Grodus slammed his staff into the floor over and over again in frustration, causing bolts of electricity to scorch the floor around his X-naut grunts who flailed around in a panic.
"Idiots! Idiots! Idiots! IDIOTS! How could you fall for a fake crystal star AND fail to retrieve the princess on top of everything!? ASANINE!"
"S-Sorry dude- er, Sir Grodus." One grunt piped up. Grodus took a deep breath.
"So let me guess…on top of still having the princess, Soren and his ilk managed to get the real Crystal Star?"
"Uh, I'm gonna say…maybe?" Another bolt of lighting almost hit the grunt, "I-I mean yes! Absolutely! He has the real crystal star and we have a useless fake!" A much more precise bolt fried the grunt, knocking him out.
"Urgh…this boy has managed to evade both our attempts at capturing the princess AND has nearly every crystal star! THOSE WERE MINE!" He took another calming breath, for all the help it would do to quell his rage even a little, "I'll have to alter my plan a bit…"
"Um before you do sir-" Another grunt spoke up. "-I think I'd better tell you something."
"Speak up then!" The grunt came closer to Grodus and began whispering in his ear.
"…That slippery- THEY WILL PAY!" He slammed his staff, letting off a burst of lighting far more powerful than his small temper tantrum bolts before storming out of the meeting room and heading for the elevator.
Alice
I stood in my room, kind of…anticipating TEC to call for me at this point. I had gotten into a habit of expecting him to call me in every day now; whether it was to ask me weird questions or have me do something for him, I was basically a zoo animal waiting for my next meal…I really need to get out of here.
The opening of my door pulled me from my thoughts; TEC's usual sign he was ready for me.
"Finally." Stepping past the threshold and over to the computer room door, I stood there for a moment waiting for it to open…only to find it not budging. I gave it a few short but loud knocks and the doors pulled apart, letting me into the room. "Something wrong with you? Or are the doors just breaking?"
"…Alice, I have…reached a conclusion." It was hard to tell but something about his tone seemed…sad?
"What do you mean?"
"I have struggled with whether to obey orders or…to speak to you…and I cannot confirm…what I should believe." Inner turmoil…
"Well, you broke the first command a few minutes into my captivity…what has you acting so contemplative now, weeks later?"
"…You have friends who are waiting for you right? Friends who you do not want to see hurt…or used by bad people…correct?"
"Yeah, of course."
"And if they were hurt or even taken over by these bad people…it would hurt you, correct?"
"What's going on?" As he spoke in these hypotheticals, I felt myself go on edge.
"I…do not want to see you hurt Alice…so please, escape from this place as quickly as possible." I was almost floored by the request. For the past while he's been keeping me here under the orders of bobble head upstairs…and now he wants me to run!?
"…What was on that data you accessed?" I asked, positive it was related to this sudden request.
"I cannot say…not out of any order…but because I do not want you to know what could happen…the horrors that could be. Please, just escape."
"TEC, tell me. Soren is trying his hardest to stop whatever is happening. I'm not going to stay here in the dark and twiddle my thumbs while Grodus attempts to take over the world. If you don't want to see me or my friends hurt, then give us what we need to fight back."
"…Very well." TEC paused, almost as though for a breath before telling me. He explained what he had found out about Grodus's plan…why it needed the crystal stars and Peach…and what he planned to use me as if all things didn't work out.
"No. No way in HELL am I letting THAT happen to me or Peach!"
"I agree, that is why I must insist you escape before Grodus can follow through on this. Given how successful Soren has been, it is almost inevitable he will try to use you."
"…Fine. Then let's get out of here."
"Us?"
"Yeah. As annoying as you are, you still helped me, and even started defying orders to keep me safe. I'm not leaving here without you, got it?"
"…Thank you for the sentiment…but I cannot move from here. If you were to attempt to remove my program from this place, I would cease to be."
"There has to be something I can do! If I can find my scroll, maybe I can download you onto it? They have an insane amount of storage space, so it might be possible."
"Alice, you must leave on your own."
"No! You're my friend, and I'm not leaving you here to be disassembled by Grodus when he figures out what you did for me!"
"Then I should tell you something that might change your opinion. This base, is currently on the moon." I had to step back at the information.
"The moon. The one that hangs in the sky…that moon?"
"Yes. As such, escaping with both me and yourself is not possible. There is a transporter near the top that connects to Rogueport but without my computing power, it will not function correctly." Damnit…I hated this already.
"…I'll came back for you. I promise."
"Let us get you out of here then."
"Hang on, I have to at least send one more message to Soren. He needs to know what's happening."
"I had assumed you would do as much. It is ready for you." I rushed over and tired to formulate what I needed to send in as concise an email as possible. I had just gotten a ton of information and relaying all of it wouldn't be the easie-
"Hold it right there!" I whipped around to find Grodus and a few grunts at the doorway.
"Damn it, not now!"
"TEC, you traitorous machine! We all know what you're up to!
"Sir Grodus…I…"
"Save it you worthless pile of processors. Even in my most paranoid moments, I never thought my own computer would betray me. Although, I suppose it doesn't matter, since it ends here and now. After a quick shut down and purging of all corrupted data, you should be back in working order."
"NO WAY WILL I LET YOU DO THAT!" I screamed, a ring of pure elemental energy bursting from me and rippling out; sparks of electricity shot from nearby panels, ice formed over any cooling vents, small flames appeared on the of fabrics of their suits which they hastily patted out, and a harsh wind seem to hit all of the X-nauts. Unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to deter Grodus or his henchmen as they came at me. I kicked at them, trying to keep them from TEC as well as I could, only to be met with a bolt of lighting that sent me flying into a nearby wall.
"Alice!" This was the first time I had heard Tec yell out in worry…damn it…get up body…I'm not done yet! I rose to my feet and scanned for something, ANYTHING I could enchant and put this fight on equal footing. Grodus looked at me.
"As touching as your conviction is-" I took a step forward and felt my entire lower body sink into a shadowy portal, the distant cackle of a witch being heard through it, "-you cannot stop me child." He turned back to the grunts, "Press the red buttons at the same time men." Both grunts followed through, and I watched as TEC's screen dimmed.
"NO! TEC! NOOOO!" I started sinking deeper and deeper into the portal.
"Mail…sent…Alice…I…a…m…s…or…ry..."
"Deletion complete." No…nononono! All I could hear was Grodus's laughter as I sunk into the portal, losing all sight and eventually consciousness…TEC…I'm so sorry…
Lily
The walk back to Rogueport was brutal, both physically and emotionally. Getting almost blasted apart in Twilight Town as almost a moral destroyer if it weren't for Gareth.
"Alright, where next?" He asked not any worse for wear then usual. Gareth had a talent for bouncing back…unfortunately it was not shared by me or Bowser as we flopped onto the open street with a weary groan.
"Urgh…none of this is going right." Bowser said. "No crystal stars, no Peach-"
"-not even a hint of where Alice could be." I added with a sigh.
"At this rate we'll have NOTHING to show for our time or energy!"
"Ah, come on. Cheer up!" Gareth reached into his bag and pulled out a can of something called, 'Rawkhawk Blast' and offered it to me and Bowser. I took a sip and I swear I felt my blood stand on end. Bowser down the whole thing, can and all, giving out a burp that let loose an inferno of fire.
"Woof, that has a kick to it."
"Gets ya moving!" Gareth down his can before crushing it and throwing it like a baseball towards a trashcan that he definitely overshot…by a few city blocks.
"Your massiveness!" We all turned to watch Kammy fly her broom down towards us, "I have just gotten reports that there is a secret room in the sewers of Roguport. It's not even on any maps! SOMETHING must be down there!" Bowser let out a boisterous laugh.
"Finally! Things are turning around for King Koopa! This is where I start winning! Come on!" With heavy stomps, Bowser rushed for one of the sewer entrances, me, Gareth, and Kammy quickly on his heels.
The whole sewer system was…more archaic than I was expecting it to be. Not so much in its rusted pipes and sludgy water, but the architecture it was surrounded by seemed like another town was lying beneath Rogueport; an older and much more worn town that had been taken over by the underbelly of Rogueport.
"How odd." I mused looking at the small gathering of people we had found. A small perfectly preserved square to the old city, hoodlums and refugees gathered around a dry fountain and muttering to themselves.
"Don't bother with those chumps." Bowser said with a humph. "We've got a star to find." Right…for a door…as Bowser wandered down an offshoot tunnel, I tugged at Gareth's arm and kept him back from the others.
"Something up?" He asked and I tried to formulate my reason.
"W-Well…Soren said he was trying to unlock an old door under Rogueport, right?"
"Yeah."
"I-It might do us good to actually…f-find out about what the citizens think of the whole thing." I looked back at the square, finding it oddly captivating despite the roving bands of criminals who looked at us suspiciously, "From what Soren told us, the door has been around for a thousand years. This can't be the only case of people being interested in it."
"Oh, wanna do some information gathering?" I nodded with a big smile. Him catching on helped make talking way less awkward for me.
"A-And…I don't want to do it alone." I looked back at the underground denizens who were now fully focused on the two of us, who had been whispering suspiciously for a while now. I shuffled behind Gareth who just chuckled and cracked his knuckles before stepping forward.
"Lucky day fellas! We need information about this town and you all seem eager to spill it! So how about being upfront and this won't get rough."
Despite his tough talk, Gareth still walked away with a few bruises and cuts from the goons who took his challenge. We had been directed to a small bar on the second level of one of the back buildings, where an informant resided. I lightly worked at them as we sat across from the main gossip hound in this little community, a guy named Wonky who seemed to emulate his name. He wore a slightly off grin and slightly too large button up shirt, unbuttoned to reveal his bare chest and gut, and a pair of loose-fitting black pants with a pair of striped yellow underwear peeking out of the top. His whole vibe…had me slightly worried for a number of reasons.
"Such a bold pair to come waltzing in and demanding information. Even info is worth a coin or two around here. More depending on what you want."
"Heh, nobody seemed very eager to share when we got here." Gareth said with a cocky grin as I applied a mushroom salve to a bruise on his arm.
"Can't blame them when you showed up with Bowser. A lot of eager men would jump at the chance to take down one of his." Gareth laughed.
"Not one of his men, and even then, it would take more than those chumps to take us down." He pat my back and I gave a bashful smile, "Now, how about explaining more about that door to us?"
"Normally I would charge a hefty fee for such broad yet sensitive information. But given the recent walloping you gave to a fair number of our community; I suppose I can let this slide. For all I know, you could be helpful in our current dilemma." He said it all with the same off grin, but something in his voice seemed to urge at a worry he wasn't willing to completely share.
"What do we want to know?" Gareth asked me and I shook off the weird feeling, gearing up to ask a series of important questions.
"How long ago did the Thousand Year Door get unearthed?"
"Only a few months ago. But the way those strange X guys had been at it for almost a year, you'd think they'd known it was there all along."
"X guys…you mean the X-nauts?"
"Yes! They showed up one day and started tunneling at the walls to the old city, unearthing most of the buried city, including this little gem we've been using. We'd almost thought them archeologists, but they were completely dismissive of any of the old structures or relics, solely focused on digging further and further into the ground. Until they came to the door. Then they just, stopped, packed up, and left." So the X-nauts were the ones to unearth the door…but then they left it?
"Why?"
"Not sure. Although the rush in of ACTUAL archeologists might have spooked them enough to finally step back. Although, not entirely. Aside from a few odd eggs, I always catch a few X-nauts wandering from here to the door and back. While they may have stopped at the door, it seems they aren't done down here." So they're still keeping tabs on the door…but wait, did he say here and the door?
"They don't head back to the surface?"
"Considering how well known they've become, wandering out in the open wouldn't be the smartest move. But even then…they only ever go from one house to the door, then back. Hard to tell if it's the same guy though."
"Hang on, where is this house?" Gareth asked.
"Not too hard to find. It's the closest house to the tunnel leading to the door." With a simultaneous nod, Gareth and I rose from our seats. I giving a short bow to Wonky.
"Thank you for your assistance." Wonky gave out a chuckle.
"Seems you guys are going in guns blazing…here's one more freebie. If you want to know about the doors' legend, there's a minstrel called Grifty. He'll know more than anyone about old legends." Grifty…keeping that name in mind, I followed Gareth out to the bar.
As we made our way to the house, we came to a skidding stop as Bowser lumbered towards us with an exhausted look.
"Where…where did you two go?"
"Got some info." Gareth said simply. "How'd the star hunt go?" Bowser groaned as Kammy shuffled forward.
"It was a fake…but we met Rawk Hawk!" Gareth let out a gasp.
"NO WAY! Did you get his autograph!?"
"…Ah shoot. I missed my chance." I quietly cleared my throat and Gareth turned before coming back to the main goal.
"Right! X goons have been coming in and out of this place." He knocked against the building, "Might be something important. Maybe even their base."
"Really?" Bowser asked perking back up. "So we can find those chumps before Soren? Maybe even take them out and impress Peach!?" He gave a yell and grabbed at the door, before ripping it off it's hinges and across the square. I quickly hid behind Gareth as Bowser stomped in with a confident laugh, "…Is this all?" Carefully looking in, I saw Bowser with a dejected look before he shuffled out of the way for the three of us to step inside. The interior was covered in metal plates, a medium sized panel and monitor near the back corner, connected to a strange pad at the other corner. Stepping over to the consol, I pressed a key and watched as the monitor came to life. A robotic voice suddenly spoke from the machine.
"COMMAND KEY REQUIRED FOR TRANSPORT. PLEASE ENTER ID NUMBER AND STATE NAME."
"Transport?" Kammy asked. This wasn't the base, that much was clear…but maybe this was a transporter TO their base! Which means…
"G-Gareth!" I shouted, the excitement bursting from me. "Call Soren! We might have found out how to get to Alice!"
Soren
With the doors open to Rogueport, I stepped out and let a relieved breath fall from my mouth. I had almost slept the whole way back and it was the best decision I could have ever made. All the tension from the last three days almost drifted away with my dreams, and now I was ready to finish this quest. We only had one star left to find, which meant we were so close to finding Alice.
"Everyone ready?" I asked as all my companions stepped off the train. "Only one more star to find. We-" I came to a stop as my scroll suddenly buzzed in my pocket, "-will put this dramatic speech on hold!" The others crowded around me as I opened up my newest message from Alice.
"Soren!
I know where I am now! Turns out these guys are even more crazy than I thought and placed their secret base ON THE MOON! But that's not worth worrying about! I found out why they keep trying to grab Peach, and why they grabbed me when you kept deterring them! Turns out they need her for-" …Wait, that's where it ends!?
"Why does it just end like that?" Peach asked with worry in her voice. I felt myself start to hyperventilate. An ending like that…usually means she was caught…
"We need to get that last star." I said taking a deep breath. "Even if she got caught…they aren't going to hurt her. The way she described it, they need her for something…so she'll be okay." I had to struggle to try and convince myself of my own words. Feeling someone grip my hand, I looked over to see Peach had taken my hand in hers.
"We will…and we'll save her too." I nodded, and gripped her hand in solidarity. We WILL save our friends!