Chapter Sixteen: The Prophecy

And at last his faultless deception would be complete…

From the Breaking Scrolls

Rogueport Sewers, Salinia

 

The ancient civilization rested beyond its time in the perfect silence of a thousand years.  Once a grand symbol of the power and glory of its creators, the ruins were now only  a crumbling reminder of something dark and distant, of a time displaced in the erosion of Plitian culture.  Despite all its unsettling depth and age, though, Goombella found in the most peaceful place in the world.

 

“Professor Frankly,” she called out to the frazzled old Goomba.  “I still don’t think we should have left Admiral Bobbery in Rose Town.  With a plane, it would’ve only been another day or two out of the way.”

 

“Eh?” the professor said, turning around with his specialized glasses spiraling back at her.  They were enhanced with every type of visual aid known in the body of common knowledge and a unique creation of the Goomba’s.  “I already told you, Goombella, that we could not spare even that much time.  He’s probably passed out drunk in the local tavern, regardless.  Oh-ho!”

 

“Found something, Professor?” she asked, running over.  “What is it?”

 

“A burrito,” he said cryptically, as if the stale leftover he dug out of his lab coat was an important artifact.  “Like spring melting into summer, so my breakfast becomes my lunch.  This is the way of life, my young protégé.”

 

The Goomba looked at her mentor quizzically and turned away in frustration.  Although he was obviously well-versed in archaeology, she sometimes felt whatever else remained of his mind had left him completely.  What it all came down to, however, was that she still had another year to go before earning her doctorate, and being impatient wasn’t going to help her earn it.

 

“I don’t understand why we’re going back to the Thousand-year Door,” Goombella said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.  “Sure, the scroll seemed to point there, but we’ll never be able to get past that metal gate.”

 

“Did you learn nothing from the scroll, my dear?” he said, turning slightly towards her.  “The altars mentioned will only be opened when ALL of them are activated.  And when that happens, it will be GLORIOUS, and STUPENDOUS, and a MARVEL OF MODERN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY!”

 

“I hope so,” said the young Goomba, cringing at the professor’s characteristic overreaction.  “It’s just that… well, I hate waiting.”

 

“Here we are,” Frankly said, gesturing towards the Thousand-year Chamber.

 

Its towering pillars and awe-inspiring architecture never failed to catch her off-balance.  Something more terrible waited in the dimly-lit spaces of the archaic atrium this time, however.  Every breath and step they took seemed to portend the release of an unchanging tension, like all the sands of the universe being swept away in a single moment.

 

“Professor,” she said, “I have a very bad feeling about this.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Frosty Alps, Ice Land

 

After Jinx and Keb were dropped off by the slightly drunken pilot from Oceanside, the weather became steadily worse.  What started as a troubling gust of glacial wind had built into a paralyzing blizzard that roared and thrashed all around them.  Only the heavily insulated white cloaks Jinx had bought after they’d washed ashore saved them from certain death.

 

“Sensei!” the Goomba called over the loud ruffle of his coat.  “We’ll freeze up here before we search the whole mountain!”

 

Jinx said nothing in return, partially because he wanted to reassure the young monster that they weren’t lost but mostly because he knew that they were.  His interpretation of the Breaking Scroll the thieves had taken from the dojo only led him as far as a single mountain in the Frosty Alps.  Unfortunately, such a place was mind-numbingly large and would take more than a year for two people to search completely, so he was mainly depending on luck.

 

“It’s just over the next rise!” Jinx replied, knowing that was when they’d have to succeed if they hoped to survive.  “We’ll make it before nightfall!”

 

Keb muttered something doubtful to himself and took the opportunity of a brief respite in the wind to look around.  Truly intimidating, the mountain seemed to stretch on forever above and below them, indifferent to their presence.  It was frozen over by a millennia of ice and hardened rock and would remain so for as long as everything around it existed.  The Goomba wondered if even the Breaking of the World would matter to it.

 

While he continued to consider anything that would keep his thoughts away from the biting coldness, he spotted a gray shadow moving on a bare cliff above them.  Squinting, he made it out as having a light blue tint and a twisting tail with short arms and claws.  Just to make certain he wasn’t hallucinating, Keb shook his head and found it again, this time seeing it even more clearly.

 

“Sensei!” he yelled again, only afterwards thinking it might have been a bad idea.  Frustrated, he ran over to Jinx and spoke into his hood.  “There’s someone watching us farther up the mountainside.”

 

Wordlessly, Jinx pivoted his head to the sky and spotted it, looking directly down again.  “It’s Croco,” he said plainly.  “He must have been the one who stole it, or at least part of the group.”

 

The world-renowned thief, Keb thought, excitement warming his brown skin.  Jinx’ll be able to handle him, no problem!

 

He yelped in pain as the brunt edge of rock clipped him over the head.  Suddenly moving, Jinx threw himself over Keb and slammed them both against the steep rock face to their left.  Larger, frost-covered boulders tumbled down, crashing into the snow and throwing hazy clumps of it whirling into the air.  There was quiet for a time as they waited, motionless, expecting another torrent of stone.

 

“We must be getting close,” said Keb, spinning his cloak tight around him.  “What are we going to do?”

 

“Stay here,” said Jinx and disappeared up the side of the cliff.

 

“Oh, great,” the Goomba mumbled, anxious to start another fight.  He hadn’t signed up for a quest just to stand around while someone else enjoyed all the action.

 

His bold thoughts turned to fear when a dull rumble exploded above into a deafening rush.  Before he could shout out something or even make a move to escape, an infinite whiteness slid over the entire face of the mountain and sent him plunging into a vast and empty silence.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Land’s End, Mushroom Kingdom

 

The admiral’s face was a mask of grim anticipation as it appeared on the viewscreen before General Spore.  Shortly after Mallow had departed, every soldier in the complex went about the endless task of preparing for war.  Never one to put off his own responsibilities, Admiral Enoki was one of the first to board the Mushroom Navy flagship, Indomitable.  His long history with the ship and his unwavering pride in its crew told more of the admiral’s mood than his complexion ever would.

 

“Have the battleships returned from reconnaissance?” the general asked.  A ragged cigar was jutting out of the corner of his mouth, and it was fairly obvious that he’d only slept two hours the night before.

 

“The men from the coast have returned, but there’s nothing new.  Our enemy is heading straight for the isthmus behind Booster’s Tower, just like we figured.  I ordered the other ship to hold its course until we’re certain they won’t use the fleet to flank our position once the invasion force is landed.”

 

“And still no idea who’s leading Bowser’s navy,” General Spore muttered.  “From what Mallow told us, it seemed like the old rascal took all his best and brightest with him.  It’s almost as if this whole operation was designed as a minor deterrent instead of a decisive genocide.”

 

“We still don’t know where King Koopa’s heading, though,” the admiral reminded him.  “Mallow wasn’t very clear on that.  It’s only up to us to survive, for now.  We’re on the defensive.”

 

“Don’t remind me,” the general said, running a hand over his bare scalp.  “In the meantime, hold your anchor behind Star Hill until our boys engage the enemy.  I want to draw as many of them out of their rat holes as possible before we drop the poison.”

 

“Understood,” Enoki said, and signed off.

 

“Well, men,” said the general, turning to face his commanding officers.  “They’ve got the numbers and the readiness, but it’s not going to be enough to turn us back.  Let’s show them it’ll take more than a flood to bring down this kingdom.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Lieutenant Tank broke through the dense lines of the 23^rd Regiment and glanced down over the wide summit of Star Hill.  Spiraling towards the ground in a dizzying descent, he saw the early morning mist rising from the ocean blueness of the mountainside and the gray clouds hovering among the spires of Booster’s Tower.  The sky opened over the shadowed land and let fall thin sheets of rain that clattered over the new armor of the soldiers as they waited out the last breath of dawn.

 

“At ease, men,” the gruff Buzzy Beetle spoke.  “Patience is a virtue today more than ever.”

 

Clustered along the channel of waters that ran between Marrymore and the base of the mountain, the full thousand of Bowser’s Royal Koopa Fleet lay anchored as gravestones with the ghosts of the dead filing out eternally.  An estimated thirty-five thousand warriors were gathering strength for the inevitable charge—the moment when all the overwhelming might of the Mushroomer’s enemies would throng up the hillside and bury them in pits of mangled earth.  As if to mock the already hopeless chance of survival, hundreds of Paratroopas circled high above the emptying masses and beat their wings furiously in eagerness for the battle.

 

“We won’t live through the night,” said one of the Mushroomers, desperately clenching the damp handle of his spear.

 

“There are too few of us,” another said, shouldering a heavy shield under the increasing weight of the rain.  “We’ll never be able to break their lines.”

 

Tank turned on the soldiers and glared angrily at each of them.  “There’ll be no whining while I’m in charge.  I don’t care if we have to face a whole galaxy of giants, but we’ll meet them with dignity.  Now tighten your lips and stand ready, men.  I’ll tell you when to release that tension.”

 

“Lieutenant, we’re sorry,” the first one said, eyes still watching the approach of the Koopas.  “With our homes gone, it’s just we don’t know what to think any more.”

 

“You don’t have to think anything,” said Tank.  “Just watch and wait, and when I say to, run and kill.  There’s only blood now, boys, only the snap of bones and the sound of your blades crossing with the other guys’.  I know none of you’ve ever been in war, but that’s what it all means.  Once the fighting starts, there isn’t any politics or disagreements or even evil vs. good.  It’s how to stay alive and push aside what you’re slaughtering for, bringing out only the best way to drop more of them than they do you.  Believe me, there’s plenty of time for thinking about all the other stuff once the corpses and heroes are made.  Yeah, boys, there’s all the time in the world, then.”

 

Faintly, soon building up over the din of the crashing thunder, the shouts and cries of the Koopa Army could be heard like death already come, making black the sea wash that ran through the ground.  No one spoke or even thought about what they would have to do, because like Tank had tried to tell them, it wouldn’t matter much in the end.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Two lines of elite Terrapin snapped their heels together and saluted as Kanaye vaulted over the edge of his ship, landing hard in the saturated blue mud of the Star Hill valley.  Composed and calculating as always, the Ninja made his way through the crowd and gave two sharp glances at the ground and aerial combat officers.  The roiling underbellies of vast storm clouds darkened the sky behind him, throwing the blackness of his murky silhouette over all the Koopas in the army.

 

“Full status report, Commander Barron,” Kanaye said in his knife-edged voice.  “Spare no details.  I’ll decide what is significant and what is not.”

 

“The full count of soldiers you requested have been unloaded and are now being organized into updated offensive positions,” Barron reported.  He was muscular even by Terrapin standards and towered over most of his men.  “Scouts have noted the Mushroomers all along the bare summit of Star Hill, so it seems they’ll wait for us to make the first move.”

 

Kanaye moved his shrouded head and scanned the hazy peak of the mountain, running over the numbers and locations of their enemy.  His mind worked wordlessly under the black veil of his enigmatic order, only hinting at the death and destruction he could bring by the might of his hands alone.

 

“When the charge is made, I want the rear sections to gradually lessen their pace and fall off from the main group,” the Ninja said.  “It should appear to the Mushroomers as if the full force is still approaching, so the speed will have to be adjusted as progress is made.  Those that break off should immediately fan out on either side of the ascent, creating a semi-perimeter about the entire scope of the battleground.”

 

“You are also counting on them making an initial burst of strength to break our lines, then?” the commander asked, smiling.  “I agree, but I’m not sure the maneuver will trick them so easily.”

 

“Under normal circumstances, no,” Kanaye nodded.  “The cloud cover around the mountain will be more than enough to conceal our movements.  Believe me, Commander, they will be completely overwhelmed.  After penetrating the front battalions, the side walls created by the separation will close in and crush them utterly.”

 

“With any fortune,” said the Terrapin, saluting again before walking off.

 

“Major Riekan,” said Kanaye, addressing the remaining officer.

 

The major held rank over the Paratroopa fleet and was a member of the distinguished Sonic Wings, which included only those soldiers Admiral Jade personally chose and trained.  Despite appearing less intimidating than Commander Barron, he was a grim reaper in the skies and feared among his men almost as much as the admiral herself.

 

“As you requested, a small contingent of the entire flight squadron is flying above to throw off the Mushroomers’ count.  The rest are waiting just beyond Booster’s Tower in case they’ve somehow managed to conjure up a few airships.”

 

“Well done, Major,” said the Ninja, and then dismissed the Paratroopa.

 

While the combined powers of his invasion force made their final preparations, he wandered near the closely docked ships and cloaked his body using an ancient technique passed down to his clan by their former master, Yaridovich.  The instructor of the ninja arts had perished in a legendary battle with a warrior named Mario, and since then it had been every Ninja’s desire to face his master’s killer and strike him down.

 

Despite all the patience and loyalty burned into his brain, Kanaye could not silence the fire of his anger for the human he had never met. Lost in shadows, he prayed that his rival by destiny would be among the men he slaughtered that day.

 

~*~*~*~

 

General Spore was ushered onto the bridge of the Indomitable after a brief ride in the transport from the main complex.  Sharp images from the recon battleships and his own personal radio correspondence with Lieutenant Tank gave him all the benefits of being on the front lines without the risks.  Although it would have been ideal to fight alongside his men and bolster their failing confidence, he knew that his death would disrupt the already fragile order they had attained.

 

“Splendid to have you aboard,” Admiral Enoki greeted him, bowing slightly.  “As you see, the enemy hasn’t reacted yet, but there’s no denying they know at least some of us are here.  At this point, victory depends upon how clever their commanding officer is.”

 

“Let us hope that Bowser really did take the best of his brood with him across the Vista Sea, then,” the general said grimly.  “Even if this doesn’t work, we at least have the possibility that Prince Mallow succeeded in his mission.  The famed Cumulus of the Nimbian Army might turn the tide in our favor no matter how ominous the storm.”

 

“That is a luxury we both know can’t be depended on,” Enoki said, his eyes suddenly filled with a dark question.  “There is, however, one option we haven’t considered.”

 

“You can’t mean it,” said the general, disbelieving.  “We have not yet approached the point where I am willing to sacrifice everything.  The potency of such a weapon might overwhelm us all.”

 

“Just so you don’t forget it is an option.”

 

“Not while I’m still in charge,” the general insisted.  “No, Enoki, I do not think I could bring myself to use it, yet on the brink of extinction.  Even the Princess rested in the comfort that we had taken her advice and destroyed it long ago.”

 

The admiral wanted to remind him of Toadstool’s demise in the flood, but both of them knew what he was going to say.  Besides being a taboo subject around the base, no one had quite accepted it yet.  It was simply too unbelievable, too contrary to all the hopes and dreams of everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom.

 

“Lieutenant Tank here,” the transceiver buzzed, breaking the conflict between the two Mushroomers.  “The enemy has begun their upward charge.  They’ll be within firing range in fifteen minutes.  Permission to act as needed?”

 

“Permission granted, Lieutenant,” Spore said, instinctively tugging at his mustache.  Unofficially, he and Mario had a competition over who’s was the more dashing.  “Just be certain to follow the plan and not bring out the artillery until after the bulk of the soldiers cross the fourth tier.  They’ll sure be pained after realizing we’ve gotten our hands on the Star Gun prototypes.  It’s not just a Koopa weapon any more.”

 

“Indeed, sir,” said the Buzzy Beetle, grinning.  He looked off camera for a moment, and the image was struck through with static before it cleared out again.  “Something is interfering with our electronics.”

 

“A jamming beacon,” Admiral Enoki called from a nearby console.  “It’s weak, but it’s enough to knock out everything on that mountain.  Another few minutes, and all communications will be cut.”

 

“Five seconds into the battle, and already things are falling apart,” Spore said bitterly.  “We’ll have to rely on the recon ship’s visual feedback.  Tank, it looks like you’re on your own.  May the Stars be with you.”

 

“You, too, General.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Over the Kooparian Lands

 

Mario, Roshi, and three Nimbian soldiers crawled through the narrow ventilation network of the Leviathan, gradually losing hope that they would ever make it out alive.  Since landing near the rear fuselage and navigating past a few hall sentries, the journey towards the storage hold had been slow-going and monotonous.  For one so used to being in the center of action as Mario, it was more aggravating than being strapped to a torture rack.

 

“And I thought Parakarry was the crazy one for trying to find another way in,” said the Human, starting up another round of complaints.  “Those guys with wings have all the luck.”

 

“I imagine it’d be hard sleeping with them, if having a tail is any indication,” Roshi grunted.  “Just keep your eyes on the path ahead.  None of us are enjoying this.”

 

Professional and deadly as always, the Nimbians gave no comment besides the soft metallic brush of their armor against the tin panels.  On the ride over, they had remained absolutely quiet unless spoken to, and even though it clashed with his own personality, Mario wondered if the Mushroom Kingdom’s own troops could benefit from that sort of rigid discipline.

 

After another few minutes of inching along the cramped corridor, they spotted another grate in the floor.  Mario glanced down and scanned the room below, seeing only piles of wooden boxes and metal crates.  Otherwise, the lack of any voices made the area appear safe for hiding.  Without consulting Roshi, he punched through the plating and dropped down, calling up for the others to follow.

 

“This should do until they land,” said the crimson-colored Yoshi, peering around a stack of supplies.  “We have food in here, too.  It could last us a year.”

 

A groaning jolt rocked the hold and left them all wavering for a moment.  Steel-bolted whining that sounded like the hull of a freight ship crept into the former silence, and the entire vessel finally came to a grinding halt.

 

“Looks like that won’t be necessary,” said Mario, flashing a grin.  “Come on, let’s find a way off this dump.  Wherever they were planning on going, they’ve arrived.”

 

Overhead, the speaker system crackled to life and issued Bowser’s immediately recognizable voice through every crevice of the ship.  Instinctively, the Nimbians brought out their curved sabers and stood near the doorway.

 

“We have dropped anchor in Dark Land.  All soldiers previously chosen will report to the landing bay without delay.  The remaining troops are to search the ship thoroughly for intruders.  We’ve already caught one today.  Remember, Koopas, this is our grandest hour.  Do not fail me.”

 

As the intercom switched off, Mario slammed a fist against one of the supply crates.  “Fungi!  They’ve got Parakarry.  It couldn’t be anyone else.”

 

“We can’t risk going after him, either,” Roshi added.  “Mario, he knew the danger when he took it.  We must move quickly now, or they’ll find us.”

 

“I’m not leaving any more friends to die, Roshi.  I’ve lost too many already, and there was no way I could save them.  Now that there is a chance, how can you expect me to just let it go?  We’ll rescue Parakarry and stop whatever it is that caused all this death.  There’s no other option.”

 

Mario walked quickly out of the room, the Nimbians trailing close behind him.  A deep regret filled the emptiness in Roshi’s heart, but he knew that he had to lend his help wherever he could.  After all, Genji would have done no less.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“Lord Bowser, I’ve located the cave mentioned in the Breaking Scroll,” Kamek said, holding only the faintest of reservations.  “Gremorth has added encryption to the text, but the ways of the Shaman are known to us.  It presented no difficulties.”

 

“I expected as much from you, Vizier,” said the Koopa King, wrapping his blood-red cloak about his neck.  The insignia of the Koopa Kingdom was etched in gold thread across the back, and his own glowing black armor seemed a vacuum among the bright silver plating of his royal guard.  “I’ll expect you to come with us, of course.”

 

“A certainty,” said Kamek, raising the hood of his own heavy robes that were meant to protect him from the harsh environment of the Dark Lands.  “We’ve waited long for this day, sire.”

 

“You don’t have to remind me, old friend.  Every day since my reawakening it has shined in my dreams over the dark portents which once plagued my memory.  Already the reuniting of my sons and daughter has been made, and the full might of the Koopa Kingdom is once more alive and seething like the dragons of our ancestors.  Finally, the empire that escaped my father even as he burned in the magma of the earth will be ours.”

 

“We shall need a sacrifice to open the Breaking Altar, you know,” said Kamek.  “It is well hidden in the message of the scroll, but the taking of a life is a key component to its activation.  Once one is made, all the other altars will be opened, as well.  If destiny is more than a trinket, then we won’t be the only ones to enter the shrine.”  He paused, considering the fact.  “What better offer, I thought, then the bleeding corpse of the Paratroopa we found?”

 

“Bind him, then,” Bowser snapped, preparing to face the home he had long abandoned.  “It is appropriate that one so deeply connected with the past victories of my fallen enemy should be the bringer of my own rise to power.”

 

“Poetic, even,” said Kamek, a dark grin forming under the shadow of his cowl.  “Like the moon over/The day, my genius and brawn/Are lost on these fools.”

 

The Koopa King’s dull growl subsided into an amused chortle.  “Shut up, Kamek.”