Gamer and Minnie carefully navigated the rocky tunnel and interspersed gaps. Minnie's cooperation came in favor more than the blushroom. She propped Gamer up whenever his balance went off kilter. She lent a hand after being boosted by Gamer over ledges. Her abundance of innocence and kindness was a nice change of pace from where he came from.
After one gap, there were a series of pipes that jutted up and down the tunnel. Some went straight through from floor to ceiling, but others stuck out like they did on the surface. Their erratic placement finally made Gamer ask, "These pipes I keep seeing, do they serve a purpose?"
Minnie shivered, "...Marco."
"Okay, who the flamingo is Marco, and why is everybody traumatized by the guy?"
Minnie took a moment to gather her thoughts. They moved through the green forest of metal as she gave the backstory, "We're not too clear where he came from. He's been a thorn in Lord Shellie's side for quite some time now. Lord Shellie used to kidnap the princess multiple times to wager against her father, but eventually Marco showed up and started saving her. We always thought the king hired him, or that the princess and her were friends or lovers. Yet he shows no feelings for the shroomans. He attacks everybody indiscriminately, and relentlessly hunts for the princess and coins. Coins are pretty important to the princess."
"Great, he's a simp," the fact curled Gamer's toes. "And your whole army can't stop him?"
"He's a tough cookie. He slaughters us in droves, breaks our shells, and bonks us on the head," Minnie covered her head in fear.
The weight of this mysterious man started to dawn on Gamer. He noted some other key details, such as the political usurp of a princess. This princess's name was Persica - perhaps the right person to talk to after helping her people. Another detail intensified the name Marco, "He can break your shells? Even with their durability?"
"Marco has powers we've never seen. He eats the flora of the land, and it changes him. It makes him big, and can even give him fire powers. He's a true menace..." Minnie shivered again, as if reliving past nightmares.
Size enhancements and fire abilities from items? Sounds like this Marco may be another player, and is using power ups. If power ups are around here, Gamer liked the idea of stockpiling some. Especially if this Marco came around.
Minnie was yanked backwards. Gamer tried to reach back for her, but something wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Living vines caught Gamer and Minnie and raised them into the air. The vines constricted their movements. Gamer's limbs were spread apart like a star, while Minnie's vines tied her arms to her torso. He sought what controlled the vines, and found the answer rising out of the end of some broken pipes. Large plant bulbs rose out and hissed. The bulbs had mouths, with rows of sharp teeth inside.
"What kind of flytraps are these?! I ain't no zombie, dammit!" Gamer struggled.
"Ah!" Minnie screamed. The vines slithered across her body. They rubbed the underside of her boobs and inner thigh. Her scream was muffled when the vines slid across her mouth and became an impromptu rope gag. The vines carried Minnie closer to one of the bulbs. It opened its mouth to chomp down on the shellie. Two more monstrous flytraps emerged from the pipes and approached Gamer. Unable to break free, this was it. This was game over...
Something slammed into the pipe where the flytrap trying to eat Minnie emerged. The pipe broke off and tugged the flytrap with it. It timbered over into the other pipes and dragged all the vines with it. The yank broke Gamer and Minnie free and they landed hard on the ground. Gamer recovered the quickest, in time to see one of the flytraps desperately lunge at him. Before it chomped down, Gamer jumped and kicked up. The force of the kick sent the flytrap back into its pipe. The cacophony of pipes tumbling and monstrous plants screeching filled the tunnel. Once the chaos settled, there were no more writhing vines or hungry flytraps. Just broken and haphazard pipes.
"Thank you!" Minnie cried out to their unseen savior. When Gamer turned to see who it was, shock and pride mixed in his gut. Standing there, still alive, was the blushroom. Its head appeared a little deflated, from the consequence of gravity and a hard surface. Other than that, it didn't look any worse for wear. Minnie gave it a hug, and it was pleased as usual.
"You're alive!" Gamer ran over and hugged it. The blushroom let out a happy growl and nuzzled up against Gamer and Minnie. Nothing could ruin this joyous moment.
A small spear flew in and penetrated the forehead of the blushroom. Minnie and Gamer leaned away, confused, as the blushroom's eyes blanked. Three more spears zipped in and pegged the blushroom. It instantly fell backwards, lifeless.
"You're dead!" Gamer unfairly mourned once more. He snapped his sights onto who attacked it. Past the pipe calamity were a few shellies coming their way. Gamer cracked his knuckles, flared his anger, and charged at the shellies to avenge his dead companion.
Minnie was ready to join Gamer, but movement came from the blushroom. It stirred on the ground - it was alive again! Minnie placed a hand on it, "Hey, are you okay?"
The blushroom had no way of responding properly, but the four spears that turned it into a living pincushion did not look comfortable. Minnie examined one, all the while shellie screams echoed in the background as Gamer went ham on them. Minnie decided to pull one of the spears out. Upon doing so, a fountain of blood squirted out. The blushroom's eyes bulged and it screamed like a banshee. Minnie in turn screamed like a banshee.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Minnie tried to replug the hole with the spear. She missed. The blushroom and Minnie screamed in unison. She tried again - missed. This wasn't looking good; Minnie needed to stop the bleeding. She tried plugging the hole a third time - missed. She slipped on the blood and headbutted another spear - hit. She tried rolling over and getting off of the blushroom - missed. She rolled across the rest of the spears - combo. Minnie scrambled to her feet and checked the blushroom. It fell silent, eyes closed. The spears did it in. Minnie's whole body vibrated in shock.
"Good gravy, that was unnecessarily violent! Thank goodness I play video games," Gamer returned, not a scratch on him, after dispatching the shellies across the way. The vengeance didn't do anything, though, "Dammit, how could they do this to it? It was so young. At least it died peacefully in the arms of a friend."
Minnie's eyes were bugged, but she nodded frantically to agree. She didn't say anything, and Gamer agreed - a moment of silence was appropriate. After that, the duo continued travelling through the tunnel.
Past the pipes, and the unconscious and/or dead shellies, was some type of outpost. It sat at the end of the tunnel. A couple of brick buildings were built into the cavern walls. Based on the carts, worked stone, and mining tools scattered about, it used to be part of the shroomans' operations underground. Another pitfall was nearby, but this one had an elevator system made of simple platforms and rope. The platforms would dip into the gap on one side, and then rise up out of sight into a gap in the ceiling. That must be what the bricked shrooman spoke of. With the shellies dealt with, Gamer and Minnie were able to jump on the platform elevator and take it up to the castle.