//------------------------------// // Behind the Waterfall // Story: Mother X: Father // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Infection Suppression Ends Infection Worsens Ness - Infection 1/6 Paula - Infection 1/6 Jeff - Infection 3/12 As the group left the light of the valley, they felt the Infection strike into them again. Being prepared for it, they were able to deal, and Jeff once more led the way to the Waterfall path. Moving on the offensive, they were able to clear the way through the hostile creatures that attacked to reach the Waterfall. Just before they could get to the water, the man who had appeared just outside Ness' house when the journey began appeared again, camera in hand...only to frown. "No, I don't think you'll be wanting to remember this part," he observed thoughtfully. "I'd make a joke about fuzzy pickles to try and lighten the mood, but you're all a little young for that. Come back up here once you've left the Well?" With that, he vanished. "That was...odd," Buzz Buzz observed thoughtfully. "He took my picture back in Winters," Jeff pointed out. "He seemed harmless enough." He turned back to the waterfall. "There's the path behind it," he pointed out, gesturing to where the water flowed onto the ground before it flowed into the river below. He carefully led the way through, with Moondancer making a barrier to keep the water from soaking the group. Behind the waterfall, a steel wall could be seen, with a door in the middle. As they approached, a voice from behind the door demanded, "Say the Password!" Jeff aimed the Gaia Beam. "This is my boomstick!" he declared as he prepared the shot. "Fine, but what's your pass-" Jeff fired, blasting a hole in the door and incinerating the mobile pile of puke that had been behind it. "No chance of stealth now!" he declared, turning to the group. "Let's go!" "Right!" Ness, Paula, and Moondancer agreed, racing after him. The inside of the base proved to be much like many such bases Moondancer had been in before, with plain gray metal walls, and several floors connected via ladders against walls. Metal pipes raced back and forth along the walls. The only thing that proved somewhat distressing was the fact the floor they ran on was somewhat sticky, making their steps squelch. "Eew..." Moondancer moaned at the first touch, quickly levitating herself into the air rather than walk like that. "Try not to think about it," Buzz Buzz suggested when he saw similar distress on Paula's face. The base proved to be crawling with Fobbies overwhelmed by the madness, charging the group in a suicidal manner, only to be blasted by Jeff's Gaia Beam, Ness' PSI Kiai, Paula's PSI Fire, or Moondancer smashing them into each other. The only other creatures in the facility appeared to be the Farm Zombies they'd encountered outside, overlarge flies, and the piles of puke that - for reasons they all tried not to think about - were able to move and talk. Further along, they spotted the captured Mr. Saturns, chained up by a conveyor belt that was producing Fly Honey. "We're here to help!" Ness yelled to them, rushing forward. "PSI chains seal, Boing!" the first Mr. Saturn declared. "Beat base boss, all go zoom!" "Then it looks like we're going deeper," Paula allowed as Jeff took the lead once more. Infection Worsens Ness - Infection 2/6 Paula - Infection 2/6 Jeff - Infection 4/12 By the time the group had reached the deepest parts of the base, they could feel the infection spreading slowly through them anew, making it harder and harder to keep going, especially as they found themselves walking through thicker pools of green on the ground. Moondancer tried to help by pushing the group forward with her energy when she could, though it didn't do much. As they reached the final chamber, they found a door into a cave...with nothing guarding it. "Isn't there supposed to be a base boss?" Paula asked in confusion as she walked towards the door. "That's what the Mr. Saturn's said-" "Watch out!" Ness screamed out, pulling Paula back just as a disgusting blob of green ooze fell from the ceiling to nearly splatter over her. "Oh gross..." she moaned as she scooted back. "Ew, ew, ewww..." Another dollop of sludge fell down atop the first, followed by more until the pile was larger than the group. At the end, two white spheres and a brown sausage landed atop the pile, which slowly drew itself up to tower over the group. The spheres rolled over, revealing themselves to be eyes. The sausage pulled itself apart, the moldy white bits within becoming teeth in a putrid mouth. The creature looked over the group, drew itself up fuller... "Mi mi mi mi mi..." it began in a deep, sonorous bass voice.(1) It then began to sing. "I am the great Master Belch And you are the ones that I will squelch The gas that I disgorge from my gastronomic forge Now I shall emit you little twits!" Before the group could react, Master Belch exhaled a cloud of vile smelling gas, so horrible it caused the eyes to tear up, the nose to clog, and the stomach to churn violently. "I think I'm going to be sick..." Paula moaned as she clapped a hand over her mouth. Rushing forward, Ness struck with his PSI Bat...only to pull back as it only spattered bits of Master Belch around, creating an awful mess and releasing a worse stench. "This is unpleasant," Jeff murmured as he took a shot, only for the massive pile to reform after the blast passed. Master Belch chuckled wickedly, and then continued to sing. "Do you really think you can stand in my way? You don't seem to know the one you fight! Fly Honey's the one thing that does not make me decay-" Hearing this, Moondancer seized the Jar of Fly Honey from Ness' bag and chucked it at Master Belch, who eagerly seized it out of the air. "Why do you think I'm such a lovely sight?" Master Belch concluded his singing as he began to wolf it down, losing himself in it. "Freeze him!" Moondancer called out to Paula. The pair focused together to unleash their PSI Freeze, attempting to solidfy and crystallize the monster for destruction, or at least reduce his liquid ability to soak damage. Eventually, Master Belch finally stopped moving, only to slowly drain away into the floor. Infection Worsens Ness - 3/6 Paula - 3/6 Jeff - 5/12 (1) The "Master Belch song" submitted by F14m3rz