A diamond hidden within the gray line

Chapter 77: Marx's warning, subject change and a unexpected reunion.

-Narration-

Max and mike slowly head back to the castle, though with max stumbling and breathing heavily while he had already placed his deceiving aura back in his gun holster and his wand his trenchcoat pocket once he he regained much of his mobility after taking quite a hit. "You sure you're going to be ok?" Mike asked him, not hiding the fact that he's concerned. "I'm fine..." Max quickly replied, though he still had the crazed look in his eyes and is understandably still hurting from slamming into and destroying two trees because of candymaker and oddly...it bothered him, and he didn't quite understand why.

-Max pov-

Aside from my body aching, i can't help but be bothered by the fact that i ended up crashing through two barren trees...maybe it's because i spent so much time in the woods that i feel..oddly at peace. I don't know how to explain it any better than that. Still...i can't believe i actually won...

-Mike pov-

I don't know how max is still standing...getting thrown through a door and through two trees all in the same day...arceus, i don't know of anyone else who can survive that!

-Narration-

Ten minutes later, they both make it to the castle entrance without max stumbling, though he is breathing heavily and by the time he forced the castle door opened, he ends up falling on his hands and knees for a few moments and ends up dropping his mask which falls harmlessly to the ground. "HEY! THEY'RE BACK!" Came the voice of morton whose obnoxious yell is something no one can really ingnore, though max has long since grown use to it. As for the koopatrol...they had absolutely no idea what to do after one of their own had been given the scare of his life by zöhm who they had no idea was in the castle the entire time and kept their distance.

All of the koopalings, junior, and tyson all come running while marx simply floats his way towards them while kamek appears next to max after teleporting. It becomes obvious to mike that they all know about candymaker, giving how larry looked as if he was on the verge of hysterics. "I can tell that you guys already know about candymaker..." Mike says with a sigh. "You can thank larry for that! We've never seen him look so pale..." Morton replied, showing concern for larry.

"What the hell happened to max?!" Roy demanded while kamek couldn't see any physical wound on max's body. "Aside from crashing into and destroying two trees after candymaker slammed that weapon of their to the ground after me and max couldn't even slow them down? He's fine..." Mike answers before max manages to at least get on his knees. "FINE?! YOU CALL THAT 'FINE'?!" Morton angrily asks while everyone, even marx looked shocked.

-Bowser pov-

First he gets thrown through a door by zöhm, and now THIS?! All in one day too...this kid is clearly built like a rock!

-Kamek pov-

Goodness! It's a miracle that he's still alive...it worries me that this candymaker didn't go down, but...if that's the case, then how is it that didn't follow them here?

-Tyson pov-

Great arceus, how is max not injured from these collisions?! He must be blessed...that is the only explanation..but is it from this spell that was put on him, or by a unknown source?

-Narration-

"I-if the two of you are here...then..where is.." Larry finally said after being silent for awhile before getting scared once more until max spoke.

"I dropped kicked their ass down to the cliff where a lava chasm flows at the bottom...the same one i nearly fell off of...." The way max said is that of pride, but..also in a way that sounded crazed for a brief moment that made even iggy hesitant to say anything. As for marx...he listened intently, hoping to say what needed to be said.