Yoshi Legacy: Heroes of the Mushroom Continent - Chapter 2

"Man, finally!"

I slumped over onto the beach and let the sweat run down my back. As my gaze slowly climbed the wooden vessel that we had crafted gruelingly over the course of countless hours, a sense of relief filled my being. It was beautiful; we had done a very good job of building it. My attention shifted to Marcellus, whom was staring quaintly at me. Both of us feeling exhausted, he followed suit and fell down beside me in a weary heap. The sun was beginning to set in front of us along the sea-line, and a bright orange-ish glow had filled the sky. I let out a large puff of air, and began to smile.

"Do you really think my dad is confident in that book?", I ask Marcellus.

"Sadly, it seems so. Even as the raft edges completion, he can't stop to take a break. He has the spirit of determination that one just cannot deny. Yet, I don't feel bad for His Majesty; I feel good instead, seeing his character changed completely.", he replies.

"I wonder if there's really anything else out there that really matters. I mean, what is the world like away from our island?", I ask with curiosity.

"Oh, Edward... you haven't even begun to see anything. Don't you worry, once you see the world around this island, you'll be an enlightened man. I assure you."

"...'Around this island'? What does that mean?" I ask.

"I forgot to explain. My apologies. This world that we live in, the Mushroom Continent, is shaped like a large ring, with scattered islands in the sea composing the middle of it." Marcellus explained.

"Oh... I see. And since the elemental gems that my father read about are supposedly enshrined around the 'ring' of the Mushroom Continent-" I begin to say.

"-we will be seeing every single part of the world. Yes.", Marcellus finishes for me.

"Wow. That's a lot to look forward to. Although my dad's plan may or may not work, it's definitely going to be a humongous journey, huh?"

"Now, now. Let's not get overwhelmed. Yes, the traveling will be lengthly, but we'll make it eventually, even if it takes years."

"Hey, you two! Why have you stopped helping? Am I the only one who wishes to save our homeland? Come on, come on!", I heard my father calling with a bit of irritation.

"Well, time to get back to work, eh? Let us move, my friend.", Marcellus ushers.

The darkness parted around us as my father lit a candle and placed it on the table. We all sat down, the light of the moon providing additional brightness to our home's interior. My dad, 'His Majesty', had a solemn look upon his guise, and he began to speak.

"A warning to all of you. The world is a dangerous, hostile place out there. I kid you not, you've been living in simple, innocent paradise here. When we land on the outside continent, we'll be rudely awakened from our sprightly ten-year slumber upon this berg in which we currently seat ourselves upon. Do not whimper, do not cry. This world out there will search for your fear, latch onto it, and suck from it until there's nothing of you left.".

"Indeed, Your Majesty. Although what you speak of is true, let us keep it from affecting how we perceive the Mushroom Continent.", Marcellus chimed in.

"Yeah, dad. Even though you've been stuck in your own spiral of grief and misery, don't impose it on us. Everyone's different, and we all see the world in our own way, so you can't tell us about the world for us. We have to see it ourselves!", I blurted.

 "Hmph. If that is how you feel, then so be it. I'll let events speak to you louder than my words, for it seems that my words do not scratch you as much as I had hoped them to. Good night. We sail tomorrow.", my father scowled.

He got up and disappeared into the depths of our bedroom. I felt bad for scorning my father like that, and as I got up to follow him, I scrambled to figure out what I could say to him. When I had gotten to him, all I could figure out to say is, "Dad... I'm sorry.". I knew this wasn't enough for him, but we laid it to rest, both figuratively and literally, as I climbed into my bed.

Morning came more quickly than I had expected. When I arose, Marcellus and my father had already exited our home and were preparing to set sail. I stepped out to discern what was happening between my father and his companion in a groggy stupor. The men that made up my family were packing the last of their keepsakes for the trip. My father called out to me as I came into his view. "About time you're up. It's almost midday, and you're only now rising for the day. Come, grab your belongings.", he shouted.

I pulled myself back into our shelter, and began to scramble for things to carry along with me. Most of the items I would have grabbed were already taken and stowed on our makeshift vessel. However, I managed to find myself grabbing a sack full of different items from my cabinet. In fact, I was surprised that it had been forgotten, since it was a rather important item during my stay on the island. I quickly opened the large pouch to check its contents, which happened to be a few different foodstuffs such as fruits and various bits of plants. "Fair enough", I said out loud. I wrapped the satchel around my shoulder and began to head out, where I noticed my old wooden sword. Instantly, I was filled with memories of Marcellus and I practicing swordplay on the beach when I was younger. Unable to bear leaving such a possession behind, I put it in the satchel and rushed outside.

The raft was already out in the sea, and ready to set sail at any moment. I leapt from the beach into the raft, and with that action's force, started the vessel out to sea. I inquired why exactly my peers had forgotten the item pouch, and Marcellus merely replied "I was unable to locate it. My apologies". My father took a seat on the side of the rail, and the three of us watched as the wind rendered our old home smaller and smaller on the horizon. For a good solid week, we were out at sea. Weather and the tides were rather calm, so we our raft got along smoothly. Together all day, all the time, two main topics of our conversation was the so-called plan of my father's, far-fetched and odd in the first place, as well what could exist outside of the world we had been isolated to. Not very much was said about the latter, since we all didn't even have an inkling of an idea of it. However, time passed rather quickly even so.

An abrupt change came into being as I awoke one morning to a sky of darkness and fear. A vicious downpour was barraging our vessel, and both Marcellus and my father were wildly trying to control the terrible forces of the sea. I scrambled to grab an oar and join them, but our efforts were to amount to little in terms of success. Winds howling, waves crashing about, we simply could not defy the natural phenomenon that was assaulting our journey across the depths. A particularly large wave swooned over the entire vehicle, and our raft was turned vertically, then smashed to pieces with a wild force. We were all sent in different directions, and I squirmed to keep myself above-water.

"DAD! MARCELLUS!", I screamed my companions' names like a madman, but to no avail. I tried to paddle towards my friends, who were becoming ever-so-distant with the power of the waves.

Eventually, my exhaustion overcame my will to stay conscious, and I plunged under the sea. Yet, as I started to sink, I knew already that it wasn't the end.

...Well, sorry for the wait. I guess I AM a bit dead, eh?

In all honesty, I spent a bit of time editing this darned thing, so it would have taken a while to type, even if I hadn't slacked off and played TF2 and stuff all day. Well, it's finally done, and I hope that people will still read this and stuff. Any comments are appreciated. See ya soon!

-WhiteYoshi