All right, readers. This is the 41st chapter of this story.
Since Chapter 4 has been squared away, we can move on to the intermission chapters. Just like before, this one will focus on Peach at the X-Naut Fortress.
Now, there isn't anything important in this chapter, aside from what TEC shares with Peach via quiz. Grodus is informed of something from one of his X-Naut PhDs, after finding out that Andrew got the fourth Crystal Star and that they're now short one Shadow Siren.
Additionally, TEC gives Peach a quiz to answer five questions correctly, with one of them revealing a rather horrifying fact about what the legendary treasure is truly. And a few other things will be revealed too. How will this go for the Mushroom Kingdom Princess? Read and find out now!
AT THE X-NAUT FORTRESS:
At the X-Naut Fortress, in Sir Grodus' throne room, Sir Grodus himself had just gotten several urgent new reports that were delivered to him by an X-Naut Ph.D.
First and foremost, he revealed that Andrew had just recovered the fourth Crystal Star within the Creepy Steeple. This was based on the information that they got from Doopliss after Beldam and Marilyn had interrogated him about Vivian and the Ruby Star.
Grodus also learned that now they were short one Shadow Siren after learning that Vivian decided to switch sides to stick with Andrew.
Grodus could care less about Vivian's betrayal though, as she was merely expendable at most. All that he cared about was the fact that Andrew had four Crystal Stars now, and there were still two more out there that the X-Nauts needed to get before Andrew got to them. This was something that he had every right to be worried about.
But there was even more news that the PhD had to deliver to him. They had received a whole bunch of information on the Thousand-Year Door, including one piece of info that regards what's been happening to the sealing power of the door itself.
Grodus had to give the X-Naut Ph.D. a weary look as he couldn't help but point his scepter at him before he demanded that he confirm it with him.
"Are you sure about this?" Grodus demanded. "Speak up, X-Naut!"
"Yes, sir, quite sure," the X-Naut PhD nodded at this. "I pored over all our research of the Thousand-Year Door..."
The X-Naut PhD then had to clear his throat before he added. "...And it appears the sealing power has 'definitely' been weakening, as Beldam said."
This seemed to impress Grodus as he pulled the scepter away. If he had a mouth, he would be smirking evilly at what he was told. He could already feel himself reach for that magnificent legendary treasure that would help him conquer the world.
"Finally, the treasure of legend..." Sir Grodus snickered sinisterly. "The ancient power of darkness will soon be ours!"
It was then Sir Grodus stopped laughing before pointing his scepter to the X-Naut PhD once again before he decided to give him his next command.
"Listen, and listen well!" Sir Grodus bellowed. "Keep giving the Crystal Star search top priority! Of course, that also includes the elimination of Andrew! That meddling scum..."
"Got it, sir!" The X-Naut Ph.D. obliged as he gave him that cross-arm salute before turning around and walking out of the throne room.
Once he was gone, Grodus continued to muse about his plan for world conquest further once he gained possession of the legendary treasure and the world that he could picture under his image once he was able to achieve it for himself. Then the world would be shaped in the way that he demands, and how he sees it fit just for him.
"Soon I will have the power that has slept for a millennium... So very soon!" Sir Grodus mused to himself. "And when that glorious day dawns, I'll throw the world into the depths of terror!"
Grodus cleared his throat before he continued. "No one can stop me now. All will kneel before the X-Naut regime! And then I, Grodus, will build a new world! A perfect, ideal world... Yes. A world made by me, about me, and for me!"
After expressing his narcissistic comment and how he wants to shape the world in his image, Grodus started cackling to himself at the thought of the world being ruled and taken over by him and his entire army of X-Nauts.
"GAAACK ACK ACK ACK ACK!" Grodus then stopped laughing when he realized something; the only thing standing in his way was Andrew.
Andrew and his little group of friends, that is. As long as they were collecting the Crystal Stars, there was no doubt that he would put a stop to his plan. And this was something that he needed to nip in the bud, pronto. Before the situation got any worse for them.
"I suppose I should send Lord Crump out to Rogueport and have him find out exactly where that Andrew pest will head next and where the next Crystal Star is located," Grodus tapped his scepter a couple of times with his fingers. "And this time, he shall not fail me. He will succeed in annihilating that muscular scum and steal the Magical Map and his Crystal Stars from him!"
After letting out another cackle, Grodus then went ahead and delivered the news to Lord Crump through the speaker, as he was giving him his next assignment to report to Rogueport and find out where the next Crystal Star is, and where Andrew will be heading to next. Needless to say, things were starting to heat up with the X-Nauts. That's for sure...
IN THE COMPUTER ROOM:
It was apparent that Peach got the message that TEC wanted to see her again. So, she then left her holding room and headed straight for the computer room.
After some of the stuff that they had done the past couple of times; explaining the meaning of 'love', reenacting the Mushroom Ball Dance, and having her disguise as an X-Naut just to ask Grodus a particular question, Peach could only wonder what TEC has in store for her today.
As soon as she entered the computer room, Princess Peach got TEC's attention as she announced herself to him.
"TEC? Did you call me?" The Mushroom Kingdom Princess asked as she went over and approached TEC. "What shall I do today? Will it be dancing, perhaps? Disguising? Or will I sing a song or something?"
Peach then took notice that TEC didn't say anything right away. She had to wonder if he was hesitant with wanting to talk to her today, or if he had something else in mind. Fortunately for her, TEC 'actually' responded to her question.
"I... I am conflicted." TEC told her simply, getting Peach to jump and gasp.
"Huh?" Princess Peach was entirely confused by this.
What was TEC conflicted about? And why didn't he seem like his usual self today? Did he find something out that he was trying to conceal from the princess?
TEC, for his part, had just received some information and data regarding the Thousand-Year Door and what is resting behind it. He was starting to have some doubts about whether Sir Grodus was as brilliant and wonderful as he had assumed before.
After spending time learning about love from Princess Peach, TEC was starting to feel more of the desire to aid Peach and help her however he could. He was finally gotten out of his silence when Peach asked him in concern.
"What's wrong, TEC?" Princess Peach asked in a worried tone. "You don't seem yourself..."
After a few seconds, TEC started explaining his plight to the princess, however vague it might've been to her.
"Which is more important? Carrying out an order or protecting a critical person?" TEC wondered rhetorically. "I exist for 'the purpose of' a certain person. I wish to exist for 'the purpose of' another... I do not know what to do... Really."
"What do you mean?" Princess Peach asked him while raising an eyebrow.
She was now seemingly lost by his vague explanation, and what exactly he could be implying.
TEC took notice of this and decided that he didn't want her to grow concerned about his dwelling and musing on how he'd rather assist Peach than Sir Grodus.
"No... No, never mind," TEC decided to drop it altogether. "Please forget my musings. I do not know why...but it makes me feel unpleasant if I make you worry."
It was then TEC processed a rather brilliant idea as to what he and Peach could do together today.
If he wasn't allowed to be explicit about what he had obtained for data from the X-Nauts regarding the Thousand-Year Door, then maybe he could at least be subtle enough and disguise it as a game that Princess Peach could play with him.
Surely, there was no harm in doing that with her, right?
"Well, in any case... Let's have a quiz." TEC suddenly announced, catching Princess Peach by surprise.
"A quiz?" Princess Peach asked.
She knew what he just said they could do today, but it still left her a little skeptical. What is the quiz going to be about exactly? Regardless, she would find out in a few moments.
"That's right, Princess Peach," TEC told her. "Please answer the questions that I am about to ask you. If you can answer five questions, you may use the communicator as usual."
Now, this caused Princess Peach to grow concerned all of a sudden. Out of all the things that TEC wanted to do, he wanted to hold a quiz game of some kind with her.
Not only that but why would he want to quiz her on something by having her answer five questions correctly? 'Clearly' one of TEC's circuits must've gone haywire today. Or was it something else?
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden, huh?" Peach had to ask him.
TEC ignored this question entirely as he decided to get the quiz game underway.
"Now, the first question," TEC got started. "What will happen if you collect seven Crystal Stars? Is it A.) Your wish is granted, B.) Thousand-Year Door opens, or C.) A thousand coins appear?"
Princess Peach had to think about this for a moment. It was unlikely that anyone's wish would be granted if all seven Crystal Stars were collected. And it also wasn't possible for a thousand coins to appear if the seven Crystal Stars were gathered.
By contrast, choice B seemed to be the most consistent answer as the Crystal Stars are linked to the Thousand-Year Door. With that in mind, Peach finally decided to answer.
"It's B.) Thousand-Year Door opens," Peach answered.
"Correct. Now, the second question," TEC confirmed as he then continued. "What is the goal of Grodus, leader of the X-Nauts? Is it A.) To conquer the world, B.) To get rich, or C.) To become a superhero?"
Peach couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at choice B. Most villains would dream of getting all the riches and treasures in the world. But Grodus didn't seem to be that kind of guy. Then there was C, in which Peach couldn't help but snicker at the thought of Grodus being a superhero, especially considering his hostile personality.
But of course, the answer was obvious. She had just learned about it the last time she visited TEC like this. Knowing exactly what it was, Peach gave him the answer.
"It's A.) To conquer the world, right?" Peach had to confirm.
"Correct. Now, the third question," TEC confirmed as he then asked the next question which was 'apparently' revealing too much info to her. "What is the legendary treasure that waits behind the Thousand-Year Door?"
It was then Princess Peach gasped before he could give her the choices. Why was TEC asking her this? Wasn't he revealing too much? Wouldn't he get in trouble with Grodus for exposing it to her? Needless to say, Peach was growing worried.
"TEC... Is this..." She started to say but was unable to finish.
"Princess, please answer," TEC then repeated himself before giving her the choices. "What is the legendary treasure that waits behind the Thousand-Year Door? Is it A.) 100,000,000 coins, B.) An extremely rare badge, or C.) A 1,000-year-old demon's soul?"
Princess Peach didn't seem too concerned about choices A and B, since those seem to be typical choices when it comes to treasure.
One hundred million coins are exactly what any treasure hunter could dream of having in their possession, and an extremely rare badge is what any collector of badges would want to get their hands on, particularly globe-trotting badge thieves such as a certain white Little Mouser.
Choice C, however, was what Princess Peach was 'absolutely' concerned about. She didn't know if it 'really' was a 1000-year-old demon's soul, but just thinking about it creeped her out.
Nonetheless, she was willing to take her chances as she hoped and prayed that the choice was 100% wrong. After thinking about it, Princess Peach finally answered the question.
"Uhhhh..." Princess Peach uttered nervously before she gulped and wondered. "Is it C.) A 1,000-year-old demon's soul?"
"Correct," TEC confirmed, causing Peach to go completely white in the face as her worst fear had been confirmed. And the worst part was that there were two more questions to answer.
"Now, the fourth question," TEC disregarded her fright as he then continued. "What does Sir Grodus wish to do with this ancient demon's soul? Is it A.) Cherish it always, B.) Bring the demon back to life, or C.) Hang out with it?"
Princess Peach was now growing a little scared. It was unlikely that Grodus wanted to cherish this demon's soul always, and he wanted to do something more sinister than hang out with it. Therefore, the answer to this question was also pretty obvious to her.
"Is it B.) Bring the demon back to life?" Princess Peach queried.
"Correct. Now, the fifth question," TEC then asked her the final question. "What is required to seal up the demon again? Is it A.) A legendary sword, B.) A magic spell, or C.) Crystal Stars?"
Peach had to think about this one. A legendary sword couldn't be the one to stop the demon.
The first thing that came to her mind was Exor, who was a high-ranking member of the Smithy Gang back that one time. After Mario defeated Smithy, Exor disappeared entirely and hasn't been seen since.
As for a magic spell, she had never heard of any spells that could put the demon to rest. The Mushroom magic that exists in their world wasn't capable of such a thing.
That meant that the answer had to be the very objects that Andrew had been collecting before the X-Nauts got to them first.
"It's C.) Crystal Stars," Princess Peach answered quickly.
"Correct. You have correctly answered all five questions," TEC informed her. "Now you may use the communicator."
Princess Peach still had to wonder about something crucial. Was it perfectly safe for TEC to reveal that information disguised as a quiz show? Wouldn't there be any compromises for doing such a thing like this? It left her completely puzzled.
"TEC... You..." Peach started before she asked him. "Was it OK for you to tell me such things?"
TEC did not bother answering. Instead, he insisted that she send her next message to Andrew. "Please input the message you wish to send."
"Well...OK," Peach approached the keyboard again.
At least I have something to send to Andrew. He must know about this since this is a 'really' drastic situation he's dealing with now, and he has to be informed about it. Peach thought worriedly. If those X-Nauts get the treasure that is this 1000-year-old demon soul, who knows what they'll do to the world!?
With that thought in mind, Princess Peach immediately went to work sending the e-mail to Andrew about what she had uncovered from the quiz game that TEC played with her. It only took a few moments or so for her to have finally finished it up, and she was ready to send it off.
"Uh... OK. I'm done," Princess Peach then requested. "Could you send it?"
TEC then did just that. And just like the previous times she had done it, those three envelope icons were displayed on TEC's screen again, with one flashing after the other until that same beeping sound was heard. This gave her the indication that the e-mail was officially sent out to Andrew.
"The message has been sent," TEC told her. "That is all for now. Please go back to the room."
Princess Peach simply shrugged. Since she sent out exactly what she needed to Andrew, she was all set for now. She headed for the door, but before she left, she had to say something to TEC about how he played a little quiz game with her, even though it leaked important information to her.
"Thank you..." Princess Peach then smirked before admitting. "You're still a weird computer, TEC."
TEC didn't say anything to her this time as Peach went back to her holding room for the night, and she would go to her bed and sleep until tomorrow.
"Good night, Princess Peach." TEC proclaimed just like the previous times.
Then just as he did before, TEC kept complete surveillance on Princess Peach until she was back in her room and went into her bed, which is where she decided to turn in for the night.
TEC then proceeded to maintain complete surveillance of the entire base while everyone else such as Grodus was turning in for the night. And he was required to keep the place secured and devoid of any suspicious activity.
This time, though, it was for different reasons. It might seem that he was doing it as commanded by Sir Grodus, but in actuality, he was attempting to keep Princess Peach safe.
He hoped that she was able to understand what he had given to her in that quiz and that she sent that info to Andrew, effective immediately.
TEC will likely need Peach to do something else for her the next time he needs her assistance. But that would wait for another time. There was one thing for sure, it was going to be a rather interesting experience for TEC, and Peach. No doubt about it...
END OF CHAPTER 41...
Yeah. That's it for this chapter. I have to be honest, this chapter didn't have anything noteworthy about it, aside from the reveal as to how the legendary treasure is a 1000-year-old demon spirit.
Then again, those who have played the game in its entirety already knew that, so it is no longer a surprise. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter regardless.
Anyway, the quiz game borrowed some elements that I used for that game show segment from the sixth chapter of this story, giving a list of three choices that are either A, B, or C. Still, Princess Peach got the info she needed and she sent it to Andrew after completing the quiz game.
Anyhow, with that all set, the next chapter will be focused on Bowser, as he and Kammy Koopa plan to reach Glitzville by the blimp.
Bowser decides to fly his Koopa Clown Car instead, it runs out of steam and falls into the ocean, where Bowser then goes through something similar to the underwater levels of Super Mario Bros, and some other stuff will occur. How will this go for the Koopa King? Find out next time, everyone!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. Nothing else to say here.
Otherwise, that's all that I got. So until next time, I hope you all can take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!