Super Paper Mario

The origins of Bleck's minions.

Rated K+.

Contains spoilers.

Origins

.o. .c.h.u.n.k.s.

bleck

Dimension traveling is a peculiar thing. Many would think that while going to a different dimension, it feels like you're flying through an endless stream of space. Instead, it is like closing your eyes and then opening them to see that you're in a completely different area than your starting point. At least, that is your experience if you do not linger between dimensions.

Once Nastasia and I arrived in the dimension to find my next minion, another traveler of the dimensions came at the same time.

"Ah ha ha ha ha! I saw you flying through the space-time stream, like a hummingbird flying toward the flower it will suck dry! It's quite a rare site to see fellow dimension travelers." The jester floated up an around us, his comedy mask never changing his smiling expression.

"And who might you be, asked Count Bleck?" I questioned him.

"Count Bleck, what an odd name! Sound devious, sinister. Devious and sinister people are so much fun to be around, don't you agree?" He flew around us some more, sometimes doing aerial maneuvers like barrel rolls and somersaults, before he finally landed in front of Nastasia and me. "You want to you my name? My name is as unimportant as a tax worker knowing the diameter of his desk lamp's base. But I will tell you, Count Bleck, and…"

"Nastasia," she answered.

"Wonderful name! I will tell Count Bleck and Nastasia my name." The cheerful jester went up into the air once again. "I am the master of dimensions, the pleaser of crowds. I am Dimentio! And I wish to tag along with you two, doing devious and sinister deeds as the Count's name implies!"

Nastasia turned to me and whispered, "Is this guy the one that the Prognosticus says for you to let on the team?"

I shook my head and replied, "We are looking for someone of great physical strength. This Dimentio may have powerful magic and dimension-warping skills, but we do not need him."

I turned to him to reject his offer, but it seemed that he had heard what Nastasia and I discussed.

"So your Prognosticus guide states that you do not need my service?" Somehow, his mask's expression changed from a jolly grin to a disappointed grimace. "And extra like me could help so much, like a calculator helps a struggling algebra student."

"Yeah, I'll set an interview appointment if we decide to let you in, 'K?"

"I am sorry, but we must follow it word for word." With that, Nastasia and I left him.

Believing that we could not hear him, Dimentio said to himself, "They'll let me in eventually." He swore this in such a way that sent chills down my spine.

As we walked more into this dimension, the more torn-apart it looked. Houses were burning, dead bodies were scattered around, and the survivors looked at us with fearful eyes. The sounds of gunshots grew louder while we neared the end of the broken neighborhood.

"Seems like a war-zone," Nastasia observed.

"'Oy! Are ye 'ere teh 'elp Gen'ral O' Chunks?" piped up someone inside a house. A little child ran out of it, looking up at me with grey eyes. Although her innocence let her have more hope than the adults, the girl's eyes held evident despair.

Her mother came and picked her up. "Fer teh Overthere's sake, please tell meh yer 'ere the 'elp our good gen'ral."

"Count Bleck is sorry. We are searching for one of great strength."

"That be the Gen'ral! What'd ye want with 'im? 'E an 'is army be the only ones protectin' what's left of our country from them invaders."

"Invaders?"

"Ay. We be livin' on valuable grounds, 'cordin' teh them. Want teh use the country fer jewel mines, but we be livin' 'ere!"

A rumbling much louder than the gunshots came from behind us. When I turned around to see the source of the noise, I was met with a giant tank. The war machine crawled towards the neighborhood, threatening to run over a house's fence. The tank's treads stopped just before touching the top of the fence. Everyone came out of what was left of their homes to watch the lid of the tanker slowly open.

When the top was totally vertical, one large man with an equally large red beard hopped out on top of the tank.

"'Oy! Them invaders be finished!" the soldier yelled. He removed his helmet and bowed to the cheering locals, his bald head gleaming with sweat from a difficult battle.

"War be over! War be over!" they rejoiced. How I wished for my war to be over.

Nastasia and I were invited to the end-of-battles celebration party. The festival was held in the last city that was untouched by the invaders. All of the citizens in the country came to the event, even those in the far corners of the nation.

In the middle of the throng was the red-bearded soldier who brought the news from a tank. He seemed to be the most important of the military leaders from the amount of people that were praising him.

"Um, that colonel with the red beard might be the O' Chunks the townswoman was talking about," Nastasia guessed.

"I believe so; he matches the description in the Dark Prognosticus aptly for physical appearance, but the book states that the warrior should be shrouded in depression and anguish. O' Chunks seems so proud of his accomplishments that he could never be brought down, at least not down to complete despair."

Later that night, I would be proven wrong.

In the inn we stayed in, Nastasia fell asleep almost immediately. I, however, could not stop thinking about who the Dark Prognosticus told me to look for, and as usual I was plagued with thoughts about my lost love. It had been a while since I had real sleep, and sometimes, like tonight, I could not sleep at all.

I looked out the window and into the city. These people may have been saved by their military now, but once I open the Void the most powerful weapons could not stop the destruction. The happy feelings the citizens felt were only temporary. Only anger and sadness linger in your soul.

While I stared out, something on the horizon caught my eye. A wave of something was coming towards the city; in relation to the nearest buildings, each individual in the group was the same size as the tank I saw yesterday.

The same size as the tank…

A stroke of realization came over me. I made myself invisible then teleported next to the looming army. My suspicions were true when I saw the insignia on the tanks. The other day I saw a gun in the hand of a dead soldier with the same sign. It was different than the label on O' Chunk's vehicle. It was the mark of the invaders.

I went back to the hotel and shook Nastasia by the shoulder.

"Uh… Wha… What is it?" she asked groggily.

"The invaders are ambushing the city. We must wait out the attack somewhere safe."

Her face tried to construct an expression of surprise, but her sleepiness ruined the effect. I grabbed her by the wrist and teleported us outside, hovering over the doomed metropolis. When the tank shells were fired into the city, the screaming started. Nastasia could hardly keep herself standing; the sounds of battle did not jog her mind.

I kept my eyes on the invaders crushing most everything in their path. Any who tried to fight off them were easily dispatched. The attack was a complete surprise, and the country's military was definitely not prepared for the fight.

The takeover of the city was not a long one. Once it seemed like the end of the fight, I lowered Nastasia and myself to the ground. She collapsed from weariness on the grassy knoll, now tainted by the struggle. I walked toward where the leaders of each army were and eavesdropped on their terms of surrender.

I turned myself invisible and listened to the two men.

"'Oy… 'Ow could ye betray yer own people, Magee? 'Ow could ye betray me, yer friend fer 'ow many years?" the defeated O' Chunks asked the smug-looking man in from of him.

Magee's smirk only widened at the general's words. "Can't ye see? I wanted in on them valuable jewels. I want them riches! Friend? HA! I stayed close teh ye teh plan this 'ere ambush with our 'en'mies'. I found when ye'd be most vulner'ble, then I sayed teh Gen'rel O' Leary when teh attack, takin' out most cit'zens. Soon, this whole country's gonna be a jewel mine, with me reapin' them profits!" He jeered in his face one last time, turned around, and left O' Chunks standing there, staring at the ground. Though no one (visible) was around, he still tried to hide his sobs and tears.

I released the invisibility spell from myself and stepped towards the former general.

"I failed meh people. I couldn't protect 'em, and isn't that what mil'taries are supposed teh do?" He still hadn't looked up from the ground, and was probably speaking to himself.

I answered him anyway. "You cannot win all of your wars and battles."

His head snapped up, wild eyes boring into my head. I could see in his damaged soul that he cared for the country with the same strength that I cared for Timpani, and I saw a mirror-image of myself after I lost her.

"But this war was dif'frent! This war was life o' death fer meh people! I fell short, an' now the country be dead!" O' Chunks grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me on every word he emphasized. Most people would have never done this to someone who had just walked up to them, but he was having a breakdown from the loss of the war.

Just like the Prognosticus described.

In a matter of seconds, I came up with a plan to persuade him to join my ranks. "What would you do to have this back?"

"Abs'lutely anything…"

"I can recreate this entire dimension, and all the others. If you join Count Bleck, this world will be brought back with no enemies and no jewels for anyone to conquer for." His eyes filled with hope, believing every lie I told through my teeth. "Any homelessness, poverty, hunger, and any other problems will be a thing of the past once the original dimension, this, and all dimensions are destroyed. We will create a perfect world, declared Count Bleck." I do not think I needed my entire speech to coax him to join Nastasia and me.

"Ay! I will come. anything fer meh country. I will join ye, Count Bleck."

I gave myself an ominous half-smile and teleported us back to the still-sleeping Nastasia. I saw O' Chunk's face turn as red as his beard when he laid eyes on her resting form. This was going to be interesting.

I took all three of us back to Castle Bleck once Nastasia woke up. She recorded the events that took place in O' Chunk's dimension and gave him the grand tour of the castle. I returned to the study to read more of the Dark Prognosticus.

When they walked into the room to complete the tour, Nastasia whispered to me, "This O' Chunks guy is a complete oaf."

"Patience, Nastasia. The Prognosticus has led us to him, and so Count Bleck assumes he will show his worth soon enough."

The following weeks were a little slow as we let O' Chunks become more familiar with Castle Bleck. I would see him stumble in one of the drills Nastasia gave, but he did not seem discouraged every time he was punished. He would have a look on his face that reminded me of myself not too long ago, but it didn't change the plans in any way.

Once everything was running smoothly again, I decided to seek the next minion. Once again, I put down the Dark Prognosticus, and I flipped myself, Nastasia, and O' Chunks to the other dimension. Little did I know that someone was pursing us again.