Time for another chapter.
Can you guess who the guardian is gonna be?
If not, you'll find out soon enough.
I have six followers for this fanfic now. That makes me feel happy. Still no reviews but it's definitely better than nothing. You think I'll have a review soon?
As such, I think this fanfic is going to continue.
Chapter 37: Crow's Nest
"You think there's treasure in these ruins?" asked Luigi. There was treasure abound in the haunted residences he visited, He wssn't sure why ghosts had so much of it.
"Treasure? I want in!" exclaimed Wario.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" asked Jessica.
"I'm up for a swim." said Jade.
"I guess we have our party then." spoke the mage.
Deepsea Ruins
Fortunately for DK, he was not in a video game where he couldn't swim. Though he was in a fanfic based off of video games.
He couldn't do that in Donkey Kong Country Returns for some reason. Which was a shame given how useful that would have been in the beach world.
Perhaps when the Tiki Tak Tribe tried to hypnotize him, he had forgotten how.
Since this was an underwater level, there was inevitably going to be aquatic enemies.
So it was best to be prepared for them.
Some Dangler Fish approached them, which wasn't a surprise.
Luckily, they could tell when they were coming because of the lights they had.
However, their bright lights could blind them temporarily.
So it was best to try not to look at them.
"I'm blind!" exclaimed Wario.
"It'll wear off soon. Don't panic." assured Jessica.
And yes, the Dangler Fish were filling the role of Bulbers from the original game.
They also had sharp teeth, so it was helpful to fight them from a distance.
There were King Kelps waiting for them as well.
Though they seemed more interested in singing than fighting.
Some Khalamari Kids who were watching a king's singing clapped and cheered. The King Kelp was a very good singer.
There were also some Squid Kids with them, because Squid Kids were recolored Khalamari Kids.
However, their songs could psyche up other enemies.
So it was a good idea to take them down first.
Some Quayhorses swam towards them.
They could fire blasts from their tridents.
Though it could also be used as a melee weapon if they found themselves fighting at close range. It was a versatile weapon this way.
Donkey Kong clapped with his hands and stunned the Quayhorses.
Wario discovered a treasure chest.
But it was a Cannibox in disguise.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Wario.
"Be careful. Not all treasure chests are what they appear to be." warned Jade. So it was best not to throw caution to the wind before opening one.
She knew from experience.
The Cannibox bit his hand.
"Ouch!" shouted the plumber.
It seemed he had paid the price for being greedy.
He punched the Cannibox in retaliation.
"Nobody bites me and gets away with it!" exclaimed Wario.
The Cannibox spewed out Sweet Breath.
It seemed mushrooms weren't the only ones who could do that.
Luckily, Wario covered his nose…like people usually did when he farted.
Jade kicked the Cannibox and it dropped some coins.
"Yeah!" cheered Wario.
There were Wooper Troopers patrolling the level.
"What are we guarding again?" asked a trooper.
"We're guarding the flagpole." reminded another trooper.
"Oh yeah." recalled the first wooper.
'These monsters are cute.' noted Jade.
'Perhaps. But I don't think they'll let us through without a fight." spoke Jessica.
One of the troopers spotted them.
"Is that the heroes?" asked a Wooper Trooper.
"Well, I'm more of an anti-hero." answered DK.
"Maybe you're not who I'm looking for." noted the wooper.
Then again, he heard one of the heroes was a gorilla wearing a tie.
That kind of made the group obvious.
Some Octavian Sentries were patrolling as well.
But they were decidedly easier to spot than the Wooper Troopers.
They did have to worry about being inked, however.
"Oh great!" exclaimed Jessica.
She got inked in the face.
Our heroes also had Riptides to worry about.
What they had to worry about primarily was their sharp claws.
Luckily, they were vulnerable to lightning.
And Alistair could breathe lightning.
At the end of the level was a treasure chest.
As well as the flagpole.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Wario.
He ran towards the treasure chest, planning to pull the flagpole later.
But he then stopped when he remembered something.
"Wait a minute, this seems familiar." noted Wario.
He seemed to recall something like this happening when he tried to approach a seemingly unguarded flagpole.
And there was the possibility that the treasure chest was also a Cannibox.
Suddenly, they heard a laugh.
"Mamamia!" exclaimed Luigi.
"Yeah…I think you made a good choice hesitating this time." remarked Jessica to Wario. As before, the guardian had been hiding from them, ready to strike when they weren't expecting it.
The ghost of a pirate captain appeared.
The boss of the level was Captain Crow.
"I feel like the title of the chapter was kind of a giveaway for DQ VIII fans." noted Jessica.
"I was expecting Krow from Donkey Kong Country 2." spoke DK.
"We're fighting Dragon Quest enemies, remember?" reminded the magical girl. Though ironically enough Krow himself had become a ghost.
"It is I, Captain Crow! But one of ye probably already recognizes me!" exclaimed Captain Crow.
"I sure do." nodded the magician. She had fought against him once before. Who would have thought he would have a map that would take them to Empyrea?
"The Dragonlord promised me riches if I defeated ye! So I accepted his offer!" shouted the captain.
"That reminds me a bit of my friend's sister." noted Jade. She let her greed consume her and she had ended up joining Mordegon's side as one of his spectral sentinels. Thank goodness she had realized the error of her ways.
"Be careful. He likes to psyche himself up, then unleash an all-out attack." noted the sorceress.
"It sounds like we should focus on defense then." suggested Jade.
"Exactly." nodded Jessica.
Sure enough, Captain Crow was psyching himself up.
Donkey Kong punched him.
He was sent backwards a few feet.
Captain Crow continued to psych himself up.
"This is troubling." noted Jade.
Captain Crow psyched himself up yet again.
The spectral captain was now fully charged.
"Now would be a great time to defend." noted Jessica.
Jade nodded. She certainly didn't want to take the full force of that kind of attack.
Captain Crow used a Thin Air attack.
At full tension, this was downright devastating.
Unfortunately, Wario didn't defend in time.
Wario was knocked out.
There were coins swirling around his head.
"Mamamia…" murmured the plumber who was down for the count.
"I tried to warn you." said the mage.
While Wario recovered, Mario filled in for the yellow plumber.
He leapt on top of Captain Crow.
Captain Crow once again began to psyche himself up.
"We should hit him while he's psyching himself up." noted Jessica.
When he was fully charged, they would defend.
Donkey Kong played his bongos.
Captain Crow was buffeted by the sound waves.
"I never thought a gorilla would try to take my treasure!" exclaimed the captain. There weren't any bananas inside that treasure chest, so why did he want it?
Captain Crow summoned some cannons.
The cannons began to open fire on them.
Luckily, they could destroy them.
However, Jade was hit by one.
She ended up covered in gunpowder.
She shook herself off.
Jessica hit Captain Crow with her whip.
Wario recovered from his injuries.
So he was ready to fight again.
Luckily, he had experience fighting pirates.
He remembered the days that he had fought against Captain Syrup.
And no, it wasn't over maple syrup. Though that would be great on his pancakes.
Captain Crow lunged at DK with his sword.
DK screeched.
But Wario bit into the captain.
He attempted to shake him off.
Jessica then hit him with a fireball.
"Maybe if we psyche ourselves up, we can beat him at his own game." suggested Jade. It was also a good way to save on MP, as well.
"Good idea, but he has Disruptive Wave." explained Jessica.
"Oh." comprehended the martial artist. They would need to limit how many buffs they used then.
Donkey Kong fired coconuts at Captain Crow.
He decided to psyche himself up once again.
But Jade jump kicked him.
He decided to use a Falcon Slash attack.
It was surprising how fast he was with his blade.
"Ouch!" shouted Jessica.
It seemed he had learned a few new tricks since her last encounter with him.
Alistair breathed fire on Captain Crow.
He recoiled from the flames.
Wario then grounded pounded him, finishing the fight.
"Avast! Ye have bested me!" exclaimed Captain Crow.
"History has a habit of repeating itself." noted Jessica.
She just hoped that Trodain didn't end up being cursed again.
"Ye may help myself to my treasure, and yes. Ye can pull the flagpole as well." spoke the captain.
"Yeah! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" exclaimed Wario.
DK was happy that he wasn't caught by pirates this time.
That was an experience he did not want to have again.
At least Diddy Kong decided not to pay the ransom. There was no guarantee that Captain K. Rool would return him even if he did get the bananas.
And besides, he remembered how upset he was when the Kremling Krew had stolen the hoard.
Wario helped himself to the treasure.
This boss battle had certainly been rewarding.
"I guess I'm not going to be getting the treasure the Dragonlord promised me." noted Captain Crow.
That made him feel sad.
It was a generous offer too.
"My friend Wario has some treasure…if he'd be willing to share it with you." spoke Jessica.
She wasn't sure if Captain Crow could persuade Wario to part with it, but he could try if he wanted to.
"Why would I do that?" questioned Wario. He was still reclaiming the treasures that had been stolen from him.
"I'd be willing to fight by your side." noted Captain Crow.
"It's a deal!" exclaimed the plumber.
He shook Captain Crow's hand.
"Wait, how am I-a shaking hands with a ghost?" asked Wario. He didn't think that made a whole lot of sense.
"Ghosts can make themselves corporeal." explained Captain Crow.
It was how he could attack the party during the fight.
Captain Crow gave them his token.
Wario then pulled the flagpole.
"Yay!" exclaimed Luigi.
Now that they had completed that level, they were out of the haunted area of the jungle.
Luigi could sleep a bit easier tonight.
And to make things better, Rashaverak's castle was in sight.
It was purple in color.
She was surprised to see them.
"What? How did they get through the haunted jungle?" asked Rashaverak. She figured that they would have run away by now. But the heroes were made of tougher than that.
She was starting to see how the heroes had defeated four of the generals. They were definitely formidable when they were together.
There were two more levels that the heroes had to complete before they reached the castle.
But they had come too far to give up on this world now.
Meanwhile, at the Beanbean Airport...
"We sure are high up." noted Ruff.
They could see the clouds clearly.
It might be best if he didn't look down.
On the airship were some Whomps.
They had to be careful that they didn't slam into them.
Supposedly they had a fortress somewhere. But it was not in the Beanbean Kingdom.
Luckily, it was easy to tell what their weak point was.
They just so happened to have bandages on their backs.
Alena grounded pounded a Whomp.
"How did you figure out our weakness?" asked a Whomp.
There were Duplighosts around as well.
Their strategy was to shapeshift into members of the party.
Luckily, the duplicates were not as strong as the originals.
But this did give them a versatile arsenal.
"Am I really that cute?" asked Ashlynn.
Some Parabeetles flew towards our heroes.
It seemed some Buzzy Beetles had wings.
Although, these Buzzy Beetles had red shells.
Why exactly did their shells change color?
Luckily, they could leap on top of them.
Some Ninjis appeared from the shadows.
Considering Pom Pom was the captain, this was appropriate.
They had to be careful not to fall victim to their sneak attacks.
They could also turn into logs to get themselves out of sticky situations.
Still, they weren't too much trouble.
Our heroes went down the warp pipe.
The warp pipe led to Pom Pom.
"So, you're the heroes who defeated my brother!" exclaimed Pom Pom.
"We've been defeating a lot of Koopas lately." noted Alena.
As well as Piranha Plants.
"Well, I'm about to avenge him!" shouted the Koopa with a blonde ponytail.
She pulled out some shurikens.
Our heroes prepared to fight.
Ashlynn fired a fireball at her.
But she ducked.
She then tossed a shuriken at her in retaliation.
Ashlynn ducked like her opponent had a few seconds ago.
Alena punched Pom Pom in the face.
She fired more shurikens at our heroes.
"Ow!" exclaimed Nera.
She cast Zap on Pom Pom.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Pom Pom.
She tucked into her shell.
Oddly, it then began to float.
Our heroes wondered what was going on.
But they decided that they could ponder that later, because that shell was trying to crash down upon them.
Ashlynn ended up being hit.
"Oof!" exclaimed Ashlynn.
Pom Pom then came out of her shell.
She summoned a copy of herself.
"She can copy herself?" asked Alena.
This made fighting her more complicated.
Luckily, they could at least tell the clone apart from the original.
She just so happened to have a purple ponytail.
So they targeted the original.
Pom Pom again withdrew into her shell, and attempted to slam into them.
Luckily, our heroes were prepared that time.
She then came out of her shell and created two copies of herself.
But these clones had green heads instead of red.
They targeted the original, and she fell to her knees.
"It's not fair! I should have won!" exclaimed Pom Pom.
"We've heard that before." noted Alena. She was acting like the Koopalings.
It seemed the Koopa Troop didn't take losing well. Even though they had lost to Mario many times.
Well, a loss was a loss.
She ordered the troops to retreat.
The airship flew away.
Incidentally, the skies cleared up after they left. Perhaps the Beanbean Kingdom had an empathetic environment.
The Beans were grateful to them for saving the airport.
Now that the airport had been saved, it was time to track down the commanders once again.
"I take it you managed to save the airport?" asked Queen Bean.
It was important to be able to travel from place to place.
That was how the Beanbean Kingdom did business with other kingdoms.
Peasley nodded.
"The next Koopaling is in Teehee Valley." said the Beanstar.
"That's where Little Fungitown is!" exclaimed Lady Lima.
"Little Fungitown?" asked Alena.
"Immigrant Toads live there." explained the queen. They decided the Beanbean Kingdom was the perfect place to be. Though they might reconsider now that Bowser had moved in.
"Immigrant Toads?" questioned Ruff. It seemed they did not live solely in the Mushroom Kingdom. Though that was where most of them seemed to be.
Queen Bean nodded.
"Then they could be in trouble." realized Nera.
Now they knew what their next destination was.
It was time to head to the desert.
Though it might be a good idea to buy some water first.
They would want that to stay hydrated in the desert heat.
And some new equipment wouldn't hurt them, either.
When they were ready, they would go to Teehee Valley.
I figured Wario would be a good addition to the party given that they were facing off against a pirate in this chapter.
Kudos to anyone who predicted who the boss was.
Maybe I'll have the Koopa Kruiser be a level in this game.
Though I felt like there wasn't a whole lot to do on that cruiser. Even if it was visited twice.
