11-03-2015, 11:44 PM
Once everyone had loaded up into the vehicle, Zack had leaned heavily on the horn to announce their road trip had begun and taken off down the road. That had been awhile ago, and his few attempts at conversation with his "co-pilot" had been largely ignored. Now Miranda slept as peacefully as someone like her could, while Zack drove absentmindedly down the road. He glanced over to the sleeping girl again and rolled his eyes, wishing she'd thrown Drake or even Colonel in the front.
But instead he was stuck driving in relative silence. He'd turned on the radio, and was impressed that it didn't seem to phase Miranda in the slightest, despite the volume he had to keep it at to actually hear it since this thing didn't come with windows. Miranda had skimped out on the speakers as well, but at least it was functional enough to hear.
So he listened intently to a broadcast from the Vasty Deep. Some sport that he couldn't begin to understand was being played. It sounded like fun, and the announcers were into it, so he just tried to figure it out as he mindlessly listened.
Before long, the road took them into a cavern, so he was forced to turn on the bright lights on the vehicle, which thankfully worked. They drove past rivers and lakes of lava, all of which Zack intently watched for some sort of hazardous environmental malfunction like they'd experienced before. Their information turned out to be right, though, and the road was much more stable.
Zack kept glancing at the map, grumbling something about the sleeping girl in the passenger seat being the navigator. There were a few twists and turns in the road, but before long they came upon a gigantic lake of lava. Nestled in the middle of it was a massive fortress that looked every bit as stereotypical as the last fort they'd been to, except this castle looked a thousand times more massive and grand.
He drove up to it, stopping a decent distance away from it. Walking the rest of the way would be no problem, but it was far enough from the entrance that the security this place had would feel comfortable. Zack pounded his first against the horn twice to get a good double honk out of this piece of junk, announcing their arrival and waking Miranda. She looked around while he locked in the parking break and opened the driver side door.
"Mmm?" Miranda groaned, still sleepy after her long night. "We're here? You managed to not kill us?"
Zack grinned back at her as he slid out of the truck. "Look around. We might be dead and in hell, after all."
Miranda groaned and pushed her own door open, wondering when Zack would tire of that joke. She stepped out of the vehicle and onto the rocky surface, looking up to see they were indeed well underground at this point.
Zack, meanwhile, pulled his sword from the sheath he'd made for it, and briefly inspected it. It had a few scrapes and scratches from where it rode, but nothing that would take terribly long to patch up. He decided he'd get to it later. He heaved the massive blade over his shoulder and it rested on his back like normal, then walked around to the front of the truck, standing on the opposite end of the hood from Miranda.
"Nice place, though," Zack commented with a straight face, crossing his arms as he looked up at Bowser's castle. "Maybe he'll give us the number of the sculptor that can make your face into a door."
"Let's just see if they'll let us in," Miranda said, looking back to Drake and Colonel for a second, then back to the castle.
Zack nodded and pointed forward, seeing that their arrival had gotten the attention of the guards near the main entrance. A few were on their way out to greet them. They were more of the same Koopas and Goombas they had seen before, only they looked much more serious than the ones they'd met way out in the boondocks. He shot a glance to Miranda, then walked around to the front and leaned against the hood, keeping his arms crossed while he waited on them to arrive.
But instead he was stuck driving in relative silence. He'd turned on the radio, and was impressed that it didn't seem to phase Miranda in the slightest, despite the volume he had to keep it at to actually hear it since this thing didn't come with windows. Miranda had skimped out on the speakers as well, but at least it was functional enough to hear.
So he listened intently to a broadcast from the Vasty Deep. Some sport that he couldn't begin to understand was being played. It sounded like fun, and the announcers were into it, so he just tried to figure it out as he mindlessly listened.
Before long, the road took them into a cavern, so he was forced to turn on the bright lights on the vehicle, which thankfully worked. They drove past rivers and lakes of lava, all of which Zack intently watched for some sort of hazardous environmental malfunction like they'd experienced before. Their information turned out to be right, though, and the road was much more stable.
Zack kept glancing at the map, grumbling something about the sleeping girl in the passenger seat being the navigator. There were a few twists and turns in the road, but before long they came upon a gigantic lake of lava. Nestled in the middle of it was a massive fortress that looked every bit as stereotypical as the last fort they'd been to, except this castle looked a thousand times more massive and grand.
He drove up to it, stopping a decent distance away from it. Walking the rest of the way would be no problem, but it was far enough from the entrance that the security this place had would feel comfortable. Zack pounded his first against the horn twice to get a good double honk out of this piece of junk, announcing their arrival and waking Miranda. She looked around while he locked in the parking break and opened the driver side door.
"Mmm?" Miranda groaned, still sleepy after her long night. "We're here? You managed to not kill us?"
Zack grinned back at her as he slid out of the truck. "Look around. We might be dead and in hell, after all."
Miranda groaned and pushed her own door open, wondering when Zack would tire of that joke. She stepped out of the vehicle and onto the rocky surface, looking up to see they were indeed well underground at this point.
Zack, meanwhile, pulled his sword from the sheath he'd made for it, and briefly inspected it. It had a few scrapes and scratches from where it rode, but nothing that would take terribly long to patch up. He decided he'd get to it later. He heaved the massive blade over his shoulder and it rested on his back like normal, then walked around to the front of the truck, standing on the opposite end of the hood from Miranda.
"Nice place, though," Zack commented with a straight face, crossing his arms as he looked up at Bowser's castle. "Maybe he'll give us the number of the sculptor that can make your face into a door."
"Let's just see if they'll let us in," Miranda said, looking back to Drake and Colonel for a second, then back to the castle.
Zack nodded and pointed forward, seeing that their arrival had gotten the attention of the guards near the main entrance. A few were on their way out to greet them. They were more of the same Koopas and Goombas they had seen before, only they looked much more serious than the ones they'd met way out in the boondocks. He shot a glance to Miranda, then walked around to the front and leaned against the hood, keeping his arms crossed while he waited on them to arrive.