The Luigi Story

Chapter 11: Revelation

The two guards were still holding me by the shoulders, as if I could have jumped on them at any time. There were also two guards walking directly behind me, who got more on my nerves than the ones holding me. Goomofsky was walking in front of me. The hallways that we walked were filled with people that stepped aside when we passed. I heard them whisper. They were talking about me - that I was a traitor or captured by the mighty army, that I hid in the train and cried, left my brother to fight alone and abandoned the princess.

I wish I could have spoken out against the lies, but I also didn't know what was true. In the end, I held my head low to avoid their staring eyes. The guards brought me to several more twists and turns before we went into an elevator. This elevator was the most expensive one I had ever seen. Golden railings, full glass panels, a chandelier, and what looked like diamonds as floor buttons. The floor was made of marble, with a big, black Bowser symbol on it.

'Guards, you can let him go!', Goomofsky said. 'I will take it over from here. Go back to your posts'.

'Yes, Sir', the guards replied in unison and then marched away.

When the guards were gone, the elevator doors closed and it moved slowly upwards. The full-glass panels provided a perfect view of the cavern. The immense scale of it all could be seen clearly from this viewpoint.

'It's an amazing sight, isn't it?', Goomofsky said.

'Yes, it is', I agreed while turning towards him. 'But why did you bring me here? And how did you get here?'.

'Like I told you', Goomofsky said. 'Bowser wants to talk to you. As to how I got here: it's simple. I needed you on that train'.

'Needed me on that train?', I asked bewildered. 'What do you mean?'.

'Well, it is simple, really', Goomofsky said while facing the window. 'I needed you to have a valid reason to come here. That is why I turned on that TV while the three of you were distracted. I wanted you to see that broadcast, because I knew that you would never go to Bowser on your own.'

'But how did you know that broadcast would be there?', I asked.

'Because Bowser informed me prior to the attack that it would be there', Goomofsky said just as the elevator doors went open.

The doors opened up to an even more luxurious penthouse. It was spacious, with leather couches, a piano, bar, a swimming pool, a pool table and expensive-looking paintings of Bowser, made in different styles and sizes. However, what stood out the most was the giant vault door with a Bowser symbol on it. Goomofsky walked into the room towards the vault door and I followed him. I had expected Bowser to be here, but he wasn't.

'Where is Bowser?, I asked him.

'You will see him soon enough', Goomofsky replied. 'He cannot be seen in this luxurious apartment talking to you in a time of great peril. As our king and military leader, he cannot afford to rest. Meeting here would be bad press.'

Slightly distracted by the wealth and luxury of the penthouse, we reached the vault door. There, Goomofsky typed something into a keypad and moments later the door hissed, the metal gears started grinding and the door swung open.

'How did he know?', I asked Goomofsky. 'He should have warned us about this attack!'

Goomofsky walked through the door and turned to me.