In this chapter, our heroes will go to Urchin Shoals. Or See Urchin Shoals in this case.
Of course, you can probably tell by the title.
Square Enix aren't the only ones who can come up with a pun.
Hopefully I'll get a review for this fanfic someday.
Chapter 17: Keep Your Urchin Up
Mario and Luigi pulled on the flagpole together.
"Why didn't you do that in the last chapter?" asked Jessica.
"The chapter was getting kind of long." explained Mario.
Pulling the flagpole formed a bridge they could use to reach the next level.
Since Angelo had told them about what they could buy at the shop, our heroes decided to pay the Toads a visit.
"Hi there! Care to buy some gear?" asked the shopkeeper Toad. Mario and Luigi might be trying to save the Mushroom Kingdom, but he still needed to make a living.
This time, Jade decided to buy some items.
She figured it would be a good idea to upgrade her equipment this way.
"I wonder which weapon I should choose." noted Jade. The Toads knew that she was a martial artist, so they had stocked accordingly. She reminded herself to write them a thank-you letter if she had the time.
There were different weapons that she could specialize in. Like spears for instance.
Was there not a forge in town that they could use? She didn't mind spending coins to buy weapons and armor but having the ability to create new weapons and armor would be nice as well.
She decided on some claws.
'I think these will serve me well." spoke Jade as she bought some iron claws from the shop. Though every weapon had its advantages.
She could continue fighting with her bare hands, but these claws could come in handy.
She also bought an iron cuirass to replace her chain mail.
"I think I'll go walk Polterpup." noted Luigi.
He would appreciate the attention. And he would not mind a break from the fighting.
Though if he did wish to fight again, Polterpup would be happy to help out. He was a loyal companion.
Oddly enough, unlike other ghosts, he did not mind the sunlight. So he could bring him to places other than ghost houses.
'Don't you have Thunderhand though?" pointed out Jessica. Not having him at a party would most likely put them at a disadvantage.
"I know. But Peach learned how to use Zap from a scroll she bought at the shop." explained Luigi.
Peach nodded.
"I guess we're prepared then." noted the sorceress.
Though she could call on Luigi if one of them ran out of MP.
Unlike other ghosts, Polterpup did not mind the sunlight.
Angelo decided to sit this level out as well.
He wanted to play limbo with the Toads. They seemed like they were fun to hang out with.
Though he would be at a disadvantage. The Toads were rather small in size.
"I guess you're going to be the only guy in this adventuring party for the time being." noted Jessica.
Urchin Shoal
"Aren't the urchins playing marco polo?" asked Mario.
As a matter of fact, they were.
It seemed they didn't want to fight the heroes at the moment.
Well, I don't need to change the name of the level much.
See Urchin Shoal
As the name implied, there were see urchins swimming about.
"Aren't we kind of overleveled for them?" questioned Jessica. They would only last a couple of turns against them at the most.
"Well, we have been hunting-a metal slimes." noted Mario. Luckily, he was used to running around, so he could chase the Metal Slimes if he wanted to.
"You're right. I see that we need to up our game." nodded the See Urchin in agreement.
She whistled, and See Angels appeared.
"That's better!" exclaimed Mario. These enemies seemed much better suited for them.
These sea monsters could cast Zing to revive their fallen comrades.
But it didn't always work.
"I see that I have rotten luck." noted an angel that had failed to revive a comrade.
A Scallop Slime was lurking in the water.
"What do you think of my pearls?" asked the scallop.
"They're nice." noted Jessica.
She didn't wear them though. She felt like having a bare neck for the adventure.
"You made my day!" exclaimed the scallop.
She joined their cause.
"I'm glad I chose to play nice." noted Jessica.
Some more Scallop Slimes appeared.
They could use their clam shells for defense.
And they also fired bubbles.
But Peach's Zap spell worked well.
The boss of the level was a Jargon.
"After I beat you, I'm going on lunch break!" exclaimed the Jargon. He had a jar of honey that he had been saving for the occasion.
"I remember fighting them." noted Jessica. They never seemed to be without that pot of theirs.
"I've actually fought them too." acknowledged Jade. The monsters she fought were somewhat different from the ones Jessica fought, but some were the same.
"I guess our adventures both have similarities." spoke the sorceress.
Sometimes, monsters appeared in multiple numbered entries of the Dragon Quest series.
The Jargon breathed fire on the heroes.
"Ouch! That's hot!" exclaimed Peach. It seemed Gracos had made the choice of choosing guardians that could hit all party members at once.
It certainly made things more difficult for them. It would be useful if a party member could learn Insulatle. That would reduce the damage of breath attacks.
"Mamamia!" shouted Mario. Luckily, he had experience fighting monsters that used fire breath.
"Funny, I don't think that Jargons are sea monsters." noted Jade. He seemed a bit out of place for that reason.
"No. But I do have sand in my jar." explained the Jargon.
"Fair point." understood Jessica.
The Jargon body slammed Mario.
"Out here it's survival of the fattest! Wait, did I just call myself fat?" asked the Jargon.
"Mamamia..." said Mario, who now had stars around his head. That one had been a critical hit.
"Hahaha!" laughed the Jargon. That one had been too easy.
Jessica swapped out with Angelo.
He cast Zing.
Mario got back on his feet.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Mario. He was happy that Angelo had learned that spell. Though they also had 1-Up Mushrooms if they needed them.
"You're welcome." answered the white-haired boy. He was just looking out for his friends.
That Jargon had really knocked the breath out of him.
Angelo then swapped back to Jessica.
Jade hit him in his big round belly.
"Ouch! That was a strong blow! But I'm going to keep the pot boiling!" exclaimed the Jargon.
"It looks like the author decided to look up some idioms for this chapter." noted Jade. It seemed he wanted to give the Jargon personality.
I sure did!
The Jargon sprayed sand all over the field.
Mario and Jessica avoided the sand.
But Jade and Peach were hit.
"Oh no." spoke Jade. The Jargon was going to be much harder to hit now.
She tried hitting him again, but she missed.
"It'll take some time before the sand wears off." noted the martial artist. Perhaps they should defend until then.
"I'm so happy I decided to lower your accuracy. Now I don't need to worry so much about being a big target!" exclaimed the Jargon.
Peach cast Zap.
"Owwww!" exclaimed the Jargon. Now he did have to worry about being a big target.
Mario then followed by hitting him with his hammer.
He then had an idea.
He set FLUDD to sprinkle setting.
Mario then used it to get the sand out of Jade and Peach's eyes.
"Thanks!" exclaimed Jade.
Mario then had another idea.
He noticed that the Jargon was preparing to breathe fire again.
So he poured water in his mouth.
"Oh no! My flames!" exclaimed the dragon with the big round belly. It looked like his breath attack had been disabled.
Peach wondered what would be the best choice to fight the Jargon.
Luckily, she had made a new monster recently.
She remembered it. It was known as the Urnexpected.
It seemed like the perfect choice to fight the Jargon.
So she decided to summon it.
"How can I help you?" asked the Urnexpected.
"Oh boy! Another urn for my collection!" exclaimed the Jargon.
But of course, it was a trap.
"Fooled ya!" exclaimed the Urnexpected.
"Clever girl…" said the dinosaur-like monster.
"Are you referring to the urn or myself?" asked Peach.
"Both!" exclaimed the Jargon.
The Urnexpected hit the Jargon with a desperate attack.
This was enough to take him down.
"It's jarring that you managed to defeat me!" exclaimed the Jargon. He prided himself on how strong he was. And yet, he had fallen to the heroes.
"Well, we do have a lot of experience fighting monsters." noted Jessica.
She and Mario pulled on the flagpole.
Now there was only one level left to go before they could enter the castle.
Back in the sewers…
Captain Goomba summoned Gloombas.
"Didn't you already try that?" asked Alena. They had managed to overpower them.
"These are Gloombas. They're stronger!" explained Captain Goomba. He was learning from his mistakes.
"Oh. I get it." comprehended Peasley. These Goombas would likely prove to be more challenging for them.
And indeed they were. It seemed these sewer Goombas were stronger than their normal counterparts.
However, they were still vulnerable to being stomped.
"Maybe I need to summon a different baddie." noted the captain.
Kiryl stabbed the Goomba captain with his spear.
"Ouch!" exclaimed the captain.
Captain Shy Guy whistled.
Some Snifits showed up to give him assistance.
"How can we help you, captain?" asked one of the Snifits.
He saluted him with respect.
"He's summoned help!" exclaimed Alena.
"Bosses seem to have a habit of doing that." noted Peasley. Perhaps they didn't like their chances of taking the heroes on by themselves.
He could understand that, given that he was working in a team of four.
The Snifits opened fire, forcing our heroes to take cover.
"You'll rue the day you decided to defy the captain!" exclaimed one of the Snifits. And by extension, defying the Koopa King. The nerve of these heroes.
Peasley shielded his comrades from the projectiles.
"Thanks!" exclaimed Alena. She appreciated the prince protecting them. No wonder his citizens were so fond of him.
Nera fired fireballs at the Snifits.
This time, it was their turn to run for cover.
However, a few of them were hit by the fireballs.
"Oh no! They're returning fire!" exclaimed one of the Snifits. And they knew magic too. It seemed the Magikoopas weren't the only ones that could use magic.
Captain Shy Guy tossed a Poison Mushroom at Peasley.
"Take this!" shouted the shy captain.
It was a direct hit.
"Oh no! I've been poisoned!" exclaimed Peasley. Of course, he already looked green.
"Maybe we should give you a Refreshing Herb." noted Alena. It would wear off by itself, but it was still not a bad idea.
"Actually, I have a healing spell for that." explained Kiryl.
He cast Squelch on the prince of the Beans.
"Thanks!" exclaimed Peasley.
Captain Shy Guy tossed a Bob-Omb.
"Look out! It's a bomb!" warned Kiryl.
Luckily, Alena kicked the Bob-Omb back at the timid captain.
Nera hit the captain of the Shy Guys with a fireball.
Captain Shy Guy was knocked out.
"Oh no! My partner!" exclaimed the captain of the Goombas, his eyes widening with shock.
Now he was at a disadvantage.
Alena then punched him with her fist.
But he charged up for an attack.
Peasley parried it with his shield. Then hit him with said shield.
This was enough to defeat him again.
"No! I lost again!" exclaimed Captain Goomba. This was starting to wear down his self-esteem. Though when you were a Goomba you didn't usually have much self-esteem to begin with.
'This is my first time losing." noted Captain Shy Guy. it was a humbling experience. But maybe he could learn from it. He would come back once he was higher level.
"If you want to form a truce, you're welcome to do so." noted Alena. She wouldn't mind if he didn't want to fight. Though fighting was kind of her speciality.
"I could do that, but I want to stay loyal to Bowser the Koopa King." explained Captain Goomba. He did not want to be a deserter, let alone a traitor.
Though not all Goombas were members of the Koopa Troop. It seemed living the life of evil just wasn't for them. Captain Goomba was surprised how peaceful Goomba Village was. Though for some strange reason he only saw one family living there.
"I understand. But isn't Bowser kind of a bad influence?" questioned Peasley. He had built up a bad reputation as being an evil kingdom conqueror. It was lucky that the Mushroom Kingdom had managed to defend themselves from him.
'Maybe. But he did have the decency to make me captain." noted the captain of Goombas. This showed that he had some respect for his abilities. Though he had gotten in trouble for accidentally bonking Bowser on the head once. He had to write multiple apology letters to get back on Bowser's good side.
"We'll see you later...if you can beat Morton." said Captain Shy Guy. If they could beat him, he'd be very impressed indeed.
Captain Goomba and Captain Shy Guy left. It was time to train themselves for their next encounter with the heroes. Whenever that was.
Shortly afterwards, our heroes found the sewer exit.
It seemed the two captains had been guarding it.
One thing was for sure, it was nice to see the sun again. Though admittedly it wasn't very dark in the sewers.
Sure enough, the Giggleho Cave was nearby.
"This is where Morton is hiding, according to the Beanstar." noted Alena.
Captain Shy Guy had mentioned him as well.
They had best proceed with caution. Though they had defeated one of the Koopalings already.
"If we want to protect Beanbean Castle, we have to take him down." said Peasley.
Alena nodded.
The four of them went into the cave.
In the cave, Morton heard bad news.
It seemed the two captains had failed to defeat the heroes.
"Captain Goomba fail? Maybe Bowser should dock pay." noted Morton. It seemed like a simple task to him to take care of these heroes.
Especially since Mario was not with them, and he had brought another captain to help him fight them.
Well, if need be, he could fight the heroes themselves.
He would take care of things. He was sure of it.
Are you looking forward to the fight with Morton?
I look forward to writing it.