Mushroom Kingdom Anew - Book 1

Chapter Eleven

"Xavier, wake up..." A voice loomed quietly, only loud enough for anybody in a close vicinity to hear. Hearing his name be called, Xavier slowly rose from his surprisingly light sleep to see Terry on his bed. She looked concerned, and even a bit frightened. Sighing and rubbing his eyes, the brunette sat up and leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"Terry? What time is it... what's goin' on?" The blonde looked towards the door, quietly indicating for him to hush up. She cups her ear, and notions for him to do the same. Xavier obliges, and listens closely for whatever it was Terry wanted him to hear.

"Uh... I don't hear anyth-" He was interrupted by the teen shushing him. "Quiet, keep listening!" She hissed. The brown haired kicker sighed once again and kept quiet, listening closer than before.

There was indeed a sound emanating from the hallway, although it was difficult to make out. It started with some scraping, like somebody was dragging something lazily along the flooring. Then, the mumbling. It was an eerie string of sounds, consisting of giggling, whispers and the occasional cough. It grew louder as it came from the eastern side of the hallway, causing both teens to go dead silent. It grew loud enough and obvious enough to tell that whatever was making these noises was passing by the room. Terry and Xavier's eyes trained carefully on the gap between the door and floor, where a shadow shuffled by slowly. New noises surfaced as the sounds got closer. Now the sounds of several small metallic devices clinking around in a box of sorts would be made out. The shadowy figure began to hum to himself quietly as he passed. Occasionally, he'd sing a few morbid lyrics to his ditty, making the heroes shudder.

"Tasty, tasty, tasty treat... Three new people, fresh new meat... To my belly, you shalt go... where you've gone, nobody'll know... Eyeballs first, then the limbs... fills me up to the brim... tear the skin, piece by piece... would go good with a little grease..."

The figure shuffled away, and the duo exhaled quietly. "What the utter hell was that?" Xavier hissed, turning to Terry with widened eyes. She shook her head sadly, looking down at her fists which were clutching Xavier' blankets tightly. "It's Cliff, the old Koopa... That was definitely him no mistaking it..."

"What do we do? We need to grab..." Xavier railed off, suddenly turning to the closed door in a panic. "Ace..." He finished. Terry gasped with her hands to her mouth. "The song he was singing..."

"We have to go, now!" The kicker called, hopping from his bed and dashing out the door. Terry didn't even need to vocally respond, as she, too, hopped out of bed and out the door. If they were right about this... it seemed Ciff was attempting to eat the heroes!

"Cliff!" Xavier roared, barging into Ace's bedroom. Ace, as exhausted and beaten as he looked, was awake. His arms and legs were bound to the legs of the bed, and a muffle was stuffed into his face. Once the dinosaur saw his two friends enter, he started to scream, indicating he needed help. On the other side of the bed was Cliff. He had the presumed toolbox next to him on a stool, and several long and silvery looking contraptions picking away at Ace's skin. Behind his thick moustache, his mouth had been widely open to reveal blood stained, razor sharp teeth. Upon seeing Terry and Xavier enter, he tisked and dropped the tools. "Shit... I knew you two were awake..."

"Leave Ace alone!" Terry screamed, charging a fireball and launching it at the Koopa. He simply smirked and pulled out a short golden staff with a red gem on the end from his rusty toolbox. A large purple bubble came from the end of it, bouncing the flame back at Terry. It collided with her face, and she went through the air, spinning into the wall.

"What the hell?" Xavier questioned, now royally pissed. Cliff, showing surprising agility, hopped over the bed and shot what seemed to be a blue fireball at Xavier, who was struck brutally with it and sent directly through the wall. Groaning in pain, the colors of the fire flower left Xavier, his regular pallet returning to him. "Shit..."