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ProtoTypedKnife — Chapter 4: When Omens go Bad (PM: TMM)
Published: 2013-12-14 18:19:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 2380; Favourites: 23; Downloads: 3
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HELLO! People of all kinds! Here's Chapter 4 of my fictional Paper Mario game: The Mechanism Mirror! Alright Let's jump strait into this!
Previously, Mario, Guss T., Robby, Fizz and their new companion Cocoknown, had found the 3rd Seal Shard in the Nozama Jungle and are now getting ready to set off in search of the next one.
“Mario, I wish to accompany you on the rest of your journey! As my way of repaying you for saving our great city!” Cocoknown says, smiling
“Wait what? We’re leaving already?! Oh, but... Argh! I suppose I do still have some paper work... good bye... great city of my DREAMS!!!” Edolan holds his head in distress
With that, Mario, Co. And Edolan set off back to the Mechanism Ruins to find out the location of the next Seal Shard! However, As they exit the jungle, they meet a familiar face... Bowser! Along with Kammy Koopa!
“Gwa Haha! See, Kammy? I told you We’d bump into them if came here! And you suggested just waiting in the town!!!” Bowser chuckles
“Wh-what the? Could it b-be... Bowser?!” Edolan shivers
“Haha! Don’t you forget it! Now! How about I put an end to Mario here and then we’ll be taken Mr. Big-brain!” Bowser clutches his fists
“What!? Why do you need me?!” Edolan wonders
Kammy Koopa explains “Eh, you left a sign on your door saying that you had came here, so we figured we’d bump into you if we headed towards that ancient city... Now all we need to do is beat Mario and get the info we need out of you!”
Mario then gets into a battle position and so a battle begins
Tattle: (Bowser) The evil koopa lord right before my eyes! I must say he's not nearly as scary as people make him out to be in the news and such... Meh, I suppose that's good news for you! HP is 30, ATK is 5, DEF is 1, watch out for that fire breath of his! It both stinks and burns at the same time... I hope he didn't here that...
Kammy Koopa: As far as minions go, Kammy is pretty lucky to be Bowser's top-class assistant... or more like Bowser is lucky to have Kammy as a minion since she can recover his HP and raise Bowser's ATK and DEF. HP is 10, ATK is 4 and DEF is 0
After the battle:
Bowser grunts “Grrr... That was a pretty bad idea... maybe we should have just waited for big-brain to be in town when he is alone and then get that info...”
Kammy accepts “Yeah, I think we should just call it quits for now...”
“Agreed!”, Bowser and Kammy Koopa then fly of rapidly
“Well that was... interesting...” Guss T. Stares blankly
Either way, the group continue heading to the Mechanism Ruins. Once they reach the ruins, the usual process begins and the Coconite Shard floats over to the pedestal.
“Ohh! Where could the next Shard be!?” Edolan eagerly screams!
Then, In the reflection of the shard, appears the image of a gloomy valley at the scene of a large, full moon in the sky.
Edolan takes a good look at it at and realises “Ahah! That would be Omen Valley! Well, I’m afraid that I shall not be accompanying you on this journey!”
“Why not?” Cocoknown asks
Edolan explains “You see, the valley is known for being inhabited by evil witches which eh... I’m not scared of or anything but eh... *looks around at everyone* ...OH FINE! But seriously, DO I LOOK LIKE THE KINDA GUY WHO WANTS TO BE TURNED INTO A MOP!? NO! *Huff*... sorry about that, anyway, if you want to get to Omen Valley, then you can get there by heading through Foot Woods, just north of Dutti Park”
With that, Mario and Co. set off to Dutti Park. Just at the entrance of the park, there’s a small, hidden passage way which they can uncover using Cocoknown’s ability which will then lead them into the Foot Woods. The actual woods are Fairley small (enemies: Hyper Goombas, Spiked Hyper Goombas, Para Hyper Goombas, and Hyper Clefts) however, as they’re traversing through them, the group cross paths with none other than Beatbean who looks rather lost...
“Huh, whose there?!” Beatbean cowardly turns around to see Mario and Co. “Oh no you don’t! Ha! Coming into my territory was the worst mistake you ever made! Now you’ll pay for what you’ve done to my park!”
“Your park?” Robby wonders “This park doesn’t “belong” to anyone! It’s our park! You need to learn that!”
Beatbean then insults Robby “Why would I want to learn from a dork like you! Your stupid speech has put me out of business! People no longer bow down to me and give me there lunch money!”
“Consider that a good thing, If you consider other people!” Robby replies
Beatbean then gets angry and attacks Mario, thus triggering a battle
Tattle: Oh, Beatbean, that jerk! Was once the self proclaimed "boss" of the park until eh, YOU happened! HP is 20, ATK is 4, DEF is 0, his attacks are back to baby-ish ape fighting with his punches and kicks, pathetic!
After the battle:
“Ju- Just leave me alone!” Beatbean then runs off cowardly out of the forest. With nothing else to say, the group make their way towards the north of the forest where they eventually reach some mountains in which Omen Valley is within them. However, they can’t seem to get over the actual mountains, so they explore the area some more until they find an old Magikoopa waiting with his broom with a worried look on his face.
Mario and Co. Approach the troubled Magikoopa who panic when he sees them
“Halt! Do not come near me pillagers!”
“Pillagers?” Cocoknown confuses
“Don’t think that I don’t know who you are! First you destroy Magikraft and know your after every last Magikoopa inhabitant! Well I shall inform you that you shall NOT have my head!” The Magikoopa stands
Fizz then tries reasoning with him “Eh, I’m afraid we know nothing about any pillages, we’re just trying to find a way into the valley”
The Magikoopa then calms down “Hmmm... I suppose you don’t exactly look like pillagers... so, I’ll let you off... tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you! I’ll fly you into the valley on my broom IF you agree to help the village of Magikraft from those evil pillagers! Deal?”
Since it’s the only way into the valley that they know of, Mario accepts and so, the group on the broom with the Magikoopa and so they fly off into Omen Valley, thus starting CHAPTER 4: WHEN OMENS GO BAD!!!
The Magikoopa drops the group off in an area on the west edge of the valley which is a safe distance from Magikraft
“I wish you people luck! Although I’m afraid I must leave before I am discovered!” The unnamed Magikoopa then flies off back outside the valley, leaving Mario and Co. To do the dirty work.
The group travel through Omen Valley until they finally reach Magikraft which, just like the old Magikoopa told them, is being pillaged by hooded men holding pitchforks and torches. Houses set on fire, and bits of wooden debris scattered around the village. However, there doesn’t actually appear to be that many. Curious to find answers, Mario and Co. enter the village although many of the paths are being blocked by debris.
They come across a crowd of Pillagers shouting and chanting “BURN THE WITCH!” however, there’s so many Pillagers that Mario and Co. can’t get a good glance of what is happening on the other side of the crowd.
They then decide to ask one of the Pillagers about what’s going on and weather they know about any “Seal Shards”.
The Pillager replies “We’re bringing this village to its knees... if it even has knees to bring down...”
“But what for?” Guss T. Asks
“Why do thou think?” The Pillager says “thou know what witches do, they’re evil! We Pillagers have travelled village to village, hunting down witches to burn!”
“Eh, what makes these witches so eh, “Evil” Cocoknown questions
“Surely thou know what witches do to people?! They set curses upon thy soul!” The Pillager explains
“I see...” Cocoknown thinks to himself
Mario then asks about the Seal Shard and if he knows anything about it
“A what?! Well, thou are in a village of black magic! You’ll surely find something of that description lying about; I’m sure... tell you what! Why don’t you help us hunt down some witches we’ll we try to find their master’s lair! Keep an eye out though! Those witches could be hiding anywhere!”
Mario agrees although he’s unsure if it would be right to side with the Pillagers after promising the old Magikoopa that they met earlier that they’d help the Magikoopas... Nonetheless, the group press onwards, however, since a lot of the pathways are blocked off by debris or crowds of Pillagers, there’s only one way they can go which is north of the village (which they get to by exiting the back door of a nearby house). The whole village (that you can currently explore) seems empty with only hostile boos as enemies. The group come across a wooden house which strangely has no door. However, by using Cocoknown’s ability, they manage to uncover the door, thus allowing them to head on inside. No one appears to be in the house at first, but once they go upstairs, suddenly a rattling noise emanates from downstairs.
“What was that?” Guss T. wonders and the group rush downstairs to see what had happened.
However, all they find is some books lying on the ground in front of a large bookcase. All Mario has to do is interact with said bookcase (by pressing in one of the books) and the bookcase flips open, revealing a staircase leading downwards. Mario and Co. travel down the stairs, which leads them into a narrow, linear cave. However at the end of the cave is scared Magikoopa dressed in white.
She then notices Mario and Co. “No! Please I beg of you! I want to live!” she screams
“Calm down, we’re not Pillagers!” Robby informs her, however the Magikoopa doesn’t believe her “Don’t think I’ll fall for that! I’ll fight you if I have to!”
“Eh, you really don’t needz to do thatz” Fizz says
However, the Magikoopa still won’t listen “Right that’s it! I warned you!”
A short battle then infuses between them
Tattle: That's eh, a Magikoopa? I guess? Well it is but don't think this scanner knows how to pick up names of people... or eh, witches even... HP is 25, ATK is 4, DEF is 0, make sure you take her down quickly otherwise she'll turn in visible for a few turns!
After the battle, the Magikoopa falls to the ground “Go on, just do it, burn me already...”
“We don’t want to burn you!” Robby explains
“Huh what? So... you’re not Pillagers?” She asks
“Nope” Robby says “We’re just ordinary people who are searching for a Seal Shard!”
The Magikoopa is relieved “Oh, phew... I thought I was a goner! Hmmm... Seal Shard? What’s that?”
“Eh, it’z like a metal, triangular plate. Kind of lookz like a futuristic Pizza?” Fizz describes
“You know I might just know of something that fits that description... but... I’ll only tell you where to find it IF you help out us Magikoopas from them EVIL pillagers!” She smirks
Mario agrees to help them since he believes that the “Witches” aren’t so evil after all
“Huh? Really? You’d really help us?! Thank you so much!” She jumps with joy
“Yeah, but what will the pillagers think if they see us helping witches? They’ll probably burn US instead!!!” Guss T. mildly panics
“Perhaps...” Kammilia thinks “But then again, I’ll be helping you along the way! With my invisibility spell, they’ll never know you’re helping us! Listen, there are about 20 witches in the village, some of them might not have been captured yet, but we need to save them all, and then I’ll tell you where to find that Seal Shard thing! Deal”
Mario agrees and with that: KAMMILIA JOINED YOUR PARTY!!!
With they settled, Mario, Co. and their new companion Kammilia, set out into the village to save all 20 witches! Using Kammilia’s ability to turn invisible, Mario and Co. can now simply walk through the Pillagers that we’re originally blocking off some of the pathways. The first 4 witches Mario and Co. save are strapped to a pole with twigs at the bottom, ready to be set on fire, but before one of the Pillagers can set the twigs alight, Mario and Co. jump into help and so a battle infuses with a few of the pillagers. After the battle, the pillagers run away and Mario and Co. untie the Magikoopas from the pole. The Magikoopas are incredibly grateful but wonder:
“Where can we go to be safe?”
Kammilia then comes up with a solution “There’s a small grotto to the far north of the village! It’s pretty obscure so it’s unlikely that the Pillagers will be able to find it”
“Looks like we’ll have to escort these Magikoopas to the Grotto” Guss T. assumes
“Wait can’t you just use your wands to turn invisible like Kammilia did?” Robby asks
One of the Magikoopas interjects “I’m afraid not. Each time they capture us, they confiscate our wands so that we can’t defend ourselves”
“Lookz like it’z time for an ezcort!” Fizz adds up
So...
[Minigame: Escort to Exit!]
(This is a much longer minigame than others) This is essentially a stealth mission. Each time you save/find a Magikoopa, you must escort them to the grotto at the north end of the village. However, if any Pillagers spot you, a battle may infuse, but be sure to beat them quickly, because the Magikoopas your escorting can get re-captured and then taken back to the area where you first saved them. You and the Magikoopas will have to hide behind things to not get spotted but also Kammilia will be needed to turn Mario invisible so that they can plan out a clear and safe path for the Magikoopas to take. (Just like all minigames, you can reply this in the gaming tent, with different stage setups and settings)
(Btw: you don’t have to save each Magikoopa individually; you’ll often be escorting multiple Magikoopas at once)
Once all 20 Magikoopas are saved in the grotto, Mario and Co. are showered with praise of their thankfulness.
“We can’t thank you enough Mario!” Kammilia smiles “Well, the pillagers aren’t exactly gone yet... but I suppose I did promise you that I’d tell you where that Seal Shard is located so, allow me to inform you that the Shard is located inside Merletic’s Lair!”
“Who is this Merletic you speak of?” Cocoknown questions
Kammilia explains “Merletic is the leader of our village... however, he is rarely seen as he spends most of his time in his sinister cave, east of the valley...”
“This village has a leader? So how come he hasn’t helped any of you out? Does even know of what’s going on?” Guss T. asks question after question
“Unfortunately, I am unsure...” Kammilia bows her head “However, another thing we have to worry about is that Merletic’s lair is separated from the rest of the village by a small canyon, so getting over there won’t be easy...”
“Any bright ideaz?” Fizz raises her head
Kammilia does have one suggestion: “Well, we could try visiting Merlystic, she lives in a house north-east of the village, but she doesn’t like being bothered... but I guess we don’t have choice...”
So, the group head to Merlystic’s house, but along the way, Kammilia notices that the Pillagers aren’t there anymore and wonders if they’ve retreated. Once they reach Merlystic’s house, they enter and find Merlystic is calmly meditating on the floor
She then notices Mario “I see thou hath finally came...”
“Huh? Did she know we would be here? And how did she not get captured?” Robby scratches his head
Merlystic replies “Thy foretold that thou would arrive here... And hath thy casted a spell which lured the Pillagers away from thy home...”
“What? Why couldn’t you use that spell to help the other Magikoopas out? Ergh, never mind” Kammilia digresses “Anyway, since the Pillagers appear to be gone now, we came to ask about a way of getting over to Merletic’s Lair”
“I see...” Merlystic whispers “If thou wishes to meet Merletic in his lair, then thou shall get across the canyon using the breeze...”
“Eh... what?” Robby is confuses
“Here, use thy balcony as thou starting point...” Merlystic show them out onto a small lookout upstairs
Guss T. then realises “Oh, I get it! We’ll use thy... eh, I mean MY hat to glide over there!”
“Indeed...” Merlystic sits calmly
So, on the high up ledge, Mario uses Guss T.’s ability to glide over to the other side of the canyon. Merlystic wishes thou- I mean Mario and Co. luck, and so the group head up to the cave entrance that is Merletic’s Lair...
The group enter and so the dungeon of Chapter 4 begins! However, as they begin exploring the lair, they soon find that the place is swarming with mysterious traps, puzzles and many other torturous devices. But more interestingly, they find that the place is also swarming with PILLAGERS!
After the first encounter with them, Kammilia realises “Oh no, they’re after Merletic! So, that’s why they left the village!” with that said, the group press onwards through the rest of the dungeon and along the way, Mario finds himself the Ultra Boots! Now he can perform triple jumps to get up to higher ledges!
After making it through most of the dungeon, Mario and Co. meet up with a suspicious looking Pillager who introduces himself
“Thy am Pilgrit! Leader of the Pillagers!”
“So, you’re the one behind all this!” Kammilia becomes enraged
“Thou could it that way... but the real enemy is whom in which we seek” Pilgrit replies
Mario and Co. become confused but before they can say anything, Pilgrit attacks with a few of his Pillagers and so a battle infuses
Tattle: Leader of the Pillagers: Pilgrit! Oh, how much he needs a haircut! HP is 30, ATK is 5, DEF is 0 - He can use his pitchfork and torch to attack and his torch can burn you! And if that wasn't enough, he can call in Pillagers to hinder you! BECAUSE NO LEADER CAN FINISH THE JOB HIMSELF!
After the battle, Pilgrit and his Pillagers race into the next room, swearing “Thou shall not stop thy master!”
Although these words confuse Mario and Co., the group chase after them, in which they then enter what appears to be Merletic’s room. The room has wands hung up on the walls and a large cauldron in the centre of the room. However, at the back of the room, hung up on the wall, is none other than the Millennium Seal Shard.
Pilgrit then steps forward and dumps the bag of wands that they had taken from the village and then calls out “The deed is done...”
Suddenly, a demonic laugh screeches “Gwehehahahe!!! Excellent!”
Then, from out the shadows, appears a menacing shaman
“Merletic! What are you doing?!” Kammilia exclaims
“Wehehe! So, you thought that these pillagers were here to hunt me? Haha! That is not so!” Merletic then picks up the back of wands and pours them in to the cauldron which he then sets alight with the flick of his finger “Now the land shall know that I am the strongest wizard in the entire world!”
Kammilia is disgusted “Wait, you mean, they were working for you!? So you’re really the one behind all of this?!”
“Gwehehe! That’s right! These Pillagers are merely my puppets! They don’t know what they’re really doing to your village! But it has been worth to the end of every second!!!”
Merletic then pulls out a wooden spoon which he then uses to stir the cauldron up until the wands are a thick soup-liquid. Mario and Co. try to stop him but then, suddenly a swarm of Pillagers crowd around Mario, stopping him. Once the cauldron is done, Merletic pulls out a glass bottle which he scoops up and pleasingly drinks it.
“NO!” Kammilia screams, then, in a huge burst of magical energy, Merletic transforms into a tall, demonic wizard in a brown cloak
“Gwehehe! At long last it is done! I am now the strongest magician in the world! Haha! Now nobody can leave up to my strength!!!”
“Is that what all of this was about!? Just for power!? You disgust me!” Kammilia angers
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I scare you back there in the village? Well, all I really wanted was the wands so that I could extract their magical energy, but the burning down of houses was a nice addition in my book... And just a taste of what is to come!!!”
With Merletic ready to unleash havoc upon Omen Valley, it seems as if there’s nothing our heroes can do to stop him...
However, Kammilia then thinks of an idea “Mario, the cauldron! If you can drink some of that then we might just have a chance of beating Merletic... but how are we going to get over there?”
Mario then comes up with an ingenious addition to the plan: Mario uses his Ultra boots to jump in the air and then uses Guss T.’s ability to glide over and drop Mario into the cauldron... And by “into the cauldron”, I mean that literally... A moment of silence occurs where everyone waits to see what Mario’s fait of jumping into the cauldron is... suddenly, the cauldron begins bubbling up and in a burst of light, Mario transforms into MEGA MARIO!!!
“What? Argh! A wise plan I must say... but it will be all for nothing in the end!!!” Merletic proclaims
With that, the boss of Chapter 5 BEGINS! ...Although, this battle is a little different...
[Minigame: Mega Melee Mash]
This is essentially a Paper Mario version of the giant battles from the Mario and Luigi series! Although still a bit different... Mario can jump or use his hammer to inflict damage; however, Mario’s party members are still regular size so they serve as special attacks! Guss T. allows Mario to perform a spin attack of-sorts, Robby allows Mario to rush through all enemies on his skateboard, Fizz can electrify Mario so that Merletic’s attacks also damage him, Cocoknown can raise Mario’s attack power and Kammilia can recover Mario’s HP. Merletic has similar moves and can also summon Pillagers to hinder you. (And as always, you can replay this minigame at the game tent)
After the battle, Merletic and Mario, turn back into their normal forms and Merletic stands in defeat
“No... how could I loose with such power on my side? You will pay for this!” Merletic threatens
All the Pillagers then wake up since Merletic is no longer controlling them and wonder just where they are
Then, Merlystic enters the room “Thou hath betrayed us all Merletic... thou who uses magic for evil shall be punished...”
Pilgrit then steps forward and agrees “Yeah, burning witches isn’t what we were made for! There’s good in everyone y’know! And I’m mad that thou used thy as a puppet for thou dirty work! If anyone deserves to be burned it should be YOU!”
Merlystic calmly speaks “Merletic... thou know pay a price... seal him upon fire...”
All the pillagers then rush up to Merletic and surround him in flames from their torches.
“Good morrow Merletic...” Merlystic then fires a beam of magic through the at Merletic which then engulfs him in flames
“ARGH! YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIIIIIISSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!” Merletic screams as his body is reduced to ash in a sudden puff of smoke
With that, all the Pillagers begin cheering that he’s gone
Merlystic then thanks Mario “Mario, we owe thou and thy shall always be grateful for stopping that monster...”
“Wait, did you know that he would betray you?” Guss T. asks
“Perhaps thy foretold that he would turn...” Merlystic bows her head “But now that he gone, thy shall lead the village of Magikraft safely... and as thy promised thou, here’s the Millennium Shard” she then unhooks the seal from the back of the room and hands it to Mario, thus triggering the END OF CHAPTER sequence
YOU GOT A SEAL SHARD!!!
Interludes
Peach
Peach is awoken early in the morning once again by Senieka who tells her that "It's time to light the second torch". The duo then set off to an area west of the steppe with an ignited stick. The fire on the stick will blow out eventually, however it can be used to light other torches along the way as a checkpoint of sorts. They eventually reach the cave with the torch inside however, as they approach the cave, Senieka spots a Ruskog (A cog enemy) and quickly but silently rushes into the cave with Peach before it can spot them. "Don't make a sound..." Senieka whispers. Once the Ruskog has gone Senieka explains "This is bad... If there's Mandites here then that must mean that Melaravox knows we're here... we have to be careful that no Mandites spot us on the way back to the camp". They then light the torch and head back to the camp, weary of any Mandite enemies.
Bowser
Despite their defeat, Bowser and Kammy Koopa head back to Edolan's house where they bust in his room and Bowser demand's answers "Tell us where Peach is! NOW!". Edolan falls off his seat and panics "Wh- What!? I don't know where Peach is! I- if I did then surley Mario wouln't be on his current quest!". Kammy then steps forward and says "Listen! We heard you may know a thing or two about Peach's kidnappers, and everyone knows that only his Kidnapfulness is allowed to steal Peach!". Edolan calms down for a moment "You mean, Melaravox? Well, (let's see here, what info would a villian want to know...) Ahah! His power source is the Mechanism Mirror which he holds in his chest!". Bowser grunts "Eh, weaknesses are useful but they'd be more useful if you'd tell us where his evil lair is!". Edolan thinks for a second "Well... I don't know where is "lair" is but a place to start would be the Mechanism Ruins, North of Stridal Plains... it's not his base, but it may offer clues to what is!". Bowser gives an unsatisfying "thanks" and so he and Kammy leave the house. "Phew... good job they didn't touch any of my great inventions..." Edolan puffs
Melaravox
Melaravox is in his crystal lair thinking when Investron enters the room followed by a Ruskog. "Sir, we think we may have found more evidence that Peach is in the Vlaggy Steppe" Investron reports. The Ruskog then plugs itself into one of the computors and displays an image it took and zooms in on what appears to be the tip of Peach's head when she was rushing towards the cave to hide. "Hmmm, Interesting! I sense we are getting closer by the second... Investron, send a few more Mandites to investigate and find out if it really is Peach! Oooh... so, long I have waited for this... and yet it has happened an ifinate amount times before now..."
Next Time: What would seem like a regular day, transforms into a night of terror! Aliens from the distant Planet Zerk, invade the luxurious Talon City! But what is their reason for invading such a peaceful area? And where will Mario find the next Seal Shard? Find out next time on Paper Mario: The Mechanism Mirror
Yep! There was Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and your comments would be very appreciated! Ta-tah!
Paper Mario - Nintendo (C)
The Mechanism Mirror (C)
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Comments: 3
I love the amount of effort you put into the story line!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
