Chapter 2

Adventure Start!

Meeting the King and the Rivals

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Wes' POV

I arrived back at Asiana with plenty of time to spare, though I must say this country was no less crawling with monsters then Hallstatt. Despite set-backs and the occasional monster attacks, it took no less then a few days to finally reach the castle.

When I finally did arrive, I was in awe at what stood before me.

The castle was a majestic sight that stood maybe five to ten stories high, and 60 feet all around. Made of the finest bricks seen yet, and more then obviously enchancted by a master wizard, it served as a massive testament to the people of Dokapon's will, since the castle was completely sealed; no monster, no matter how strong, would be able to get in there, without meeting heavy, and possibly even deadly magical force.

"Wow... ..." I couldn't help but breathe in awe.

"Yep, it's nice, isn't it?"

I jumped clean out of my shoes before turning to my left. Standing there was what appeared to be a humanoid mole. You read right, a humanoid, hole-digging, claw handed, brown-furred mole; wearing a pair of green overalls, blue workboots, and a yellow excavation hat atop his head, carrying around a motorized drill along with him! Now since I'm sure such creatures are not well known in many places allow me to explain. This mole is a very famous individual here in Dokapon, having been successful in digging up Hot Springs in various towns around the world. His prices are often steep but the payment is more then often, more then worth it.

I looked at this figure with fascination. "Aren't you... Mitch Digger? That famous Hot Springs digger?"

The mole turned to me, grinning. "Why yes, that would be me." He offered a hand to me for a handshake. "Mitch Digger at your service! And you? Who are you to come to the famous Central Castle of the Dokapon Kingdom?"

Smiling, I took his hand, and gave it a hearty shake. "The name's Wes, I'm here to answer the call for adventurers to do something about the recent monster problems."

That seemed to pleasantly surprise the mole some. "Why, really?" He slapped his forehead. "Well whadaya know? I never would've thought I'd meet one of the would-be adventurers face-to-face!" He nodded, smiling widely, "A real pleasure and honor to meet you, to be sure Mr. Wes."

"As it is for me." Was my response, as I motioned to the castle, "But what are you doing here, Mr. Digger?"

"Ah," He waved his hand dismissively, "House call. The king had called in for my expertise to make a Hot-Springs in the backyard of the Castle." He held up a large bag of gold, "Work could be difficult, but with this HUGE a payload it'll be worth it." Chuckling, he motioned to the castle, "If your looking to be one of the adventurers, you were almost too late. A few have already shown up, and their currently their waiting for a fourth to show up. If you don't hurry, someone's going to snatch that spot up."

... ... ... WHOA!!! Was that really how late I was?! But it's barely been a week since I got that bulletin! Had news really spread that fast?!? I recall that was the thoughts that went through my head when I heard that. Of course, these days I'm well educated that it WAS a chance at the Dokapon throne, so of COURSE people would show as fast as they could for a chance at the crown. Regardless, that sent me into overdrive. Looking panicked, I felt adrenaline rush in like a flood. "YEOW!! Re-Really?!? WHOA!!!" I quickly took Mitch's hand, and gave it a quick shake "It was nice meeting you Mitch, but I need to MOVE! Later!!" That was the last thing I said before taking off at speeds one could comically call 'Mach 5'. I think I heard Mitch yell something at me as I left, but the wind was rushing around me as I ran, as if for my life, towards the castle, that I missed it.

Running into the castle was the easy part, and everything just seemed to fall into place... Well not before so many near mid-mad dash mishaps. I nearly mowed down servants, whom were almost, ALMOST, unfortunate enough to get in the way. Why in the span of the first few hallways, I nearly ran over a butler carrying a tray covered with dog biscuits, one that was carrying a basket full of freshly cleaned clothes (most of them dresses), and a waitor carrying a platter full of doughnuts (The last of which, I'm fairly certain one of the doughnuts fell to the floor, before the waitor picked it up real fast). Finally, running up the main hall, I found a big pair of double doors, that could only lead to one place.

Moving quickly, I ran up to the door, and proceeded to knock on it. "Hey! I'm here for the Adventurer call-out! Come on! Open the door!"

"Oh, you are?"

I quickly turned to my left and right but saw no-one around. "Eh?"

"Up here!" I quickly looked up to see a tiny figure flying down to me from a free-hanging perch on the door. He was a tiny looking guy that looked like a child, with light green hair, big blue eyes, and wearing light blue clothes with a yellow spiral on the shirt. Explaining quite a lot, I saw that the kid had angel wings on his back, and a golden halo hanging over his head. "My name is Angelo, your guide to Dokapon!"

I stared at the boy, revealed to be an angel, looking quite surprised, or at least, that's what I could figure since I could feel my eyes were wide. Angelo stared back at me, wondering what to make of my stares. "Um... Are you okay?" He waved a hand in front of my face, before snapping his fingers.

That snapped me out of my trance. "Aren't..." I took a step back, "Aren't you an... Angel?"

Angelo giggled, as if this hadn't been the first time he had heard this. "Yeah, I'm an angel. A Guardian Angel to be exact." He smiled at me, giving me a cute look. "It's my job to be a guide for Adventurers during their journey. I was sent down here to serve as a guiding spirit to the adventurers of this expedition." Tilting his head, he took me in. "So who are you?"

I cleared my throat. "The name's Wes. I'm a Magician by profession." readjusting my glasses, I continued. "I'm here to join in this contest, shall we say, to clear out the monsters raiding the towns."

Angelo's eyes went wide when he heard that. "Wow! I must say that's a first!" He flew around me in small circles before sitting on my shoulder; he was surprisingly light. "A lot of the adventurers in their are greedy people who want nothing more then the money offered for this job."

Such a thought brought a grimace on my face. "Money-hungry, little..." Shaking my head, I cleared the thoughts out of my head. "So, can I come into the throne room? I think it's about time someone who ISN'T out to fill up his wallet steps in."

Angelo flew off my shoulder, looking rather sunny. "Certainly! Just give me one second!" He flew up to the door, and gave it a small knock. After a moment, the door opened, allowing Angelo inside. "Your majesty! A new Adventurer is here sir!"

A rather high-pitched voice let out a response. "Oh really? Send him in, then Angelo! Send him in!"

Angelo flew back out and ushered me inside. "The king will see you now, mr. Wes. Good luck!" Giving him a quick and thankful nod, I walked inside...

I remember feeling a rush of feelings as I walked inside, and beheld the throne room. It consisted of a long hallway that finally ended with a huge throne. The room was decorated with a huge red carpet, tapestry hanging on the wall, chadeliers hanging from the cieling, and pretty much everything that would make this room itself look fancy. Sitting in the throne was a grand looking old man, with a thick yellow mustache beard combo, thick yellow eyebrows, and short yellow hair. On his head was a regal looking crown, and he was wearing regal purple and blue robes with a red cape tied around his neck, that could be seen trailing his back. I needed no indication that this was the king of Dokapon.

Standing next to the throne was a young lady, wearing a regal pink dress, with long blonde hair pulled into four pig-tails behind her, and a tiara on top of her head. I also remembered her from various banners as the crowned princess of Dokapon, Princess Penny. Both of them seemed rather pleased to see me.

"Well hello adventurer!" Came the Kings voice, which seemed to be somewhat high-pitched for a man's voice; must come with old age. "Let me be the first to welcome you to the 'Central Dokapon Castle'." He motioned for me to approach. "Please come forward, I want to have a good look at you."

I obeyed without question and walked down the hall. As I did, I couldn't help but get a second look at everything in the room. As I did, my eyes fell on Princess Penny...

Looking back on that day, I wonder what about that girl had caught my attention. Had it been her cute facial expression? Her deep blue eyes? Her shining blonde hair? Princess Penny had so much going for her in natural beauty, that much I'll give her. I felt butterflies flying around inside my gut in an sporatic fashion. I could feel my face grow even warmer then it ever had before, due to the fact that blood was rushing up to my face. With that conclusion, I could safely say that I was blushing quite a bit. Princess Penny caught my gaze and returned it, looking at me with a look I couldn't tell if it was curiosity, or mixed feelings.

One could call it a beautiful cosmic moment...

That came crashing down in the next few seconds.

Before I could tell what was happening I tripped over an outstretched foot and hit the floor with a perfect 6 point face plant. Ouch. Trust me when I say, I was thoroughly humiliated at what had happened. I pushed myself onto my knees and proceeded to massage my forehead, which had gained a bruise from my trip.

"Well, well look who it isn't!"

My eyes went wide as I quickly turned to see the person that was there, and ultimately, the person whom had tripped me.

It was a man, that wore a red and brown themed warrior outfit, with dark brown hair, hiking boots and padded gloves... But I knew the face, I knew the sneer... And I knew those red eyes. "D-Daryl?"

The man, the grown-up form of Daryl, the son of the Sterling town Mayor, the one that ran off and became a mercenary, laughed as he extended a hand. "Bout time you saw me lover boy! For a second there, I actually thought that you'd miss me!"

I looked at the hand that was offered to me, and took it without question. After helping me up, he slapped me on the back with such amazing strength, that I'm surprised that I didn't hack up blood. "Scathe be damned! What are you doing here Wes? Don't tell me you're actually here for the adventurer call!"

I coughed a bit, trying to regain my breath. "That was (cough) the general idea." I suddenly wished my voice had grown a bit deeper since my last visit with him. Daryl was one of those kinds of people that wish you the best and can easily become disappointed if that best hadn't been reached. He was a good friend; just a tad bit pushy. But where he lacked in gentleness, he made up with Charisma; a trait most likely gained from his father, and a trait that could easily be his most defining quality if he just used it more.

As I continued to keep from coughing out a lung, Daryl chuckled as he wrapped an arm around me, looking rather merry. "MAN, did I miss you, you little punk!" He laughed some more, as he teasingly punched my arm, "So what's the idea of coming here? You're low paying job not giving you enough money to bring in the bacon?"

Teasingly or not, the punch hurt. "Ow... No. You can thank the monsters I'm here at all."

Daryl laughed some more. "Ah! I see! Well I'll be sure to thank the nearest Kobold I find for forcing you to come here!" I gave Daryl a hard look; Hardy-har-har, good old Daryl. Daryl noticed my look. "Ah come on, man, I was just kidding!" With a quick movement, he turned me to look around, "Oh you'll love this! Look who else is here!" I was just about to protest before I saw two other figures standing before me; ones that I felt my jaw drop upon seeing.

Sitting at the foot of a nearby pillar, was a young girl of around 21 wearing a blue long sleeved shirt that stopped at her middriff, with baggy white pants. She appeared to be lacing up a pair of boots, a pair of gloves on her hands... But her most striking figure was her long blue hair. "Hey Blair! Look who it is!" Daryl shouted over to the girl.

The girl looked up from her shoes, and upon seeing me, her smile widened, and at once, I noticed that she had dyed her hair a startling bubblegum pink. "Hey! Yo Wes!"

... ... ... Yo?

That was all I had time to think about before Blair ran over and gave me a bone-crushing hug; and by bone-crushing, I MEAN bone-crushing, she was way, way, WAY stronger physically then I ever remembered her to be as a kid. Far stronger then I would've given her if she was a Wizard. "Wow! Wes how cool is this?! This is so Rad!" What's more, what was with the 'Yo' and 'rad' stuff? The Blair I remembered was so timid that she wouldn't have embarassed herself with using such a term... But then again time had a way of changing things.

But putting such aside, this girl was about to become successful in squishing a few ribs. "Gah..! Blair, can't... BREATHE..." That caught Blair's attention and she quickly put me down, giving me a chance to catch my breath. She gave me a cute little smile, as I continued to wheeze. "Man Blair! I don't remember you being THAT strong!"

To answer, she rolled up a sleeve, and flexed a bicep showing decent results. "I've grown a LOT tougher since we last saw each other!" She smirked as she rolled her sleeve back down. "After having to suffer through the stuffy life-style of the Magic Academy, I realized that standing at a safe distance while casting spells just wasn't what I wanted. So, I ran away and joined a caravan full of monks; warriors who use their bodies as lethal weapons." She further emphasized this with a powerful punch that caught air, though I had no doubts that that punch could take the head off a dragon, all the while letting out a karate scream. I jumped, Daryl laughed.

"Now how's that for irony, eh? Parents wanted her to be a mage, but they inadvertedly pushed her in the opposite direction!" Daryl said between humored snorts. Blair joined in, thinking that comment as funny herself.

I myself weakly joined in, not sure what was so funny about this whole thing.

"She's not the only one here either!" Daryl said with chuckle as he pointed to the pillar once more. "Ole Jamie's here too!"

"That's JAMES!!"

Standing where Daryl pointed was a man wearing some strange robes that I hadn't seen before, that gave him the appearance, almost, of a humanoid shadow, there was just enough black there. The person had black hair, and I recognized him instantly. "Jamie! Wow, I can't believe your here too!" I walked up to him, and gave him a hand to shake. "This is so cool! How've you been?"

Jamie stared at the offered hand a moment, before taking it, giving it a quick, kirt shake, before releasing quickly. "For the record, the name is James." he said with a growl. "I'm not 8 years old anymore Wes, and you'd do well to remember that."

I chuckled nervously. "Uh, right, got it..."

"Oh? Do you all know each other?" We all, friends reunited after all of these years, turned back to the king, whom was looking between us curiously. "Am I to assume that you all know each other?"

We all bowed in respect to monarch, "Yes your majesty." Daryl answered with a subservient voice I hadn't heard come out of him before. "We're all childhood friends."

The king chortled at the notion, looking rather please. "Okay then, very good! That saves on introductions then!" He cleared his throat after a moment, and placed a hand to his chest. "Now, as all of you should know, I am the King of the Dokapon Kingdom." He then motioned to his daughter. "And this is my daughter, crowned Princess of the Dokapon Kingdom."

The girl nodded her head to us. "It is nice to meet you all." She said with a most lady-like tone.

I felt my heart melt at this greeting... However, with my curiosity peaked, I snuck a peek at my other companions, whom had long since stopped bowing. Jami-er, James appeared less then caring about the Princess' greeting; a good sign... Daryl, meanwhile, looked every-bit as love-struck as I felt, giving the princess a dreamy stare, drooling lightly. James elbowed Daryl, instantly making him suck the saliva back in... I don't know why, but I felt a bit... conflicted when I saw that scene, humorous as it was. Lastly, I looked at Blair; I knew for a fact that she wasn't interested in marrying a girl, and felt my thoughts proven when she didn't seem the least bit affected.

The King cleared his throat, getting our attention once more. "Now, I want you to listen all of you..." Once he was sure we were listening, he continued, "Now as I'm sure you all know, the Kingdom has been facing a very bad situation..." He appeared very worried beyond relief. "Monsters have been appearing all around my beautiful kingdom, pillaging villages of their food, live-stock, and most important, MONEY!" He seemed especially aghast at that last mention, seeming somewhat panicky. "I fear that if these raids continue, the Kingdom will soon sink to the depths of poverty, the people will be unable to buy things, and, worst of all, I'll go Bankrupt!!" He seemed to enter a panic attack at this thought, hyperventilating and wheezing.

Penny instantly patted her fathers back, giving him a paper bag. "It's okay father, just take deep breaths."

The King gratefully took the bag and proceeded to calm his breathing down by breathing in and out of it. Finally, when it returned to a reasonable speed, he took a moment to catch his breath. "So... that's why you're all here-"

Knock, knock!

I and everyone else turned to the door; who could that be? After a second, a guard opened the door allowing Angelo to once more enter the room. "Your majesty! A new adventurer has just arrived!"

The King looked at Angelo confused, "A New one?" he thought a moment about this before shrugging, "Oh what the heck? Tell him to come on in!"

Angelo nodded, "It's a 'she', by the way sir." He turned back to look out the door, "The King will see you now, miss. You'd best hurry into position, the King has just started the meeting."

"Oh thank you, sweetie!" The door opened some more...

And I felt my eyes widen once more...

That green hair...

Robyn walked into the throne room, a bag full of gold latched to her belt, and a few daggers along with it. She walked with a slight strut, looking rather pleasant... My eyes were glued on the new arrival. If I thought Blair had changed quite a lot since I last saw her, she didn't even compare to how much I had seen Robyn change. Blair had changed from a timid, subservient girl, to a tough, outgoing girl, whilst Robyn had changed from... I immediately snapped myself out of it. 'Wes! Get a hold of yourself! Robyn's an old friend! Don't go thinking such things!' ... Still, I did have to admit, Robyn was a pretty sight...

She strutted up to the rest of us, joining us in ranks (Daryl being 'kind' enough to scoot over and let her in beside me). "Sorry it took so long your majesty." She held up the sack of gold that was on her belt. "But I had found some suckers and helped myself to a few of their belongings." Before the King could say anything, Robyn tossed the sack to the throne, and the King caught it with little effort. "There, a little gift for you, my liege."

The King opened the sack, and was immediately over-taken by the sight of gold coins, foreign in print maybe, but they would still have quite a lot of value. Chortling greedily, the King stuffed the sack into his coat pocket, and cleared his throat. "Ah I see, well in that case, all is forgiven." I looked at the king, surprise building on my face.

"Oh! Who's is this?" I turned to my right, and gawked. Robyn was now holding what appeared to be a wallet, looking at it's contents. "Doesn't have a lot of money in it." ... I immediately felt for my pockets and felt that my wallet was gone... Though just HOW Robyn managed to steal that thing before I could notice was beyond my understanding.

"HEY!!!" I yelled, catching Robyn's attention. "Give that back, it's MINE!!"

Robyn stared at me strangely for a moment... However, realization suddenly dawned on her. "Wessy!" Before I could so much as get a response in, she pulled me into a big hug. I immediately felt my face go bright red. "Wow! It's so great to see you again!"

Let me tell you, I felt myself light up considerably. When I left to include myself in this whole mess, I never would've thought I'd see my old pals again. And now here we were! The old gang from Sterling! Back together again! I actually hugged Robyn back, whether she stole my wallet or not didn't matter, it was just good seeing her again. Seeing everyone again.

Once seperated, Robyn looked at me embarrassed. She held my wallet up for me to take. "Sorry Wes, I didn't know it was yours."

I took it back, non-caring. "It's okay Robyn, don't worry about it." I gave it a good clean sweep to make sure everything was there, before stuffing it into my pocket.

Daryl grinned over to Robyn, giving her a thumbs up. "Nice seeing ya again Robyn!"

"Yo, Robin! How goes it?" Came Blair.

"Hey." Grunted James.

It seemed so simple a scene, we were all back together again in the presence of the king, about to take on an assignment that could mean freeing the kingdom from the hands of monsters... How sweet was that?

"Good, then we're all here!" Came the king once more. "Now... Robyn, right?" Robyn nodded. "Should I continue where I left off or start from the beginning? I shouldn't leave anybody out."

Robyn giggled. "Don't worry, your majesty, I know the gist of that start, and besides, we wouldn't want you to have another spaz attack."

The King turned bright red in embarrassment. "Hahahahaha, right..." He cleared his throat after a moment of weak chortling. "Anyways, that's the official version of it. Monsters have started raiding towns, stealing stuff, and causing utter mayhem... But that's where YOU adventurers come in." He seemed rather pleased with himself. "You five are to travel around the Kingdom of Dokapon and help in fixing the situation.

"Each town you visit will be ruled by a boss monster, whom will be tougher then any common monsters in the near area. If you defeat town's boss monster, it will send a message to monsters that that town is protected and is no longer safe to pillage. When you free the town, I have personally sought to it, that the hero that saves the town will be given it's deed, thus giving the hero total ownership of the town in question... Just during this time of emergency, mind. That should further help to keep monsters away. While the town is in your possession you are free to do with it as you see fit, so long as the change in question helps build the towns business."

The group nodded. Robyn seemed to go starry eyed at the idea of owning a town. "Wow so cool!"

Daryl nodded. "I agree." A smirk found it's way on his face. "Owning our own town sounds like a pretty sweet deal..." I largely had to agree.

"While you're out," The king continued, "You may recieve a special request or a chore from me or Penny. Now, I assure you, while the chore may, or may not, have anything to do with the monster ordeal, you will be rewarded a very high sum of money, for completing it... AND, IF the chore is big enough, who knows? Even greater rewards could await you!"

Blair, arms crossed, smirked at the prospect, "I'll keep that in mind."

"As will I." James monotoned.

The King nodded at this. "Now, anyways, is there any questions?"

My hand shot up in the air. The King, seeing it, pointed to me. "Yes, you... Wes, right?"

"Indeed." I took a step forward, casting a quick glance to Princess Penny before continuing. "I recall from your bilboard that you said that a prize for beating back the monsters, is the hand of your daughter in marriage." I eyed the king suspiciously. "Now, from what I see, five adventurers are present, how exactly will that promise be kept?"

The king thought about that. "You've got a point there, boy..." He thought long and hard over the question... ... ... ...

Finally, he snapped his fingers, an idea present. "As this boy has pointed out," He pointed at me for emphasis. "You've seen in the bulletin, the prize of this contest is a very big one; the hand of my daughter Princess Penny in Marriage, and the throne of the Kingdom of Dokapon." I found some of the others loving the idea more and more. "BUT!!"

Somehow... I didn't like the sound of that word.

"As you know, Dokapon laws forbid polygamy, so in order to make sure my darling daughter Penny marries the right person, this entire ordeal has been turned into a contest. You all have until this ordeal with the monsters is over. When it finally does end, the one who has the most money, and the most total income will win the throne and the hand of Penny in marriage."

... ... ... ... ... I hate it when I'm right...

We all looked between each other, the truth of this whole thing sinking in...

No sooner had we finally seen each other again... Now we were being pitted against each other?

"Sounds good to me."

I looked over with surprise at Daryl, whom seemed more then accepting of the idea. "I mean, we can't ALL win the grand prize, it wouldn't be fair for the king nor would it make sense." He grinned a bit. "This is the perfect way to make sure that everything turns out okay in the end."

"I agree." With surprise raised even more, I turned to Robyn, whom seemed just as accepting as Daryl. "Only one person can come out on top. Sometimes there have to be losers."

"Here, here! That sounds fair." Went Blair, in total agreement.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but it appears that if the prize is open to only one winner we have no choice." Came, with a finality, James.

I couldn't believe my ears. I felt like I should argue... But...

What could I say?

"Then it's settled." We turned to the king, whom was stroking his beard. "The adventurer who earns the most money by the end of this ordeal will be the one to win Princess Penny's hand in marriage." He held up a scepter, holding it up. "You all may stay in this castle for the rest of the night, but come tomorrow, the adventure begins." Having said that, he got up from his throne and left the room, Princess Penny in tow.

How could I possibly stand there and let this happen? "Guys, this is crazy!!" I yelled. "We're all friends here and now we're just going to throw that all away?!"

Everyone turned to me, giving me a small look...

After a moment, Daryl gave a questionable snort. "Oh come on, kid!" He threw an arm around me. "We're not throwing it away, putting it aside maybe, but we're not throwing it away."

"He's right, Wes." Robyn walked up to me, giving me a small smile. "Think of it like one of those boardgames we used to play as kids. If we brought friendship into the equation, it'd just keep us from doing our best. And if we want to help the kingdom, we need to be at our best."

"She's right." James monotoned, making Blair nod in agreement.

"Besides, we can't share a prize like what the king is offering, competing is the only fair way to see who gets it. When this is all over, we'll give our best to the winner and we can keep everything cool between us." The blue-haired girl finished. "Simple as that."

I wanted so much to believe that...

"Okay." I nodded, "For the sake of the kingdom, and for the hand of the Princess, let's do it."

"Well in that case." James said suddenly, "We're at an agreement. We'll stay in the castle under truce conditions. The second we leave the castle tomorrow, we're rivals." Everyone nodded at this, and went in their own direction. I was all that remained... I understood what had been said; disappoinment was inevitable, a winner being chosen was unavoidable. I understood that... But, for some reason...

... ... ... ...

I had a VERY bad feeling about this...

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Normal POV

Meanwhile an unknown distance away from Dokapon Castle...

Three figures trudged miserably through a swamp covered land, mud sloshing in their shoes and out, and leeches crawling up their legs...

And all three of them were SEETHING WORSE THEN A VOLCANO.

"THAT-a MISERABLE-" Waclay growled.

"DAMNED,LITTLE-" Waluigi continued.

"@#@#$#%@#@-a!!!!!" Wario screeched as a finish.

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(Hours earlier.)

Waclay and Waluigi were on the ground multiple bumps piled upon each other, swirls in their eyes, and a few of their teeth missing from their jaws. If there was anyway else one could tell they had been knocked out colder then a wet mackeral, this author would honestly like to see them.

Wario was the only one left standing, but even he had been beaten like a throw rug. From where he sat on the ground, he saw the same little girl they had met in the woods, holding up the spoils of the fight in hand; a sack full of gold coins, and a few jewels. "Yes! I just knew it would be a smart idea to target you idiots! I haven't had this easy of game, with THIS kind of cash in a long wihle!"

"You LITTLE THIEF!!!!" Wario yelled as he lumbered to his feet and tried to ram a shoulder into Robyn.

Robyn merely side-stepped the attack and countered with one of the toughest elbows to the gut Wario had felt in his life. With a thud, he landed on the ground, dazed but not out. Wario was back on his feet within a few seconds, and instantly charged once more. "THAT'S-A MY MONEY!!!!! GIVE IT BACK, OR I'LL SEND YOU BACK HOME CRYING TO MAMA!!!!"

Robyn almost appeared hurt at this, however, a frown appeared on her face; a scary facial expression for Wario. "You just had to go there didn't you lard-@$$?"

Wario went red in the face, and stomped the ground angrily. "I DON'T CARE!!! IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SKANKY LITTLE BUTT SO HARD YOU'RE MAMA'S GONNA FEEL IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Robyn merely took in that statement a moment... ... ...

Before she raised her right hand. "SCORCH!"

BOOOOOOM!!!!

Wario was instantly sent running like a maniac as his entire form was covered by fire. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PUTITOUTPUTITOUTPUTITOUTPUTITOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The last out was interupted as Robyn shoved Wario off a nearby cliff which hung over a lake...

Maybe up to 15 feet down.

A distant splash sounded, and Wario's screams stopped.

"Guh... Moron..." Robyn groaned, as she walked off... As she did, she seemed to sniffle. "But he asked for it, bringing up my mom..." She sniffed a little. "Jerk..."

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(Present time.)

Ever since that robbery, the Wario's were reduced to walking through a swamp to try and find the castle... If not the next town.

"When we find that thief, oh the things I'm gonna do to her, I'd like to put my hands around that scrawny little neck of hers!!!!" Waluigi seethed, holding his hands together as if trying to imitate choking Robyn.

"Screw torturing you-a stick! I'm-a just gonna flat out KEEL-HAUL her!!!" Waclay yelled.

"Oh You aren't going to-a kill her, not if I get-a to her first..." Wario growled shutting the two brothers up. "No-one makes a fool out of Wario Wario!!! First, I'm-a gonna break her arms, then I'm-a going to break her legs, I'm-a gonna crack open her skull, then break all the-a rest of her bones, and THEN I'm-a going to kill her!!! I'M-A REALLY GOING TO KILL HER!!!!!"

Waclay and Waluigi actually took a fearful step away from Wario when they heard that. "But in the meantime, we can't spend the night in-a some stupid swamp..." Wario growled seethingly.

"Tell me-a about it." Waclay was busy trying to pull a leech off his back.

"Then what SHOULD we do, oh great and charismatic,(He added in aside, whispered "Who also got his butt whooped by an itty-bitty little girl.") big brother?" Waluigi sarcastically intoned, causing Wario to wave a huge muscular fist at the man.

"First off," Wario started, his voice gaining in volume. "We're-a not gonna mention that little girl beating us-a ever again... Secondly, we're-a going to keep our BIG MOUTHS-A SHUT... OR ELSE! And thirdly, if we ever find that little thief again..." He growled as he looked ahead, seeing nothing but trees and swamp water...

"HER-A HEAD IS MINE!!!!"