Chapter 3: Rescue Mission
"Excuse me, young man, but may I ask you why you're sleeping by the door?" A voice politely asked.
"Huh… Ah! Did I fall asleep!? I just wanted to meet Larry before he left!" Another voice anxiously screamed.
As a conversation took place just outside his room, Larry took his time to wake up. Stretching his arms, yawning, he got up his bed and climbed down, not using the wheelchair today. He headed to the door and opening it where he was greeted by Private Goomp letting out a sudden scream as he fell back.
"Eeek! Mr. Mulan! I didn't mean to scare you!" The anxious goomba said loudly.
"So, you got something to say to me?" The punk asked, raising an eyebrow.
The goomba rolled over and stood back up. It was impressive how a lifeform with no arms would do such thing, bending its body forward and backward to bounce off the floor just enough to send the mushroom standing.
"So, it's true. You're an athlean, right?" Goomp shyly asked, struggling to stare at Larry right in the eyes.
"I think so." The koopaling said back, giving a questioning look at Mr. Toadsworth who stood nearby and nodded at him.
"Wow! I thought athleans were just in fairy tales! It's so great to know they do exist!" The goomba said, jumping in excitement.
"Are you alright? I never saw you other than nervous." Larry pointed out.
"A bit shaken by the incident but overjoyed by the trial." The goomba replied, trying his best to contain himself.
"Speaking of that incident, you've yet to tell us what happened after the blue flames you witnessed." The old man brought up.
"Right! So, I tried going back to town and find out what happened! Everyone was just bones! And then, the bones rose up into monsters and chased after me! I was lucky to not have made it that deep in town so very few of them were chasing me! It was then I met the toads in red just outside who came to my aid! As for the rest, I was brought here but it seems, even here, things have gone the same." Goomp explained, shivering at the end.
"Thank you for your time, young man. Would you like an escort back to Grassland?" Toadsworth said.
"Well, I don't know. Things aren't looking good over there. Can I stay here a little longer? At least, there are still toads around." The goomba asked back.
"Why, of course, my boy! We wouldn't let anyone wander off in such time of crisis. But, for now, I need to speak to Larry in private." The old man reassured.
Goomp got reassured and walked away from the two others.
"Now, can I have my stuff back?" Larry asked, crossing his arms in an impatient manner.
"Speaking of having your belongings back, we were just about to bring them to you." Mr. Toadsworth admitted, pointing toward the corridor where two toads moved a tray to them.
On the tray, Larry's shell rested good as new along with the headphones he brought during the big day, his spiked bracers and his keys. The two toads saluted and walked away.
"This won't take long, old man." The punk said, picking up his belongings and returning to his room.
Back in his room, he closed the door behind and immediately tossed the patient gown away. He wished he was given a new pair of underwear along with his belongings but, as he put his head inside his shell, he saw exactly what he wanted. Once suited with everything, he left the room again where the old toad still stood.
"Now, Sir Larry, would you mind helping us retake the Mushroom Castle from these skeletal monsters?" Toadsworth asked.
"I'd like to but, unless you can make it worth my time, I need to go my way and check on some peeps and, unfortunately, no one from the Mushroom Kingdom is high on that list." The koopaling replied, hesitant.
"Yes, I understand but, since it's closer than anywhere you might have in mind, it'll be more efficient to retake the castle." Mr. Toadsworth pointed out.
"Yeah but…" Larry began but was quickly interrupted.
"… And you'll get the answer to that question you've been asking me for years. I know it's not much but…" The old toad brought up.
"Alright, you got my attention. So, what are we working with?" Larry finally obliged although hesitantly.
"Since the red rescue team is still in Grassland, we'll have the blue rescue team with us. Let's go back to the cafeteria to meet them and discuss of the plan." The old man said, gesturing the koopa to follow him.
They both headed to the cafeteria where an already long line of toads waited at the counter to receive breakfast. The two headed to the middle of the cafeteria where the old toad climbed up on one of the tables.
"Excuse me, everyone, but may I all have your attention please?" He announced, waving a hand.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the old man.
"First, I would like to thank you all to accord your time to listen me. So, we are making the preparations to retake the Mushroom Castle from the monsters. The blue rescue team will be taking care of that. In the meantime, I would ask you all to remain here and listen to the directives provided by the green rescue team. Dismissed." Toadsworth briefed.
Everyone applauded the old man then returned to their business.
"Even though you only mentioned the blue toads, I take that I still have to come with you." Larry joked, humoring the old man in the process, and following him back to the main hall where they met a group of half a dozen of toads in blue uniform.
Upon their arrival, one wearing a golden badge with a sapphire encrusted in it saluted them.
"Mr. Toadsworth, we're ready to commence Operation Fungus Flow." He said as the old toad saluted him back.
"Jolly good! Let us begin then." Toadsworth replied, raising his cane.
"Hold up a second!" A familiar voice spoke.
It was the judge from yesterday's trial who, along with the prosecutor, joined the others.
"Is there something wrong, your honor?" Mr. Toadsworth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"With how the trial abruptly ended yesterday, we would like to go back on the point of how your client, Mr. Mulan, managed to destroy the two giant monsters in two complete different ways and for you to elaborate on that." Mr. Wallace brought back up.
"Well, you couldn't have come at a better time. How about I let my client demonstrate you such thing on the field? We were just about to depart." The old man said.
"Wait! Can I come too?" Private Goomp asked, just joining in with the others as he overheard them.
"Well, we are getting a bit crowded but, as long as you maintain your distances from Larry and the blue rescue team, you can all follow us." Toadsworth concluded.
And so, the moderately sized group opened up a manhole that was inside the courthouse which everyone part of the group climbed down. The goomba needed help as he did not have arms to safely grab on the stainless steel bars leading down.
"I need three toads behind everyone and the others with me at the front." The blue toad with the badge ordered, carrying with him a duffle bag from which he pulled out flashlights he gave to each member of the blue rescue team.
With everything set, the moderately sized group began their way through the sewers. The constant sound of water flowing through the unusually clean sewers put everyone on edge as they ventured deeper in. The lights were waved left and right to ensure nothing would ambush them from the darkness. Luckily, no monster seemed to be in the sewers as they made their way to their destination unbothered: a ladder leading to a large square grid.
"Huh? I didn't think manholes could be this big." Goomp commented, shaking his head as his bonnet blocked his sight.
"That's because it isn't." One of the toad replied.
The first toads ahead climbed up the ladder and pushed on the grid to lift it up. They carefully moved it aside to make as little sound as they could and went ahead. The others followed them into the courtyard of a castle. The exit they came from was on a small beach pouring into a river that went around a huge castle of white bricks and red roofs. The beach also had a path leading upward to a stone bridge giving access to the main entrance of the castle.
"Gentlemen! Since we arrived at destination, I believe it's time to show you what my client is capable of with the orange wand." Mr. Toadsworth declared, pulling out the said wand.
Everyone gathered around him but Larry was the only one to approach him. He extended a hand toward the wand.
"Law…" A voice began whispering.
This time, the punk did not wait and directly grabbed the wand.
"… Rence!" The voice ended shouting.
The wand emitted a bright orange light wrapping the koopaling. Safe for the old toad, everyone around backed away, not out of fear this time but out of awe. Larry walked around in the courtyard with the others following him in search of monsters to destroy. A few of them clumsily walked around in the courtyard on the bridge. Those looked similar to the toads but without the big mushroom head they would sport making it difficult for most people to recognize them.
"Were those toads? That's horrifying!" The goomba panicked, hiding behing the group but the toads of the blue rescue team stayed behind him to watch his back.
"You know what to do, Sir Larry." Toadsworth said, lowering his head and closing his eyes.
Larry focused his energy into the wand, its tip growing a white light sphere. He then swung toward the skeletal creatures causing the orb to expand into a wide shockwave that flew right at the monsters cutting them in half. The others were impressed by the display of power the punk showed. With no more monsters blocking the way to the main entrance, everyone made their way to the front door. Larry twisted the door handle which worked but, when he tried pushing the door, it did not budge.
"It's blocked." He said, trying a few times with no avail.
"I feared it might've happened. The emergency lockdown must've been triggered when the blue flames spread." Toadsworth explained.
"So how are we gonna get inside?" The koopaling asked, leaving the door alone.
"We'll go underwater and open up the secret entrance." The blue toad wearing the badge said, opening his duffle bag to pull out swimming gears.
The other blue toads got suited up with flippers, goggles and tubas and sat on the railing of the bridge.
"On my mark, men!" The blue toad wearing the badge declared before placing the tip of his tuba and fell backward into the river under the bridge.
The other blue toads followed his lead and jumped into the water. The rest of the group leaned on the right railing of the bridge and spotted the blue rescue team swimming to a door at the corner of the castle submerged.
"So, are they gonna open the front door from the inside? There must be too many monsters for them to handle." Goomp commented, standing on the railing with the judge holding him to make sure he did not fall off.
"Much better than this. Follow me back to the grid." The old toad said, walking away from the bridge and back to the grid.
As the rest of the group returned to the grid, they heard a loud clank and noticed the water level in the river getting lower. Only a small lake in which the river poured still had water in the end.
"Marvelous! Let's move on, everyone." Mr. Toadsworth cheered.
Everyone gathered back at the secret entrance at the bottom of the river and entered. The first room was an oddly shaped room with a ramp leading downward then another one leading upward.
"Why do you have those ramps?" The goomba asked, sliding down the first ramp.
"That's to prevent the river to flood into the castle's basement." One of the blue toads at the front explained, climbing up the second ramp.
At the end of the hallway, they were presented with two doors, on in a smaller corridor and the other at the end of the hallway.
"Mt. Toadsworth, how do you plan to proceed?" The blue toad with the badge asked, standing at the junction with the small corridor.
"I need to check on her highness to make sure she's fine." The old toad reminded.
"Should we all head upstairs right away then?" The blue toad leading the group asked again.
"No need to. Larry and I will make our way upstairs. Everyone else should secure the rooms in the meantime. Do remain careful as we don't know if these monsters are contagious." Toadsworth ordered.
"Yes sir! You heard Mr. Toadsworth! Follow me to the hallways!" The leader concluded, heading to the door at the end of the hallway with the rest of the group following him.
This left Larry and the old toad to the other door which was high up in the small corridor. Two ledges had to be climbed but it was no big deal for the punk. However, he had to boost up the old man who could barely jump due to his old age, the second being trickier as there was little room to work with on the ledge. Nonetheless, they made it at the door and entered the next room, finding themselves sliding down a ramp into a lobby. The lobby had a balcony with two more doors and a set of stairs leading to a curved corridor. A few skeletal monsters roamed the room and heard them sliding, prompting them to rush their position.
"Stand back, old man! I'll take care of them!" The koopaling said, channeling his energy once again into the orange wand.
Like the monsters on the roof, they fell easily with a single slice from an energy blade. With the lower lobby secured, they took the door to the right into a set of stairs leading upward into a long corridor with a door at the end. Once upstairs, they did not proceed further into the corridor but instead they turned back where they could see a door on each side of the stairs.
"Which way, old man?" Larry joked, gesturing toward the two doors around the stairs.
The old toad headed to the left door and slightly opened it to peek inside.
"There's so many of them." He whispered, looking back at Larry.
"Hold on. I got an idea." The punk brought up, going to the next door.
He opened it wide which caught the attention of some of the skeletal monsters in the next room and slammed the door shut. They could hear many screeches and, seconds later, the door Larry slammed shut was being banged on.
"That should buy us some time to get upstairs. Good job, my boy!" Toadsworth complimented, opening his door and heading in.
Larry followed suit and, with the monsters heading to the other door, had the coast clear to go upstairs. He and the old toad took the middle door with a huge star painted on it and climbed a set of spiral stairs. At the top, they reached a door.
"I doubt we'll be able to do likewise, Sir Larry. We only have one door this time." Toadsworth explained, peeking out the door to review the situation in the next room.
"That floor's make like a donut if I remember right, eh?" The punk asked.
"Indeed, we could try to lure them on a merry-go-round but I'm afraid they might be scattered all over floor." The old man said, slowly making his way in the next room.
Not many of the monsters stood around in this donut-shaped room. In fact, the two survivors could make it to their next destination without even luring the monsters elsewhere: a set of stairs right next to the door they came from. They took a look up the stairs and found out the reason almost no monster roamed around. Most of them were at the top of the stairs banging on a door.
"Her highness must still be there! We must get rid of them!" Toadsworth declared with his hopes high up.
"By we you mean I, I take it." The koopaling joked, pointing his wand at the crowd of monsters.
"Right, I got so hopeful I forgot my own age for a moment." The old man chuckled.
The tip of the wand emitted a strong white light and a magic missile flew off from it toward the crowd of monsters upstairs. The projectile exploded on impact with the crowd causing a small avalanche of bones to fall down the stairs. With no more obstacles in their way, the two survivors climbed up the stairs to check the door but it would not budge.
"She must've barricaded it from the outside." Larry concluded, trying to insert his claws in the crack between the doors with no avail.
"Your highness, are you in here? It's me, Mr. Toadsworth. We're here to rescue you." The toad reassured, knocking on the door gently with his cane.
A lot of objects being moved around from the other side of the door could be heard. Eventually, a click was heard and the door opened to a woman with blonde hairs and blue eyes. The woman wore a pink robe beginning to tear apart and long roughed up white gloves. Her first reflex was to pick up the toad in her arms and hug him.
"Mr. Toadsworth, I'm so happy to see you again!" She cheered on the verge of crying.
The punk could not help but put on a faint smile. Even though it was not his main intention, he felt like he did the right thing for now.
"I remember her… Princess Toadstool… Peach…" He whispered, closing his eyes and lowering his head.
It was late in the night at the Koopa Castle. Larry was waiting in a living room along with the other koopalings, all in pajamas. While the others were sat on the same large sofa, the punk had his armchair all for himself. In the room was also an annoyed Kamek who kept an eye on him and ignored the others.
"Larry-o? You can come sit with us. You don't have to sit all by yourself." Wendy proposed but Larry shook his head.
"Leave him be. He just vants all ze attention for himself." Ludwig nonchalantly accused, looking away and gesturing with his hand.
"Hey, old man! When are ya gonna look at us? Ya've staring at him since dad told us to stay here." Roy asked, gripping on the cushion impatiently.
"That's Archmagister Kamek to you, you insolent brat! Unlike you and the others, Larry would just vanish if I don't keep him in check!" The magikoopa scolded without taking his sight off the punk.
Footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside the living room, becoming louder and louder. With how many could be heard, there could be half a dozen people heading to the living room soon. The koopalings stared at the opening from where the footsteps could come but Larry kept looking at Kamek.
"Father, did you really have to bring me here? Do you at least remember what that fat turtle just did to me!?" A woman's voice warned.
"Of course, my daughter, but I feel we all started on the wrong foot and should take the time to know each other. King Bowser was grateful to invite us without any hostility." A man's voice spoke.
"I guarantee you, king of the Mushroom Kingdom. You'll love the surprise I've prepared just for you." Bowser's voice said.
"Let me guess. You kidnapped the Mario brothers." The woman's voice guessed.
"Nope!" Bowser's voice simply answered.
"You got married!" The man's voice supposed.
"No but you're quite close." Bowser's voice commented.
The footsteps stopped all of a sudden. Larry still did not pay attention to his surroundings save for Kamek but the other koopalings were getting anxious to meet new roylaties.
"I would like you to meet…" Bowser's voice began.
"Wait! We must enter the room first to make sure it's secure for you, your highness!" A high-pitch voice interrupted.
Hearing that, Kamek got his sight off Larry and went to the doorframe where four toads entered the living room. They were confused and surprised to see the children sitting on the furnitures.
"What's the meaning of this? Where's the trap?" One of the toads asked, looking around.
"There's no trap, you numbskulls! You're ruining the surprise! Go back out the room!" Kamek yelled, infuriated.
A full dispute blew between Kamek and the toads. Larry took this opportunity to get off his armchair and hide behind it without being seen. He slightly peeked out from behind to watch what was unfolding. Bowser entered the living room next with an awkward smile as he waved his arms to present the koopalings. Then entered an old but stoic looking man in a red royal robe with white hairs and beard surprised by the children too. Finally, a younger Peach entered the room skeptical but still showing some surprise judging by the sudden but slight expression on her face. The dispute abruptly ended when all the guests entered the room.
"Well, this was the surprise but I guess the suspense died before the best part." Bowser jokingly sighed, shrugging it off as no big deal.
"Still, those are some fine looking children for being koopas. Why don't you present them to us?" The king of the Mushroom Kingdom commented.
"In fact, they can present themselves, from the oldest to the youngest." The koopa king brought up, walking to the sofa and kneeling down to gesture Ludwig to start.
"Good evening, my lord! My name is Ludwig and I'm currently ze first vone in line for ze throne at ten years old." The oldest koopaling greeted, stepping forward and bowing down.
"Hiya! I'm Lemmy! I may be the shortest but I'm the second youngest at nine!" Lemmy exclaimed, jumping forward waving his hands at the guests.
"Sup. I'm Roy, the coolest and eight." Roy calmly said, holding his shades but not removing them.
"Um, hey! I'm Iggy and I'm quite smart despite being seven!" Iggy anxiously spoke, holding his hands together.
"Hello, I'm Wendy and I'm pretty for a six years old." Wendy greeted on her turn, flaunting her golden rings around her wrists.
"Hi, I'm Morton and five." Morton simply said, waving at the guests.
"Hmm… Kamek? I did have a seventh child, didn't I?" Bowser asked, looking around in search of Larry then at the magikoopa.
"Oh, for crying out loud! See what you numbskulls just did!? You scared off the youngest with your paranoia!" Kamek screamed in anger at the toads.
"Well excuse us, old man! We must protect his highness!" One of the toads replied, staring daggers at the magikoopa.
"That's…" The magikoopa began.
"Hey now, not in front of the children, Kamek." Bowser cut in, keeping his cool.
"Shall we search for the youngest?" The mushroom king proposed.
"I rather not. He might just run off back to his room. It's best if we make place for a reassuring ambience. It helps him integrate himself to others." The koopa king advised.
The dispute died out again, this time making place for a series of discussion, though none of them interested Larry. All the night, he had his eyes on Peach. He never saw anyone that pretty and Peach was a whole other league compared to Wendy. The girl stood back from the others, observing everyone speaking, but not uttering a word herself. The youngest quietly made his way out of his hiding spot, feeling comfortable to make his move. He made his way to the princess until he reached her feet. Being a good listener, the princess heard the punk walking up to her. She looked at him and kneeled down to caress his cheek.
"You must be the youngest." She spoke with her sweet voice, one that put a smile on Larry's face.
"There you are, you little rascal. Why don't you present yourself like your siblings?" Bowser heartily chuckled after seeing his youngest child.
Everyone looked at Larry who just locked up. He only moved his eyes looking at everyone in the room then the carpet on the floor.
"Larry…" He whispered shyly.
"How old are you, my boy?" The mushroom king asked.
"Four…" The punk whispered again, looking once at the king of the Mushroom Kingdom then back at the carpet.
"Well, that's settled then. Children of Bowser, I am King Ralion of the Mushroom Kingdom and this is my daughter Princess Peach." The king presented, having the children by the sofa impressed by the visit.
"Alright, children, it's bedtime. I have some business with our guests so your bedtime story won't be before a little while. See you later, children." Bowser bid, leaving the room with the guests.
Kamek took Larry by the hand and escorted the koopalings outside the living room into a corridor. The punk wanted to see the princess again but had no idea how he could.
"You have caused a lot of trouble tonight, young boy! I have no idea what his Excellency saw in you when he adopted you!" The magikoopa scolded as he dragged the child.
"Hey! Don't diss my little bro like that." Roy stepped in, stopping on his way to his room.
"Am I'm to believe that you truly care for him now? Don't you dare pretend camaraderie in front of me, child! All of you go back to your rooms without a single word!" Kamek said, having no patience for insolence.
The rest of the walk to the hall of bedrooms went silent as Kamek wanted. The koopalings, before going to bed, headed to the bathroom where they brushed their teeth. It was the only time Larry was finally let go but did not attempt anything to see the princess again right away. He made sure to take his sweet time brushing his teeth. With everyone else done, the magikoopa entered the bathroom but Larry was already done. He headed back to his room but a loud thud occurred then Lemmy crying, prompting Kamek to check on what happened.
"What now?" The magikoopa sighed, entering Lemmy's room.
The punk did not stay to listen what just happened. As soon as Kamek lost sight of him, he immediately made his way back to near the living room. It did not take long for him to find a lead when he saw from far away the toads that escorted the princess, standing guard by a closed door. The youngest went hiding behind the first armor display he saw and moved from display to display to get as close as possible. On the last he could get to, he peeked out from behind to look at the toads.
"What of bunch of freaks his kids are. Am I right?" One of the toads joked.
"Where does he even get that many kids like that? From the circus?" Another one joked.
"Quiet! I'm trying to listen to their conversation here." The third one whispered, his head resting on the door.
"Don't bother. That stuff's way out of our paycheck." The fourth one chuckled.
"They're speaking about those kids."
"Are you serious? What do does kid have in interest?"
"Something about… The seven lands? That sounds weird…"
A torrent of profanities echoed through the halls killing the ambient silence. Larry immediately hid behind the armor display he was at when he recognized Kamek's voice. The magikoopa walked fast to the toads who went back to their duty.
"Have you seen the child!?" He asked, shaking in anger.
"Which one?" One of the toads asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"You know the one, the youngest!" Kamek answered loudly.
"No, we haven't and he's not gonna come out with your attitude." Another toad cut in.
The dispute was immediately diffused when the door opened to an angered Bowser breathing fire from his nostrils.
"Can you guys keep it… Kamek!? This better be important." He scolded, changing his tone when he saw his advisor here.
"He went hiding again, your highness. I thought he'd try to see the guests again but…" Kamek began as the other people in the room left to see what the ruckus was all about.
Seeing the bottom of the pink robe, Larry slightly peeked out and could finally see the princess again. Peach noticed him so he smiled at her and waved once. Despite that, she just looked at him without saying a word.
"Your highness, are you listening!?" Kamek repeated.
"Yes, I get it, Kamek. I'll go find the kid myself. Don't worry about that." Bowser reassured, calming down himself.
"What about the guests?" The magikoopa asked.
"It's getting late. I think we should return home. Don't you think, Peach?" King Ralion reminded.
"Yes, father." The princess replied, no longer staring at the child.
"Very well. Kamek, you can escort them back to the entrance." The koopa king ordered.
Larry watched as everyone walked away save for Bowser. For some reason, his father stayed back. He finally heard him walking but closer to him.
"How much have you heard?" His father asked.
Even if he could speak fluently, which was not the case, he would still be too scared to talk. The king kneeled down and saw Larry hiding behind the armor display. He was not angry or disappointed. He was instead wondering.
"It's past your bedtime, son." He pointed out, reaching to pick up the child and hold him in his hands.
The two made their way back to Larry's room without a word spoken. The king put his child to bed and sat on the floor.
"You have a knack to go unnoticed, son. I might have something in mind for you when you get older and can speak more but that's if you want." He brought up, patting his child on his head.
"Will it make me stronger?" The child slowly asked, struggling to articulate.
The out of nowhere question made Bowser blink his eyes once out of surprise and flinch. It was obvious he was not expecting such thing from one of his children. Larry did not understand why such a simple question seemed to bother his father at the time. With no answer, his father lowered his eyes and sighed.
"Good night, Larry." He whispered, leaning forward to kiss his child on the forehead.
He stood back up and left the room but not before turning off the light and closing the door. Larry did not fall asleep right away. He thought about his relation with the seven lands, what his father proposed and Peach. Eventually, he slowly closed his eyes and slept.
Larry came back to reality where Peach was still holding Toadsworth in her arms.
"So am I, your highness, I couldn't have done it without help." The old toad said, pushing himself from the princess to see her face."
"Help?" The princess asked, letting go her advisor.
It was then she noticed the punk shining in orange light thanks to the orange wand he was holding.
"Larry!? What are you doing here?" Peach asked, walking up to him.
"I've managed to strike a deal with him: He'd help us secure the castle in exchange of an answer to a question." Mr. Toadsworth brought up, joining them.
"Well, I hope this question was worth it to risk your life saving me." The princess complimented, smiling.
"And it sure is. So, old man, what am I?" The punk finally asked.
"To start off, you're an athlean, a member of the royal family that used to rule over Grassland. For centuries, your and your siblings' ancestors ruled over the seven lands and the Koopa Kingdom." Toadsworth began.
"That sounds pretty one-sided for Amarioca. Are you sure you didn't stumble upon some weird propaganda?" The koopaling joked.
"Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of sources to confirm such things. Rumors say most of the history during the Dragon Age was destroyed but no one can coin the reason." The old toad continued, humored.
"The Dragon Age?" Larry asked, tilting his head.
"It was the era that depicted the royal families ruling over most of Amarioca long before it was even named such." The old man answered.
"Okay but why are we the only ones left?" Larry asked again.
"A conflict known as the Dragon War erupted between the royal families. Like their motive, the origin of this war remains a mystery. In the end, all were thought to be extinct following the war. To this day, historians, including me, are baffled as how a member of each family survived let alone how Bowser got a pure-bred child. That's all I know." Toadsworth concluded.
"Interesting. I might know someone that may know more about these royal families." The punk brought up.
"Mr. Toadsworth!" A voice from downstairs spoke.
Looking down the stairs, the small group saw the prosecutor and the judge climbing up the stairs to join them.
"I take that the castle has been successfully secured." The old man guessed.
"Correct. Now that's all over, we need to check on these papers of the so proclaimed Dr. Brimstone." The prosecutor demanded.
"Of course! Come along with me. The copy of his papers are right in." Toadsworth invited, entering the room at the top of the stairs and gesturing everyone to come in.
As the others followed, they found themselves in a massive room with two set of large stairs going along the octagonal shape of the room to a balcony above them. The old toad went to some drawers and opened one to pull out some papers.
"Here you go, good sir. All his papers should be in orders." He said as he passed the papers to the prosecutor.
"Well, it looks like everything is indeed in order. It's a shame Dr. Brimstone doesn't have a photo among his papers. Farewell." Mr. Wallace sighed, leaving the papers back to Toadsworth and leaving the room with the judge.
"Well, now that's taken care of…" Peach said, turning to Larry.
The giant clock in the room rang twelve times which caught the attention of who was left in the room.
"Eh. Since it's already noon, I guess another favor won't hurt." Larry said, stretching his arms behind his back.
"But first, I need to talk to my advisor. You're free to hang around in the castle and use anything you need." Peach suggested.
"Great! I'm dying for a steak… And a shower." The punk laughed.
He returned downstairs to the main hall where he saw the blue rescue team sweeping the floor to gather the broken bones. He also noticed Goomp standing by the captain who was holding his hand. Curious, the punk went to them.
"Is everything alright?" He asked.
"No! I tried to help them fighting the monsters but I ended up getting him bitten! Now, he's gonna turn into a monster!" The goomba cried.
"Calm down, sir. So far, I'm still feeling okay. I don't think they're contagious. I'll have my men check on me often if something bad happens to me." The captain brought up.
The koopaling just nodded, unable to do anything for them, and took one of the two doors with a star and the number one on it, the one to just the left of the main stairs. Beyond this door was a large room, its left half a kitchen, and its right half a dining room. The punk headed to the first fridge he saw and checked inside. He eyed all the food inside but a steak looked good enough for him.
"Come to papa." He muttered as he reached for the steak, salivating.
He tossed the steak on a pan and fired up one the ovens. He salted and peppered the steak cooking but something felt amiss. He checked around and noticed some fruits in a basket but the only one that interested him right now was a lemon. He took a sharp knife, cut the lemon in half and squished it over the steak to spray it with lemon juice. Once done, he took a plate with a knife and fork and sat at the table but before he could start.
"Excuse me! Who do you think you are taking things for granted!?" A voice yelled.
He looked at the door he entered from and saw a toad dressed as chef just entering the room. Obviously, the chef was not pleased seeing someone using his tools and food.
"The princess gave me permission." Larry scoffed off, looking back at his steak.
"Her highness!" The chef corrected loudly, heading to the table.
"You do know who I am, right?" The koopaling asked, looking back at the chef who was just a feet away from him.
"All I know of you is all I see right now: A troublemaker!" The chef said, pointing at the koopa.
"Larry Mulan Jr, captain of his highness'' royal guard." Larry said.
Hearing that, the chef quickly lost his temper and became embarrassed.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Mulan. I've heard your name quite often but didn't think it was you. All I wanted to say is that you could've waited a little longer. I was just about to prepare diner for the castle's inhabitants." The chef bumbled in his words, shaking.
"As a matter of fact, I think I should the one to apologize. I could've waited a bit longer but was too hungry." Larry pointed out, returning to his steak.
Unlike elsewhere, the punk took his time to eat his steak. Even then, he still ate a little quick. Once done, he went downstairs, back to the maze of corridors, to reach a door that led him to the bathroom. He removed everything on him and took his shower. Since it had been two days he went without a shower, he scrubbed his scales twice to make sure any stench would go. His shower done, only one thing was left to do: his hairs. He grabbed a brush and a comb and placed himself in front of a mirror.
"Alright! About time I get to brush my hairs again!" He said, raising his brush.
Before he could start, Peach showed up behind him starting to brush his hairs. She was only wearing a swimsuit.
"Ah! Princess! I'm naked!" The koopaling screamed, wanting to get away but did not to not have his hairs pulled.
"It's alright, Larry. We've known each other for years." The princess calmly said, passing the comb in the hairs.
"Is it a thing to have boys and girls use the same bathroom at the same time here!?" He asked.
"Always has been." Peach said, putting the finishing touch on Larry's hairs.
"I could've brushed my hairs myself." The punk pouted, heading back to his belongings.
"I know but I wanted to make sure I catch up to you before you wander off too far." The woman said, changing her swimsuit for quite the outfit.
The outfit was reminiscent of a musketeer with the blue coat, the red shirt underneath and the white pants. She also wore a hat with a rose and a white feather on it.
"Woah, princess! I've seen you like that before." Larry complimented, looked down to up to keep the image in mind.
"I wanted to wear that for the party tonight but, with the incident, I decided to wear it now." Peach admitted, adjusting her hat.
"So, what's on your mind now?" The punk asked, following the princess back to the main hall.
"I want you to assist me in a recon tour of the city. I need to know how many casualties the incident caused." Peach briefed, taking two sidebags from Toadsworth who waited for them at the door, and gave one to the koopa.
They left the castle and walked down the path to the main gate. A few toads stood guard by the gate awaiting them.
"Your highness, are you sure you want to this yourself? We can send a rescue team to recon the city." The guard pointed out, worried.
"Let's keep the rescue team to aid those who remain. I'll have Mr. Mulan with me to assist and help me in case." Peach answered, presenting Larry to the guard.
"Very well then. We'll open the gate for you.
The main gate opened and the two were prepared to face the worst. With the incident at the castle, they feared the city would also be victim to the blue flames.