48I updated? Yes, it actually happened. Does this make anyone happy? Or did you all forget about this fic lol. Nonetheless, here is chapter seventeen of Joy Ride. I hope everyone likes it! :)
"Miss?"
…..
"Hello?"
"…mhm?" Cora yawned and sat up, blinking in the light of the room. The girl looked around in confusion. She was in some sort of home, a small room, with sunlight streaming from the windows. Two koopa's looked at her curiously, a child and an adult.
"Morning." The child koopa said pleasantly, his eyes bright with interest as he gazed up at her from the side of the bed.
"Hello." Cora said, unsure of what else to say. Where was she?
"We found you in the forest." The older koopa said, a female with a yellow bandana on her head, a bit of red hair curling out from under it, "Are you alright? Were you attacked?"
"I-I…yes, I was being chased." Cora said softly, "I guess I fell asleep near that tree."
"Chased? By whom?" The koopa inquired.
"Bowser's minions. Are we in a village?" Cora asked.
"Bowser?" The koopa woman sighed, "That is certainly not good. I'll have to let my husband know. He is the one who carried you here, you can thank him when he returns."
Cora nodded, "I owe him a lot, all of you-thank you so much."
The koopa smiled, "What kind of people would we be if we just left you out there? I'm Darcy by the way, and this is my son Clarence." The koopa rested a hand on top of her son's head.
"Nice to meet you." Cora smiled, "My name is Cora."
"It is a pleasure Cora." Darcy smiled warmly, "It is a pity we didn't meet by other means, this situation could turn out to be very dire indeed." She frowned.
Cora removed the sheets from her body and rested her feet on the wood floor, "They are after something, something that I'm trying to find. If they get it first we will all suffer for it."
"Is it magic?" Clarence squeaked excitedly, "A sword? That sounds neat."
The girl smiled, "No, this is a small stone. It's blue."
The koopa child looked a bit disappointed but still holding a bit of excitement, he looked up at his mom, "Mama, can we help her find the magic rock?"
"Clarence, you can stay at home and help your mama with her cleaning." Darcy laughed, "Your father is the adventurer, you're far too young."
Clarence made a pouty face, "That's not fair! I'm plenty old 'nough!"
"Don't whine." Darcy told him, "Or you won't get any pie tonight."
"…Okay." Clarence huffed, and left the room, his shoulders drooping. Cora hid a smile at the sight, and then shook her head.
"Where are we? Is this a village?" Cora asked.
Darcy shook her head, "No we are alone, just the three of us. This was my grandfather's cabin, we inherited it recently."
"So you haven't heard about the invaders nearby then?" Cora said.
"Invaders? Will they come here?" Darcy looked very concerned.
"I-I'm not sure. They might come looking for me…oh I'm so sorry Darcy! I should leave…" Cora stood up.
"No." Darcy stopped her, "We will help you."
"I can't put your family in danger." Cora shook her head.
"My husband is strong." Darcy said firmly, placing a comforting hand on Cora's shoulder, "You just sit tight until he returns. He should be home any minute now, left an hour back to collect fire wood."
"Are you sure?" Cora asked, a frown on her face, "It may be dangerous for him."
The koopa laughed lightly, "Kel used to round up chain chomps for the Shroom City zoo."
"He sounds capable." The girl smiled, "Shroom city? Where is that at?"
Darcy sat on the bed, "It's a large city, about fifty miles away from here."
"Oh." Cora couldn't help feeling disappointed. It was so far away; they would probably have to look for Areola there too, if they could get away from Bowser's troops.
The koopa noticed the girl's downcast expression, "Don't worry dear, there is a train you can take to the city, it's only a few miles north west of here."
"A train?" Cora smiled, "That sounds neat, I've never rode on one before."
"You'll enjoy yourself." Darcy smiled, "Lot's of lovely scenery."
"I'd like that." But first she would have to save her friends. As Cora sat with Darcy and talked, she wondered how they were doing. Was Lyon hurt? Did April wake up? The most important question: how was she going to save them?
00oo00oo00oo00
April shivered suddenly, and tucked her legs under where she sat.
Fila frowned, "What's wrong? Are you cold." The woman reached out a hand to touch her but froze, glancing up suddenly.
April looked up but saw nothing, "No, I'm not cold. I-I just got a sudden shiver, I'm not sure…"
"I sense a presence." Fila's expression turned serious and April felt her heart race. What was wrong? What sort of presence did she sense? Was she…going to die?
I wonder what it feels like, April thought.
"You are not going to die." Fila said, "This is something else, it pulls at you."
"I don't see anything." April stood up slowly, looking around quickly, "Should we start running?"
"There is nowhere to run here April." Fila sighed, "We can do nothing but wait, I will try my best to counter this force if I'm able."
"What if your not?"
Fila's eyes closed, "I'll try my best."
Suddenly April felt herself shake slightly, feeling dizzy, "What's happening?"
Fila stood protectively over her, "Someone is pulling you away from me. Don't move April! I'll try and repel them." The woman began to glow a fiery sheen, white fire, her eyes narrowed. April watched this feeling half there, fading in and out of herself. She was afraid; she didn't know what would happen to her.
It happened fast, so fast that April couldn't move before she felt invisible forces pulling her upwards. Fila cried out and fell backwards as a fierce golden light sent her away from April.
"Fila!" April screamed as she was pulled up into the white sky, disappearing in a flash of color.
No. Fila looked up to where April had disappeared, "This will not work." The woman glared upwards and shouted, "April! If you can hear me, don't worry! Cora is on her way."
Cora…please hurry. Time is running out.
00oo00oo00oo00
"April?" The girl moaned softly and her eyes opened to the sound of a voice. She blinked into Lyon's blue eyes, a smile filling her face.
"Lyon." April whispered, "You're here."
The Yoshi held her in his arms, giving her a soft smile, and then he turned to glare up at someone. April glanced away from him to see a magikoopa standing nearby, looking satisfied with himself over something. She noticed a fading shine to his wand. Did his magic wake her up?
"What's going on?" April asked, confusion clear on her face. All she remembered since being asleep was the duplighost and memories of her mom…and Fila. She hoped that she was all right.
"We were taken, Cora escaped though." Lyon said, casting a glare at the koopa. At that moment she noticed that the Yoshi was bound, fortunately she wasn't tied yet, though it would do little good by the fact that she felt absolutely exhausted.
"We will find your friend." The magikoopa told them, he stood leaned against the wall near the door. They were in a small room somewhere, sunlight streamed in from a high window. It was day.
How long have I been asleep? April wondered.
"You won't find Cora." Lyon said with a small smirk, "She is a smart girl, she knows what she's doing."
"What any of you do is in vain." The koopa shot back, "We outnumber you to the hundreds."
"That doesn't stop the Mario brothers," April snapped suddenly, feeling brave.
He smirked in response, "Really? We'll have to see won't we?"
April ignored him and smiled at Lyon, she rested her head against his cheek, "Don't worry." She whispered, "Cora will come."
The yoshi smiled back, "I'm not worried."
The magikoopa grumbled when he noticed their smiles and left the room in a huff, leaving the two alone.
00oo00oo00oo00
"Well good morning to you lassie." They both looked up at the voice, the koopa woman smiling as the door opened and a male koopa with a dark orange shell stepped in. He was bigger than Darcy and had a pair of hiking boots on.
"Daddy!" Clarence squealed, leaping up to embrace his father.
The koopa laughed and swung his son around, "Hey kiddo."
Cora stood up from the bed, and the koopa nodded at her when he sat Clarence back on the ground, "You must be Kel. Your wife told me that it was you that found me. Thank you." She smiled.
Kel grinned and took a small bow, "No problem Miss-"
"I'm Cora." She held out a hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
He shook her hand, "We're happy to have you. What exactly were you doing in those woods?"
Darcy told Clarence to leave the room, who made a pouting face but did as she said, and everyone took a seat in the room.
Cora explained all that was going on, and how vital it was that she recovered the Orbetrum, and what would happen if anyone evil got a hold of it. They all listened, Kel nodding occasionally as she talked, and when she reached the part where they found her after escaping her pursuers, Darcy hugged her.
"Oh Cora, you poor thing." The koopa sighed, "You must have been so frightened."
The girl's face blushed slightly, "No, it wasn't too bad, not like the dark caverns or the creepy village. I'm afraid now though." Cora sighed, "For my friends."
Kel stood up, "I will help you Cora." He gave her a wide grin, "Those scum suckers don't stand a chance against the two of us."
Darcy frowned, "Cora you should stay with me, you're still so young."
"I can fight." Cora nodded, "And I have ways of protecting myself. I'm more mature than I look."
"There are beasts out there." Darcy bit her lip and looked at Kel, "Please try and keep her from getting eaten."
"Have faith love." Kel kissed her on the cheek, "We'll be back in no time at 'tall!"
Darcy pulled away with a smile, "You'd better."
Kel turned to Cora, a confident gleam in his eyes, "Now tell me lassie. What are we up against?"
00oo00oo00oo00
April tried the door and made a face when she realized it was locked. Well duh, she thought to herself with a sigh.
Lyon struggled to sit up, the ropes holding his arms to his sides making it difficult, April helped him and they sat down together, both unsure what to do.
"Aha!" April grinned, "I just remembered something!"
The yoshi gave her a curious look but didn't stop her as she walked to the center of the room. He did however speak out when she raised her arms up and he felt a cold wind brush his face, "Wait!"
She put down her arms, "What?"
"You might blow down the house."
April grinned, "That's the point!"
"On top of us?"
She frowned, "Oh."
They sat there for a long while then April moaned aloud, "Crud!" She went over to the yoshi and looked down at him, a huge blush reddening her cheeks, "I forgot." She began untying him.
Lyon laughed when she finished and stretched out his arms, "Took you long enough."
"Grr, Lyon!" April groaned, "Why didn't you tell me? I feel stupid now."
"I was trying to see how long it took you to figure it out." Lyon held back another laugh.
April rolled her eyes but smiled, "Yeah I know, I'm a loser. We have now established that."
Lyon leaned against the wall, "I wonder why they didn't tie you."
The girl snorted, "Probably confident that we wouldn't escape anyways, or they had a 'stupid moment.'"
"Let's hope for the latter." The yoshi moved towards the door, "I'm going to try ramming it."
"Lyon! They'll hear you."
He glanced at her, "If they come you can use your ability, they don't know about it yet." He whispered.
"Okay." April stepped to the side, out of the way, and watched as the yoshi backed up, preparing to run full power into the door.
Lyon narrowed his eyes, head bowed, and with a deep breathe dashed forward. He hit the door hard, but he was sent careening backwards against the far wall with a cry.
April ran over to help him to his feet. They both looked at the door, which was glowing a faint purple color.
"Figures." Lyon frowned, "They reinforced it with magic."
"Cripes." April sat down on the ground, head in her hands. Well so much for that idea.
There was a moment of silence, then April looked at the yoshi, "Sure you don't want to try it my way?"
He shook his head, "No, let's save that move as a surprise. We may need it."
April sighed loudly and kicked the wall nearest to her. Cora hurry up and get here. I'm getting bored.
00oo00oo00oo00
They took a trail deep into the forest after Darcy had packed them both some food and other necessities.
"Travel safe you two." She had told them and then they were off.
So far Cora enjoyed traveling with Kel, he liked to talk, and was telling her all about his past adventures.
"When I was a lad, I discovered all sorts of wonders."
"Like what?" Cora asked.
"Well, the best I'd have to say was this spectacular cavern. It was huge." The koopa held out his arms to try and give emphasize to how big it was, "Massive stalactites and the sort. Like a mouth full of teeth! Mother would have had herself a heart 'tack then and there, but she was oblivious to my goings after school."
As they walked the sunshine from the canopies above shined down beautifully, sending dappled shadows dancing across the ground, bird song all around them.
It's beautiful, Cora thought as they walked, like some sort of dream.
Suddenly she felt Kel stop, his hand on her shoulder, "Shh."
Cora blinked in confusion, glancing around, "What-"
He then grabbed her arm and she squeaked as he pulled her into the bushes. They waited there for a while, Cora more than a little afraid. What was it that he sensed? Usually it's me that feels danger…why can't I sense it? Is he just being over protective?
The ground trembled suddenly and they appeared in the clearing where they once stood, huge pounding things, shaking the ground every time they moved. Chain chomps. The head one was huge, with a sort of brown tone to his body, a scar over one eye. He made a barking noise and then ran through the trees, a herd of about twenty following after.
Kel stepped out of the brush after a few minutes, a smile on his face, "I can sense those rascals from miles away. The devils." He turned to Cora who was wiping the leaves off her clothes, "Has my wife ever told you about the time I worked for the zoo?"
Cora smiled as they started walking again, Kel getting into another story.
Don't worry April. I'm on my way…and this time I brought back up.
I hope you all liked this chapter! Kel is an interesting koopa isn't he? :) I'm glad I finally updated this story again. Sorry for the long wait! I'm proud of myself! This is the third story I have updated in the last few days! Review and let me know if you liked this chapter. I added some humor in here, hope ya all noticed ^^. There will be some good old stealth and battling next chapter ;) Until then…laters! :3 Oh, and if there are any grammar issues, let me know. I didn't do too much re-reading lol. By the way, does anyone know the Paper Mario 3DS release date? I'm sooo excited for that game, who isn't? :D I'll stop blabbing now! Laters! :P