Chapter 58: Battle at the Snow Fort

The group finally saw something up on the path. Walls made of stone.

"Is this the place?" Kevin asked.

"It's gotta be. Who else would be out here?" Eduardo Jr. asked.

As they made it further, buildings were also apparent.

"This must be Fahr Outpost." Double D said.

They looked around at the place they had walked into. On the walls were weather veins, the buildings had lights hanging off the sides. It seems clear of trees in this section, too. A few Bomb-ombs stood in a group.

"Dude? Are those fur hats?" Nazz asked.

The Bomb-ombs were indeed wearing matching fur hats.

"Hey!" Double D called out to them. They turned to face them.

"Travelers." One said, with a Russian accent. "What brings them here?"

"What?" Koops asked. "Pardon me, I hope I don't sound stupid… um, but would you have some sort of large cannon?"

One of them looked completely shocked.

"They know-"

But he was cut off as another one in their group gave him a prompt whack. "No, there is no cannon."

"Uh…. Okay." Koops rubbed his chin. "Something's strange about this."

"Can you bring us to someone who may know about it?" Double D asked.

"Da." One of them responded.


The group followed the Bomb-ombs through a pathway and into another section of the city.

"Now what's this?" Double D asked.

This area had more houses. They looked a little more inviting, some with smoke rising from some chimneys.

"I say we find an Inn and warm up." Jimmy said.

"Agreed." Double D said. He looked around, searching for an Inn house.

"There is an Inn over there." Another Bomb-omb said, turning to face a building with the word 'Inn' on it.

"That'll do." Kevin said. "I guess…"


"Sarah! I'm getting Frostbite!" Jimmy shouted.

"You'll be fine, kid." Sarah said.

"Yeah, suck it up." Kevin smirked.

"Kevin!" Nazz scolded.

"Right, my bad!" Kevin said. "Uh… sorry."

Meanwhile, Double D and Vivian sat by a window.

"Are you okay?" Vivian asked.

"Sort of. Something I saw earlier is bothering me."

"That could be from a long list of things." Vivian sighed.

"Well, within the last half hour. I saw this guy, the same person who saved us on the train when we were battling Doopliss." Double D said.

"Oh, that mystery guy." Vivian recalled. "Who is that guy?"

"That's exactly what's on my mind. When we were weakened, I saw him in a trance of sorts. He seemed like a very noble and wise person. He said he had to give us back our life force, but got turned back to his true form. And guess who was standing right at the same position when I awoke from my trance?" he asked.

Vivian shrugged.

"Plank. The inanimate plank." Double D said.

"Oh…" Vivian said. "The strangest thing. On the train, I saw its facial expressions changing. How do you think this is happening. How can an inanimate object cast spells by itself?"

"There must be some logical for this." Double D rubbed his chin in thought.

"I heard you say earlier that Plank was someone's imaginary friend. Maybe that person has some answers?" Vivian asked.

"Jonny? I haven't seen him since the day I get stranded here. Come to think of it, he must be in terrible condition right now. He's lost Plank, not to mention no one in our group has seen him. …come to think if it, I wonder if he got left behind on my own world?"

"It may have been. I'm not too smart with the 'physics of breaking physics' of going through dimensions." Vivian said.

Double D laughed. "That's funny. Even if the grammar is a little faulty."

"Yeah…" Vivian joined in. "So, now that we have gotten in, shouldn't we get back to work on finding that cannon."

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an alarm.

"What's going on?" Jimmy asked.

"Secure the doorways, lock all of the windows!" the Inn keeper rushed in.

"What do you mean?" Double D asked. "Has the weather reached a critical point?"

"No, we are under attack!" the Inn Keeper shouted.

"Under Attack!" Double D repeated. "From what? From who?"

"There is no time to explain. You must all hide!" the keeper shouted.

"Sorry." Double D said. "But we don't hide."

"Yeah, it's time to kick butt!" Eddy said, holding out a fist.

"You must be mad!" The keeper shouted. "You travelers wouldn't survive!"

"I wouldn't underestimate us if I were you. You have no idea what we have been through and can endure. Alright, let's go!" Double D shouted. He opened the door and pointed outside. The group ran outside as he held the door open.

Double D was about to run out as well, but the keeper blocked the door.

"I have to catch up with the others!" Double D said. "Please move!"

"Please, you won't survive! Come back where it's safe!" The keeper pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but if this place is in danger, the place that just gave us a warm-hearted, hospitable place to stay, then I must act!" Double D said.

He didn't want to, but he had to push the keeper aside. He ran without looking back. He could hear the door slam and a lock click behind himself.


Double D managed to meet the rest of the group, who were standing off to the side as a brigade of Bomb-omb soldiers stood in perfect lines blocking the entrance.

"What's wrong?" Double D asked.

"There!" Koops shouted, pointing towards the entrance that the army was blocking.

Double D caught sight of the danger: hundreds of monsters, the icy clouds and the white and blue Piranhas.

"They are invading!" Goombella explained. "Creatures naturally feel a fixation for their own habitats, and I suppose they are trying to explain, make more land by conquering this. Or perhaps they are trying to reclaim what was taken?"

"TROOPS!" A loud voice shouted.

They looked over to the impressive squadron and saw an elder looking Bomb-omb standing there, one with a white mustache. And this loud voice made him sound like a boot camp instructor.

"Today, we face monsters! We shall defend our home! And if we perish, may we proudly say that we fall with honor!"

The group gave a collective cheer.

"Caaaa-det!" He called out.

Someone ran from the crowds to end up beside him. He was too far away to see with the snow falling, but whoever it was certainly wasn't Bomb-omb. It was a human.

"Who is that?" Double D asked.

"It looks like a human!" Nazz said and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, how awkward did that sound? I never thought I'd say something like that."

"But who is that?" Double D asked.

"The snow is, like, blinding me. I can't see." Goombella said. She was squinting just to see.

"CHARGE!" The leader of the Bomb-ombs shouted.

The troops rushed right towards the monsters.

"Ready?" Double D asked.

"Yeah!" His team gave a collected cheer.

"Alright, let's go!" Double D shouted. They gave a battle cry and joined the fray.

Double D suddenly stopped and yelled out to Vivian. "Vivian!"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"I have a plan. The others will do a fair job distracting them. Then, we can attack with a surprise fire move." Double D said.

"Okay, but how?" She asked.

Double D whispered something quickly into her ear, so none of the enemy would hear.

"Good plan!" Vivian said. "Ready when you are."

"Good. This first new spell I told you about is something I concocted before, and now is the ideal time to test it."

They both stood beside each other.

"Okay… 1..."

They both got into running positions.

"…2..."

Vivian grunted.

"GO!"

They both took off towards the fight.

"Faster, now! We'll pick up velocity now!" Double D shouted.

Vivian sped faster.

Double D nodded towards her. He slowly raised his arms until they pointed horizontally. Vivian was doing the same.

"Ready… Now! Kick off the ground!"

Double D jumped into the air. Vivian also gained altitude.

"Levi-Flare!"

Both of their bodies were surrounded by red light. They gained higher altitude, their arms now acting like wings.

"Yes, it worked!" Double D exclaimed.

The two, now airborne, proceeded higher and higher. The thermal energy surrounding them protected them from the snowy weather. They each trusted their arms gracefully, shifting until they were flying vertically in the air, higher, to the clouds…


"HYAH!" Eddy shouted, kicking one of the enemies over promptly.

"Good move? How did you know that Piranha plants are weakest at their stems?" Goombella asked.

"I didn't. Lucky move!" Eddy shrugged.

"More like dumb luck." Kevin said.

"Kevin!" Nazz shouted.

"Right. Sorry, Eddy." Kevin said.

Eddy laughed. "She has him wrapped around her finger."

"Eddy!" Goombella called out.

He shouted suddenly. A nearby Piranha plant chomped on his leg.

"Ah, no!" Eddy shouted as it started dragging him.

"EDDY!" Goombella shrieked.

Eddy screamed out in pain. It started pulling him into its mouth. Eddy immediately panicked as he watched himself being devoured.

"KEEP YOUR UGLY TEETH AWAY FROM EDDY, YOU BEAST!"

Goombella placed a perfect headbonk. The plant screamed out, opening it's mouth wide enough for Eddy to release himself.

As the monster fell beside them, Goombella ran to Eddy's side.

"Eddy! Oh, please tell me you're alright!" Goombella shouted. Eddy, who was lying on the snowy ground, held a weak thumbs up.

"Oh, Eddy." Goombella sighed.

"Oh, my leg. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow." Eddy said, getting up slowly.


"Take this, you foul beast!" Rolf shouted, placing a loud whack on a cloud monster.

WHACK!

It screeched and started to back off.

"Oh, and where does cloudy beast believe he is departing?" Rolf said sinisterly. "Rolf is not done with you!"

He ran to the retreating monster and whacked it again. It screamed and fell down. All the while, explosions sounded all around them as the army of Bomb-omb exploded all around them.


"Ah-ha!" Flurrie stated. "I have bested you."

The monster she had just defeated lay down on the ground moaning.

"Flurrie, catch!" Someone shouted.

Flurrie reached up into the sky and grabbed something. She pulled her hand back up and looked at it.

"Power Plus Badge?" She asked.

"It increases power!" The same person in the crowd shouted out. "Wear it, it will increase your power!"

Flurrie looked down at herself. "How?"

"Oh, for the love of-"


Meanwhile, Double D and Vivian continued their ascent.

"Alright, stop!" Double D shouted.

They shook their arms, until they came to a stop. They now hovered within the clouds, peering down on the battlefield with a bird's eye view.

Double D pointed towards the enemy crowds. "Fireball!"

Double D's fireball projected from his fingertip and flew down at the crowds.

"What?" The human cadet asked.

He watched the fireball zoom closer, until it struck the surface, just missing the enemies. The enemies looked amongst themselves.

"What kinda attack was that?" He called out into the sky. "You missed?"

"That voice!" Double D's eyes widened. "I know that voice, it's-"

"Fireball!"

Vivian sent out a fireball, aimed completely in the wrong direction.

"Oh, come on! Are you two that bad at aim?" The cadet asked. "I think not. You see, they have let their guard down by believing we can't aim. But in fact, we are right on target!"

Vivian grunted. She pointed right at the enemy crowds with her left hand. With her right, she held out her palm towards the fireball, and thrust it to her left.

The fireball suddenly veered off. It found its new destination.

"Oh, I get it. Right on!" The cadet shouted.

He watched as it struck the crowd right on target. The monsters shrieked.

"Stand down, soldiers!" The leader Bomb-omb shouted. "We have just won!"

"Huzzah!" They all cheered.


As the smoke cleared, the enemies were long gone. Double D and Vivian had just gracefully landed on the snow-covered ground.

"Good plan, Mr…. Holy Jump'n Banana Boats! Double D?" The cadet shouted.

"I knew it! The cadet is-"

"Cadet!" The leader shouted, running towards them. "Job well done, Cadet 2x4."