Level: 1
Day/Time: Day Two; Noon
Location: Tetris Castle - Gardens
Tags: Slayer @LugubriousMentions: None
The posh gentleman spoke in a scholarly dialect that was slightly difficult to follow, but the point was not lost on the duo: Mario’s spiritual (and material) remains were stolen.
“Robbing someone’s grave at their own funeral?” Banjo bore a thoughtful look with his hand to his chin as he pondered the curious mishap.
“And think people think I’m disrespectful,” Kazooie remarked, shaking her head.
“You’d think they would at least wait until everyone was gone… or just not do it at all,” Banjo added, placing his fists against his hips and following Kazooie’s gesture. The man complimented them on their demonstrably retained musical ability as he offered them a formal greeting.
“Slayer”, he introduced himself as. An oddly gritty name for such a well-mannered individual. Surely, it was just a nickname by which he prefered to be called, but it begged to question as to its origin. Perhaps, it suggested that there was more to him than his appearances and nature betrayed. No matter. A reciprocal salutation was in order.
“Oh. Um… thanks!” Banjo’s voice rose half an octave in delight at the flattering comment. He firmly shook Slayer’s hand and returned the formality in kind.
“I’m Banjo, and this here’s my pal, Kazooie,” he followed, motioning to his avian partner.
“I don’t mean to change the subject back so quickly, but are you sure they don’t need help? It sounds pretty serious.”
Before anyone could respond to his broadcast, Fox instinctively leaped aside when the culprit tossed a suspect device in his direction. It wasn’t an explosive meant for the wall or him as he had anticipated, but rather, it was merely a smokescreen for them to cover their escape. He didn’t notice that the spherical plunderer had passed him and cleared the wall until Naija flew overhead after it.
“He’s over the wall, heading into the city,” he dictated urgently over comms in an attempt to relay the information to whoever could hear him.
The pilot bounded from the wall to the nearest rooftop and resumed chase. He kept altitude at the cat burglar's left so they wouldn’t lose it in case it tried to turn. Some way down the streets, it went right instead, making its way up to the rooftops opposite. While it wasn’t moving forward, Fox leapt in its general direction and dashed through the air to get closer behind it. He drifted at the end of his dash and landed into a roll, taking off as he got back on his feet. He felt foolish for bothering to close that distance only for it to be made again when the thief jumped back the other way, stripping off Naija’s wings as it did. This would make the second time that pair of wings in particular was stolen. Fox sharply pivoted mid-run to intercept the falling siren, jumping from the ledge and twisting to face upward, ready to catch her. Time seemed to dilate with the influx of activity from all sides. Behind the thief, the lumas appeared to be the second fastest objects in motion, with an angrily determined Luigi being the third. Seeing the star children soar in above him to secure the hapless sea nymph, Fox returned his focus to the fleeing graverobber.
Fox’s perception returned to normal as soon as he dashed toward the last direction he remembered the round feline heading in, kicking off of a wall upon contact. Three more wall jumps later, he found himself back on an empty rooftop. Looking around, he failed to spot the perpetrator anywhere. It appeared that he had lost them, for which he was almost ready to curse himself until he took a closer look at a relatively quiet, unoccupied street corner. He spotted a pair of doors to a restaurant swinging closed, looking as if they were entered abruptly. Strange that such a place wouldn’t be busy at midday. Wasting no more time, Fox tumbled over the ledge, slid down the wall on his feet, and pushed off, turning in mid-air to land facing the inexplicably vacant establishment before charging in.
The doors violently flew open as Fox suddenly burst through them with blaster in hand, quickly clearing both corners upon entry. As he made his way further in, he was soon met with the sound of a roaring belch and the sight of its hideous source at the other end of a long row of tables, to which he quickly raised his weapon. Wario. Of course! That would explain why the place wasn’t busy;
all of the food was gone he must have rented it out. He listened in aggravation as the glutinous doppleganger teased at the distinct likelihood of knowing the whereabouts of Mario's remains, the profound certainty of it being all too obvious.
“We all know you know damn well where they are,” Fox declared, irritation clear in his voice.
“What’s say you make this easier for yourself and everyone else and just give them back... quietly?” He straightened his aim a little more as he finished his preemptive bargain. His patience was wearing gradually thin with these shenanigans, and it wasn’t helped by Wario’s counterproposal to invite him and Waluigi into their ranks. Fox harbored a near equal disdain for the wretched slob and his sniveling younger brother; Luigi, at least, didn’t make a point of hiding in his older brother’s shadow. He came to dislike Wario even more than he already did after learning of his involvement in the Subspace Incident, a crime of which he seemed to have been miraculously acquitted, against the better judgement of all. Hence, he’s still around to cause more problems.
Fox was as ready as ever to fight the two of them, and with a bereaved younger brother out for blood at his side, he was sure he had all the backup he would need… and then some. Unfortunately, the heroes wouldn’t have it so easily. The villainous duo came prepared, threatening to detonate the block if they moved on them. Fox’s eye’s narrowed sharply with intent in response while remaining trained on the two.
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but you’re a little late on ‘saving’ anyone,” he thought to himself, knowing full well that Mario’s rotund rival benefited more from his death than anything, and thus had no genuine investment his or anyone else’s survival, which would explain the oh so convenient timing of his scheme. His eyes further narrowed with ire at the realization.
“Bastard! You’re obviously not here to help. What are you really after?”A scene most disgraceful took place when both seats capsized under the bloated frame of the overfed crook, who was then unable to even stand back up on his own. The duressed waiter, who looked half ready to quit his job in a panic, reluctantly rushed to Waluigi’s assistance to help his older brother up. Fox took this opportunity to contact the others while those three were preoccupied. With one hand still aiming at them, and the other on his headset, he uttered the information to as many other squadmates as he could.
“Is anyone else getting this? It’s the Wario Brothers. They’re holed up in Mama’s, threatening to blow the block if their demands aren’t met. Send backup. Do not engage.”After he finished broadcasting his update to the others, Fox placed his free hand back on his blaster just in time to witness the ravenous pig of a man proudly glut himself on an impossibly oversized submarine sandwich with practically no visible effort. The vile gorger held his loaded gut as he proclaimed his added threat of nuking the city with his most vulgar technique, one that the vulpine was tertiarily familiar with after having seen it before. Fox hissed through gritted teeth in frustration at the very mention of it. There was at least some chance that he could have called his bluff on the last threat, but
this he knew Wario was serious about. History, experience, instinct, and mere common sense held that Wario couldn’t be trusted. Be that as it may, it was clear that he wasn’t exactly counting on their trust. They couldn’t afford to provoke or outright deny him in their position, but the least they could do was stall him until reinforcements and a better negotiator than himself arrived. With almost surprising restraint, given prior circumstances, Luigi spoke first, questioning the extent of their actions and motives for taking them. Fox followed, seconding his valid inquiry.
“He’s right. Why go through all the trouble? I’m sure you could have just asked, if you were really so eager. Now all you’ve done is make more work for yourself, and that’s if they do accept you.” He firmly adjusted his aim once more before tacking on a certain critical detail that he felt inclined to remind him of. Fox retained his stern demeanor as he spoke.
“Don’t think that we’ve all forgotten what you’ve done.”