guys!