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Super Mario Bros. 7: The Demonic Trials (Epilogue Posted!)

Started by shadowmarioguy, May 08, 2009, 03:12:00 PM

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shadowmarioguy

#30
Chapter 10: Demon of Hatred

Nightmare's Theme

"Your puny attacks can't possibly break my barrier," Nightmare warned them icily.  "My hatred blocks out your foolish ideals of teamwork."

"We'll see about that," Ace murmured, removing a card from his deck.  He crushed it in his palm, causing a beam saber to materialize in his hand.  "Glaive, we might be able to pierce his shield if we all attack him at once."

"Sounds like a plan," Glaive affirmed, grinning as he unsheathed his blade.  "Luigi, are you going to help?"

Luigi gulped.  "I'll... try..."

Nightmare drew his sword as he slowly approached the group.  "This blade was forged in the deepest reaches of the Nightmare Vault, and it allows you to control the Nightmare Haze.  However, mastering this blade comes at a great price.  You must throw away all emotions and feelings- except for hatred.  Any trace of happiness or love will dull the sword's edge, while   hatred will only make it sharper.  Appropriately, I call it the Nightmare Blade."

"Be careful," Ace whispered.  "That blade is sharp enough to slice through anything- even Glaive's armor."

On Ace's signal, the three of them rushed forward at Nightmare.  Glaive attacked from the right, and Ace from the left.  Luigi charged directly at Nightmare before leaping above his head and hurling Fireballs at him from behind.  Two metal clangs echoed through the tunnel.  Glaive and Ace each landed direct hits with their blades, but they failed to even put a dent in Nightmare's barrier.  Not to mention Luigi's Fireballs, which had been deflected effortlessly.  Ace and Glaive put all of their weight onto their swords, desperately trying to pierce Nightmare's skin.  Luigi merely quivered in fear.  His attack had failed.

In the blink of an eye, Nightmare whirled around and slashed his blade across Luigi's chest.  Luigi had instinctively stepped backward to avoid a fatal blow, but he still had quite a gash.  Blood trickled out from his wound, and Luigi crumpled to his knees in pain.

"And the human was caught off guard again," Nightmare sneered.  He spun his blade around in a perfect circle, knocking the struggling Ace and Glaive to the ground.  "It looks like the human no longer has the strength to fight, so which of you should I immobilize next?"  With his back turned to Luigi, Nightmare pointed his blade at Ace.

Clutching his wound with one hand, Luigi shakily aimed his other hand at Nightmare.  I'm not out of this fight yet...




Sea of Flames

"Well, this is definitely the Sea of Flames," Mario observed.  He stood on a rocky cliff at the north border of Forever Forest.  "The haze looks like it's coming from nearby, but where?  I'll bet they're all fighting on one of these islands, but finding them will take too long.  I don't have time for this!"  He scratched his chin, pondering the quickest way to locate his friends.

BOOM!

An earsplitting explosion erupted from a nearby island, sending rock and debris soaring into the clouded sky.  This was followed by an enormous green Fireball, which launched out toward the heavens like a cannonball.  Mario clenched his fists.  "Luigi!  He must've been desperate to fire a shot that large." 

Mario grinned as an Iceball formed in his hand.  "At least I know where to go.  Of course, getting there shouldn't be a problem."  He blasted the Iceball at the inferno below him and leapt onto a small chunk of frozen lava.  He created two more Iceballs.  "Time to play hopscotch."




Nightmare's Theme

Small pebbles and rocks began to tumble from the wide gap in the cave's ceiling.  "Attacking me while my back is turned?  That's something I'd expect from a human," Nightmare spat, bitterness and hatred pervading his tone.  "It's too bad that I saw it coming.  Now you're all out of fuel, am I right?  Relying on a power source as feeble as Elemental Energy is foolish.  I have an infinite supply of hatred that will fuel my strength to the very end."

Luigi collapsed onto the rugged ground, a pool of blood beginning to surround him.  "I thought... I could break his barrier..."

"He tried to put all of his strength into one Fireball," Ace observed with pity.  "But it missed.  Now he has nothing left."  He observed the hole in the ceiling that Luigi's attack had made.  "But... he did give me an idea!"

Glaive gestured at Ace's deck of cards.  "Ready?"

Ace nodded.  In a flash, he drew a card and hurled it in Nightmare's direction.  Instead of hitting him, it curved upward and wedged itself in the rocky ceiling of the cavern.  In seconds, the card detonated and sent several massive boulders collapsing down onto Nightmare.  Ace peered into the dust and smoke created by the impact.

Standing in the midst of all the fallen debris stood Nightmare, completely unharmed.  "My hatred can see through your childish tricks."

"Your hatred is starting to irritate me," Glaive retorted, clutching his blade.  "I have to make this guy shut up!  His presence is overwhelming...  It's almost as if his hatred is contagious...  It's maddening!"

"Keep it together.  We can still do this," Ace reassured him.  "I don't think I've ever seen so much malice contained within one person.  He's not your typical villain trying to rule over someplace, or to extract some kind of revenge.  All that's on his mind is hatred: pure and simple."

"That's not entirely true," Nightmare defended.  "I'm doing this for a reason.  My hatred isn't my purpose; my purpose is to annihilate the source of my hatred.  It turns out that my goal and Metal Mario's goal are both the same. That's why I'm helping them.  Plus, I get to cause misery to the humans.  What could be better?"

"I won't let you take your bitterness out on mankind!" Ace screamed as he hurled a cluster of cards at Nightmare.  The demon swung his sword, creating a gust of wind that send the cards flying back into Ace and exploding on impact.  Ace fell to his knees in pain.

"I don't know why he hates humans so much," Glaive stated coldly, "but anyone that's working with Metal Mario is our enemy!"  He rushed at Nightmare, his blade raised high above his head.

Nightmare's eyes became blood-red with malice.  In one swift motion, Glaive was out of the battle.

Ace gasped. How...  How could he...

Before Glaive had even reached his target, Nightmare had stabbed his blade though Glaive's armor and pierced his lower chest.  "Traitor," Nightmare hissed as he pulled his sword from Glaive's chest.  "Don't assume for a SECOND that I'm in an alliance with Metal Mario.  I don't need anyone else's help.  If anything, Metal Mario needs my help.  I'll eradicate him the second he interferes with my plans."

Glaive collapsed onto the ground as blood pooled from his wound.  "This guy's... crazy..."

"Crazy?" Nightmare parroted.  "Has it ever occurred to you that you 'heroes' might be the crazy ones?  Perhaps it was Zeus who was truly insane when he sealed the demons away in the Nightmare Vault.  And maybe, just maybe, the idea of good wasn't meant to prevail all of those centuries ago.  Maybe you're all wrong, and Zeus was the one who should have been sealed away!  Maybe evil was meant to prevail!"

Fighting Spirit

"Sounds like demons are a bunch of sore losers to me," a voice echoed from the cavern's entrance.

Luigi's eyes lit up as Mario entered the room.  "Bro..."

Glaive used his sword to help him stand up.  "He's here... but what can he do?"

"Who's this arrogant buffoon?" Nightmare wondered aloud.  "You'd better watch your mouth, human!  I'll kill you where you stand!"

"I assume the polite gentleman over there is Nightmare," Mario told Ace sarcastically.  "I can't believe he gave you all this much trouble.  I'm even more surprised Nightmare had to draw his sword.  All he had to do was bore you all to death with his lame speeches."

Watch it, Mario... Glaive thought.  Nightmare isn't the type of person you want to anger...  For your sake, I hope you're back at full strength.

"Are you sure you should be fighting?  He's extremely dangerous," Ace warned Mario.

"I'm fine," Mario replied.  "I haven't fought for this kingdom in two years.  Now that I don't have any stupid haze to slow me down, I'm ready to start protecting people again."

He's so... confident...  Just how strong is he? Ace wondered as Mario approached Nightmare.

Mario grinned from ear to ear.  His stare was focused on Nightmare.  "You shouldn't dwell on what-ifs.  The fact is, this Zeus character did seal all of the demons away," Mario stated as he walked straight up to Nightmare.  "The way I see it, what's happening now only proves that demons were meant to be sealed away.  Anyway, it seems like you've got some mental conflicts, so I'll just introduce myself.  Full-time Mushroom Hero and part-time demon exterminator- I'm Mario."

Nightmare was trembling with rage.  He cooled himself down before speaking.  "You're feeling awfully arrogant, aren't you?  Let's see what you can do."

Nightmare vs. Mario

Mario began the fight by launching a few Fireballs at Nightmare as he sprinted toward him.  His flames bounced off of the demon like rubber balls.  Just as I thought; small attacks aren't going to affect this guy.  Mario took a leap to the side as Nightmare's blade came crashing down on the spot he had just stood in.

"At least you're better than that other human," Nightmare sneered, twirling his sword.  At this point, Mario had gotten behind his foe.  With one graceful twirl, Nightmare spun his blade around in an attempt to slash the plumber.  However, the swift Mushroom Hero managed to nimbly hop onto the sword and use it to propel himself up above Nightmare's head.

I wonder how his barrier will handle a full-fledged aerial attack, Mario wondered as he plummeted downward.  He carefully evaded an upward slash of the Nightmare Blade before landing a precise kick to the demon's shoulder.  Nightmare didn't budge.

"You call that an attack?" Nightmare yawned, unimpressed.  "It'll take a lot more to break through my intense hatred."

Mario fell to the ground, clutching his foot.  "That was like kicking a brick wall!  What's that barrier made of?"

"Hatred," Nightmare replied laconically.  "It's the toughest substance in existence.  You can never pierce it."

"We'll see about that," Mario chuckled as flames began to surround his palms.  I can't be sure if there's always a barrier surrounding him, or if he just materializes one when he knows I'm about to hit him.  I'll catch him off guard and see what happens.  Once again, Mario charged at the unscathed Nightmare.

"This time I'll actually try to hit you," Nightmare muttered as he clutched his blade.  As Mario was only a few feet away from him, Nightmare swung his sword.  A metal clang echoed through the cavern as a Flaming Sword materialized in Mario's hands.  The plumber parried Nightmare's blade, discarded his sword, and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks at the exposed demon.  It was like punching solid stone.  Mario gasped.  Nightmare regained his cool and slashed again.

Despair

"Bro!" Luigi cried as Mario tumbled onto the ground, clutching a bloody wound on his shoulder.

"How..." Mario groaned in agony.  "How am I supposed to..."

"Pierce my barrier?  You can't!" Nightmare spat in disgust.  "Nothing can surpass the immense power of my hatred!  My-"

"Shut up!" Mario demanded in a hoarse voice.  "You didn't let me finish...  How am I supposed to... protect the kingdom... if I keep losing like this...?  First the haze... and now this...  What's wrong with me?  Why can't I... protect my friends?"

"You've got to keep fighting," Glaive pleaded, trembling with pain.  "You saved us two years ago, and you can save us again.  I hate to have to beg you to do this, especially since I consider you my rival, but..."

"Mario, you're the only one left who can fight," Ace added, badly bruised from the explosions of his own cards.  "We're all counting on you."

Mario struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his wound.  "I'm... not ready to give up yet...  My friends are depending on me...  I've got to keep trying, no matter what."

"Enough!" Nightmare shrieked, shielding his ears.  "All of this talk about friendship and trust...  Bah!  It makes me sick!  I thought you were an outstanding warrior when our battle began.  Now I see that you're exactly the kind of person I hate!  You're one of those people who are motivated by encouragement from friends and family!  Let me show you the error of your ways!  I shall rid you of your so-called 'friends'."

"Leave them out of this!" Mario bellowed, his fists clenched.

With a flick of Nightmare's wrist, four purple rings materialized and wrapped themselves around Mario's body.  "Those are also created from my hatred, so there's nothing you can do to break them.  They'll weigh you down, leaving you completely helpless as I rid you of your friends.  Once your silly feelings are replaced with hatred for me, you'll gain true power and break free from your imprisonment!"

"No!  Leave them alone!" Mario screamed, wildly thrashing about in an attempt to break free.

"It's too late for that," Nightmare replied with a grin.  "They're going to die, and you can't do a thing until they're already dead!  But once you are overcome with hatred and break free, you won't be any different from me!  You'll no longer be a hero.  You'll have nothing left to do but spread your hatred!"

"Leave them alone!" Mario repeated, not listening to a word Nightmare was saying.

"Perhaps I'll just have to show you what I mean," Nightmare sighed.  He stared into Luigi's eyes as he held his blade close to his throat.  If Luigi budged even an inch, Nightmare could instantly end his life.  "I'll rid the world of the human first."  He gripped the hilt of his blade.

"Leave them alone!!" Mario screeched one final time, now on his feet. 

"What?" Nightmare gasped in disbelief.  "How is that possible?  I'm not detecting any hatred at all!"

Fighting Spirit

"Bro..." Luigi whispered as he collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

"What happened?" Ace pondered.  "Mario...  He's like a completely new person."

"Now I get it," Glaive whispered.  "I finally understand."

The sound of shattered glass filled the cave as the rings surrounding Mario broke apart.  "Don't you DARE touch them!" Mario demanded, a blue aura emanating from his body.  "You keep rambling on about hatred, and how much you despise humans and friendship.  We get the picture!  Shut up, already!  This is going to be one long adventure if every demon I meet is like you!  It's time I started protecting this kingdom again!  No stupid barrier is gonna stop me!"

"He definitely wasn't this powerful when he arrived," Nightmare murmured.  "Ugh, I understand what you are.  You're Mr. Nice Guy; the hero who always comes to save the day.  When the situation becomes desperate and you start taking serious damage, you become stronger instead of weaker.  I truly loathe people like you!"

Glaive pointed at Mario.  "See that aura?  That's similar to what I saw when he was fighting Shade.  I was wondering why Mario didn't seem as strong as he should be.  I understand he's been through a lot in the past few days, but he seemed a lot weaker than he should have been, considering he's been training with Grambi.  Now I understand.  His true power doesn't surface until he gets desperate.  He may possess the power of the Hero bloodline, but he hasn't learned how to bring it all out at will.  When we fought Shade, the situation was desperate and Mario had no problems accessing his power.  This time, he needed a kick in the rear."

"Crushing that barrier seems like a real pain at first, but now it's nothing but a little glass wall," Mario chuckled, slowly walking toward Nightmare.  "It's been a while since I've felt this good.  I forgot that I had this kind of power.  Now that I've found something even stronger than your hatred, this'll be easy."

"Stronger than my hatred?" Nightmare parroted.  He threw his head back and laughed.  "Now you're acting all tough again.  Just look at your wounds!  Fine; I'll humor you.  Attack me again, and then you'll fall into despair just like before."

"Alright, the bet's on," Mario agreed.  "One free hit, coming right up."

Nightmare vs. Mario 

Nightmare clutched his blade, preparing to end his foe's life with one final blow.  As soon as his attack bounces off of my barrier, I'll dispose of him.  Before his blade could budge an inch, Mario was already in front of him with his fists raised.  The hero threw a bone-breaking right hook at Nightmare's chest.  The sound of shattered glass filled the room once again as Mario's fist connected with Nightmare.

"Let me introduce you to a power even stronger than hate: hope.  Blocking my attacks with that barrier is like blocking a gunshot with a sheet of paper," Mario explained.

Nightmare staggered backward, clutching his chest.  "It's been so long... since I've felt pain.  You're tougher than I originally gave you credit for, human.  Perhaps it's time I stopped relying on that defective barrier."  He slashed the ground with his sword, sending a red energy wave zooming toward Mario.

Mario darted to the right to avoid the blast.  He clenched his right fist, gathering flames in his palm.  He sprinted at Nightmare, who began to rapidly swing his sword back and forth.  Several shockwaves identical to the first one launched at Mario.  The plumber ducked, weaved, and leapt out of the paths of the oncoming energy waves.  Just as he reached Nightmare, the demon vanished and reappeared at his side.

"Die, human!" Nightmare howled as he swung his sword at the vulnerable plumber.  Mario quickly reached out with his left hand and grabbed the blade as tightly as he could without slicing his fingers off.  He pulled himself toward Nightmare and sent his flaming fist on a collision course with Nightmare's face.  The demon dropped his blade and staggered backward, dazed from Mario's punch.  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mario executed a brutal combo of fierce punches and kicks.  He ended the combo with a roundhouse kick that was charged up with the Element of Thunder.  Nightmare tumbled onto his back, unconscious.




Victory

Nightmare's eyes fluttered open.  "Where..."  He leapt to his feet and scanned the area.  "Why... why didn't you finish me off?"

"You should rest," Ace replied.  "You took quite a beating from Mario."

"You didn't answer my question," Nightmare snapped.  "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"

"If it were me, I would have killed you," Glaive sighed.  "But Mr. Nice Guy over here couldn't do it."

"I don't know why you hate humans so much, but you're not as evil as you led us to believe," Mario told him.  "As I knocked you out of the fight before, I saw a different look in your eyes.  As you fell to the ground, your true self shined through.  In your eyes, I saw that you were crying for help."

Nightmare folded his arms.  "Shut up.  You must have gone insane.  I don't need anybody's help."

"Sure," Mario chuckled.  "I'll make you a deal.  Get rid of all the Nightmare Haze in this kingdom and promise to never hurt another human again.  In return, you can come after me whenever you want.  If you manage to kill me, you can start making Nightmare Haze whenever you feel like it."

Nightmare picked up his blade and sheathed it.  "Hmph.  There's no need to make such a stupid agreement.  I've already sworn to myself that I'd kill you.  I'll have my revenge someday.  Keep your eyes open, because I'll come after you when you least expect it."  He turned to leave.  Mario stopped him.

"Wait!" Mario shouted.  "What's your real name?  There's no way that it could be Nightmare."

"Slade," the demon answered as he exited the cavern.  "Remember it well, human."

"It's strange," Mario whispered, "but he seemed different just now.  He wasn't filled with hatred, or sadness.  He was confused; he couldn't figure out why we spared him.  Slade must have led a very painful life.  Now I know I made the right choice.  If he keeps coming back to challenge me, maybe I'll learn what happened to him.  Once I've figured that out, I can help him."

Magnum

Mario is too nice sometimes :|
Kill the b*tch.

Nice job

Oh Vesperia, never change... never change

jnfs2014

Needs moar catchphrases. :|

lol just kidding. :P

shadowmarioguy

#33
Chapter 11: The Resurrection

Crimson's Theme

Up above, in Earth's orbit, Crimson waited inside his spacecraft for his plan to unfold.  "Ah, what an ugly planet," he murmured, observing a photo of Earth on his computer monitor.  "Lorne, is the new addition to the Resurrection Cannon finished?"

Lorne nodded slowly, mechanically.  "It is now capable of covering the entire planet with one blast.  Also, I've altered the cannon's programming so that the beam it fires is completely invisible to the naked eye.  This way, it will avoid stirring up any unnecessary commotion amongst the humans.  I'll fire it at your command."

"Do it," Crimson demanded, nodding in approval.  "If this works, any machine on the entire planet that was built by Lord Shade will be reborn.  Hopefully that'll include my own 'special' project."

Lorne pressed a series of colorful buttons before pulling a red lever.  Mechanical whirs filled the room as a colossal, circular cannon extended from the underside of the spaceship.  Several flashes of white light erupted from the cannon, and the spacecraft began to rumble.  There was one final flash of green light before the quaking died down and the cannon retracted back into the ship's underside.

"Was that all?" Crimson asked, surprised.  "I was expecting more of an explosion."

"Due to the lack of sound in space, there was no explosion to hear.  Since the beam was invisible, you only saw the light emitted from the cannon when the beam was fired.  Despite this, I'm positive that the Resurrection Cannon was a success," Lorne assured him.

Crimson nodded slowly, squinting at his monitor.  "You should join Hunter and Metal Mario now.  Keep your eyes peeled for any robots that have been brought back to life, and recruit them.  Our goal is to put Mario in a situation where he can't possibly succeed.  If he pulls through, we'll know that he's the one."

"Affirmative." Lorne turned to exit the room.

Crimson stopped him.  "Before you go, I'd like a status report on my other two 'projects'.  Firstly, how are the biotechnology experiments going?"

"They're doing surprisingly well, actually," Lorne informed him.  "We are experiencing some funding issues, but one of our associates will soon fix that.  I doubt we'll have it perfected before the end of the trials, but it'll be perfect for the second stage of the plan.  That is, of course, if Mario can pass the Demonic Trials."

Crimson nodded slowly and thoughtfully.  "Lastly, have you found the source of 'unlimited evil'?  Remember that piece of information I dug up from Lord Shade's old database?  'He who wields the power of the Emerald Flames contains an endless wellspring of evil.'  If we can find this source and use it to our advantage, we can put Mario through even more agony."

"Not yet," Lorne apologized.  "I suspect we'll find it soon, though."  He bowed and exited the room.

"Mario," Crimson whispered, peering at the photograph of Earth.  "I hope you live up to my expectations.  I've searched for so very long...  "




Glaive's Anger

"Idiot!" Glaive screamed at Mario, smashing his fist against the hospital wall.  "Inexcusable!  I can't believe you let him go!  We should have killed him when we had the chance!  Now he could attack us at any time!"

Mario finished strapping his overalls back on over the bandages Kay T. had placed over his wounded shoulder.  "Sorry," he replied sheepishly.  "That just isn't my style.  I didn't see any reason to kill him.  He wasn't a threat to us anymore."

"You're too soft!" Glaive persisted.  "What happens if he attacks us while your powers are busy taking a nap?!  You were lucky that your strength came when it did, but this is ridiculous!  Remember what happened against Lord Shade?  He begged for his life, and it ended up almost getting you killed!"

"Slade must have lived his entire life in a kill-or-be-killed environment.  Maybe by showing him that killing isn't always the answer, I can help ease his pain," Mario explained.

"Sure, because demons are really nice people deep down," Glaive replied sarcastically.  "They just want to annihilate the human race because they have nothing better to do."

"There's something different about him," Mario defended.  "This is just a theory, but I don't think Slade is a demon."

"I concur," Ace agreed.  "Demons following the Phoenix are generally less bitter.  Over the years, the Phoenix's rule has changed them from vengeful rebels to blood-thirsty monsters.  They seek to cause havoc and chaos, even among themselves.  They're an unstable race that knows nothing but death and destruction.  That's why we need to stop them.  If they invade this world, their madness will obliterate everything as we know it.  As soon as they have everything in this world under their control, they'll soon turn against each other.  The world will fall into an age of darkness, and all traces of a structured civilization will soon vanish."

"If he's not a demon, how can he control the Nightmare Haze?" Luigi inquired, confused.

"He did say that the Nightmare Blade gave him the power to control the Nightmare Haze.  I assume that anyone can learn to do the same if they can master the Nightmare Blade, even a human," Ace suggested.  "However, we won't know for sure until we gather more information.  For now, all we have to do is take out Metal Mario.  If we do that, Slade might fall along with him."

[End Music]

"Mario, you're okay!" Peach shrieked with joy as she entered the room.  "I was so worried about you!"  She rushed to Mario's side and gently embraced him, not wanting to open up the wound on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Mario replied cheerfully.  "You can thank Ace for that.  Without him, we would have never been prepared to face the Nightmare Haze."

Peach turned to Ace and bowed.  "Thank you.  We are in your debt, Ace."

Ace shrugged.  "It was nothing, really.  Instead of accepting your gratitude, I should be heading for Mushroom Castle.  There's no way Metal Mario could have accessed the Nexus by now, so we still have plenty of time.  We should be able to stop him by the end of the day.  Let's-"

E. Gadd's Theme

"Yowsers!  I knew I'd find you boys here!" E. Gadd gasped as he entered the room.  His face was pale, and he was trembling with apprehension.  "S- Something happened to the castle!"

"What?!" Mario roared in disbelief.  He rushed to the nearest window and peered outside.  "Whoa..."  Mushroom Castle remained completely intact on the horizon, not a single speck of damage to be found.  The only thing out of the ordinary was the translucent green bubble surrounding the castle's exterior.

"It appears to be some sort of force field!" E. Gadd continued excitedly.  "I stopped by the castle to conduct an experiment, but that darned bubble wouldn't let me get anywhere near the place!"

"It seems as though Metal Mario isn't as dumb as we thought," Glaive observed.  "He must have expected someone from the Demon Resistance to come and tell everyone about the Nightmare Haze.  He knew we'd come after him as soon as we defeated Nightmare!"

"Well, I guess we can't go after him," Luigi sighed, sounding more relieved than disappointed.  "Too bad..."

Mario grinned.  "I bet a few Smash Attacks would take care of that force field.  If Metal Mario created the barrier, it couldn't be that strong."

"In that case, let's split up into two groups," Ace suggested.  "Glaive and I will try to extinguish the barrier.  You two go with E. Gadd back to his lab to see if you can figure out an alternative way to break through the force field.  We'll regroup at the lab in one hour."  The four of them hastily exited.

"Be careful, Mario!" Peach called after them.




E. Gadd sat at his desk, skimming through numerous assortments of thick books.  "Hmm... No, nothing here...  Barriers, force fields, no...  Ah, maybe that could prove useful..."

"Have you found anything yet?" Luigi groaned.  "This is taking forever..."

"Would you rather be hanging around Mushroom Castle?" Mario inquired.  "I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but that's where Metal Mario is."

Luigi squirmed in his chair.  "Uh...  No, I'm fine.  Take as long as you need, Professor."

E. Gadd opened a green book, sending dust flying up the Mario Brothers' faces.  "Here!" he exclaimed, pointing to a paragraph that filled up an entire page.  "Here it explains some of the more obscure abilities of the Star Rod."  He quickly skimmed the page.  "Ah, of course!  This is just a hunch, but I don't think that metal feller made that barrier.  Perhaps he used the power of the Star Rod!"

Mario coughed up a mouthful of dust before replying.  "If that's true, Glaive and Ace won't have a chance at piercing that force field.  How would we break through something that's powered by the Star Rod?" he pondered.  "Maybe the Shadow Rod would neutralize it?"

Grambi's Theme

"No, I'm afraid that would never work," a voice echoed from the lab's entrance.  Grambi entered the room, his face reflecting pain and sadness.

"Hey, uh... Grambi," Mario greeted him.  "Calling you 'Dad' still feels kind of awkward.  So, why'd you come here, anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Grambi apologized.  "The Mushroom Kingdom is in grave danger once again, and the higher authorities in the Overthere are powerless to save it.  Surely you've heard about the crisis that stands before us.  I've arrived to speak to you about a solution to your problems.  A barrier stands in your way, and you are unable to move forward.  Am I correct?"

E. Gadd nodded slowly.  "Yes, but... who are you?"

"I'll explain it to you later," Mario whispered.  He turned to Grambi.  "So, how do you suggest we get past the force field?  Why can't we just use the other Oracles of Power?"

Grambi took a deep breath, as if preparing to give a long speech.  "You see, I am the king of the Overthere.  However, there are still beings that have even more authority than I do.  I'm sure you've heard about 'Zeus'.  Zeus rules over every dimension and realm in existence, and he can command any other being in existence.  To be blunt, he's the theological equivalent of a god."  He paused, and then took another deep breath.  "He has given me orders to leave the other three Oracles of Power alone.  If this is Zeus's wish, there is certainly some logic behind it.  I can only assume that the imbalance caused by the overuse of the Star Rod is the primary reason.  Aside from the Shadow Rod, there is only one source of power that can destroy the barrier in our path: the Hero's Garbs."

"The Hero's what?" Mario parroted.

"The Hero's Garbs," Grambi repeated firmly.  "When they are brought together, they contain unimaginable power and can even overpower the Star Rod.  They're the clothes that were worn by the very first Hero.  This Hero was not only able to control all 100% of the Hero's power, but also possessed other outstanding talents.  While he was able to pass on the Hero's strength to his son, there was no way he could give away his natural talents.  In order to preserve his abilities, he left each of his unique talents in a separate article of clothing before he died.  People lost track of the garbs over many generations, but it's rumored that they were scattered across this very kingdom only a few centuries ago."

Luigi scratched his head.  "So, Professor, can you make us some kind of radar so we can look for them?"

"That idea is cliché and overused," E. Gadd snapped, insulted.  "Besides, I've never heard of these garbs before."

"I've gathered some information on their whereabouts," Grambi informed them.  "I'll admit the idea of using the garbs didn't come from my vast wisdom.  Apparently, some of the garbs had fallen into the hands of the Phoenix.  When I heard about this rumor, I instantly realized that the Hero's Garbs could be just what we need!  And since the demons under the Phoenix rule are trying to break into this world, we might be able to find a demon in possession of a garb and take it back!"

"Maybe..." Mario murmured.  "It's too bad we don't know exactly where the garbs are.  The chances of us being able to find them all out of pure luck are too small."

Grambi thought for a moment as he stroked his long, white beard.  "It's said that if a Hero is in possession of one of the garbs, he can contact the soul of the very first Hero.  This way, the current Hero can find the location of the other garbs.  Don't get your hopes up, but maybe you'd be able to talk to him.  If we could just get our hands on one of those garbs..."

Demonic Trials

"Mario, Luigi!" Ace gasped as he stormed into the room.  His face was pale, and he looked exhausted.  "There's no way that barrier is breaking anytime soon.  Glaive and I just gave it everything we had."

"So what's wrong?" Mario inquired.  "Why are you so tense?  We can find another way past the force field."

"That's not why he's worried," Glaive called out as he entered the room, looking even more flustered than Ace.  "We found someone lying unconscious near the castle's entrance.  He seemed really sick and could barely move.  We offered to bring him to the hospital, but the man refused.  He said that he had just escaped from the hospital before he collapsed next to the castle."

Luigi scratched his head.  "Escaped?  What did he mean by that?"

"Someone is spreading some kind of disease to everyone in the hospital," Ace informed them grimly.  "It's the best time to strike considering almost everyone is in one spot, and we're not there to guard them."

"We've got to get to the hospital right away!" Mario exclaimed as he rushed out of the lab's entrance.

"Wait!  We can't just storm into the hospital without a plan!" Ace called after him.  "This could be a trap!"

"You'll soon learn that patience isn't our strongest virtue," Glaive muttered.  "Mario may be a little impulsive, but he works extraordinarily well under pressure." He followed behind Mario, and was joined by a very hesitant Luigi. 

Ace sighed.  "Stay here, Professor.  It's too dangerous for you to come with us.  We'll take care of things."  He dashed after his comrades.




Mario kicked the front door of the hospital down.  The main hallway was empty.  "This is creepy...  We weren't even gone for that long.  How can somebody work so fast?"  He waited for Glaive, Ace, and Luigi to catch up to him before entering a room nearby.  A haggard old woman was lying unconscious on a bed in the corner of the room.  A very worried nurse stood beside her, jotting down some notes on a piece of paper.

"What's wrong with her?" Ace asked desperately.  "We've heard that there's someone spreading an infection."

"It's so tragic," the nurse replied glumly.  "The virus is spreading uncontrollably.  If the infected patients leave, they'll most likely die.  This is the only place where they can get proper treatment, so they're forced to stay here.  Whoever is doing this has everyone trapped."

"What about the ones who haven't been infected yet?  They should try to escape before it's too late," Mario stated worriedly.

The nurse shook her head.  "There's hardly anyone who hasn't been infected.  The few people that are still healthy are too frightened to try to leave, and the staff is obligated to stay and help the ill.  No one can leave.  One thing is for sure, though.  Whoever is behind this is definitely hidden well.  Our security officers haven't found anything suspicious."

"Then it couldn't be Metal Mario," Mario muttered.  "He's too aggressive for something so subtle.  Whoever it is, we'll be better off if we split up.  Glaive and Ace should search this floor, while Luigi and I will check the second floor.  Don't take any unnecessary risks."

Luigi, Ace, and Glaive nodded.  The four of them scattered in different directions.  Glaive took the rightmost section of the hallway.  He entered a narrow door at the end of the corridor.  Peering inside, he spotted a male Toad lying in a pool of blood- dead.  So, this creep isn't just infecting people with his virus.  He must be hiding in the shadows and infecting as many people as possible without being detected.  If he's spotted, he'll just kill any witnesses and return to the shadows.

"Quite true," a voice whispered too softly for Glaive to hear.  "By the time you find me, it'll be too late."  The whisper vanished from behind the door that led upstairs.




Looming Threat

"I never knew a hospital could be so scary," Luigi whined, shivering feverishly as he carefully crept down the main hallway of the building's second floor.  The lights had all gone out, and the halls were empty.  The only audible sound was the heavy breathing of the intruder's victims.  "Why did we all have to split up?  I would have felt more comfortable if we all stayed together."

Across the hallway, Mario opened a door with a crack expanding horizontally across its center.  The door's hinges were loose, as if it had been forced open.  Clenching his fists, Mario crept inside.  Expecting to find the intruder, the plumber swiftly shut the door behind him and put his back to the wall.  Breathing heavily, he scanned the room.  He sighed with relief.

An elderly male doctor sitting beside an unconscious patient greeted him.  "Hello there.  I didn't know there were still healthy people roaming around.  Anyone here that isn't a doctor has either fallen ill or tried to escape, and those who have tried the latter have been mysteriously killed.  Now the disease is beginning to spread to our staff.  It won't be long before we're all dead."

"I'm here to put a stop to this," Mario assured him.  He glanced at a notebook the doctor was holding.  To ease the tension looming all around them, Mario attempted to strike up a conversation.  "Have you figured out what kind of disease this creep is spreading?"

The old man nodded.  "I'm glad you asked.  I've been studying the symptoms of this virus, and I compared it with other diseases in our database.  I didn't find any exact matches, until it hit me.  This criminal isn't spreading a disease at all.  He's infecting all of his victims with some form of Nightmare Haze."

Mario gasped, his eyes wide with surprise.  "What?!  Are you sure?"

"Yes," the elderly man assured him.  "I compared the symptoms of both conditions, and they're almost identical.  Every patient that's been infected suffers from extreme fatigue and often breathes heavily.  It would also explain why the condition isn't in our database, considering we didn't know Nightmare Haze existed until recently.  I'm not sure how, but this maniac is using the Nightmare Haze."  There was a moment of silence.  "I'm sorry; I haven't introduced myself.  My colleagues call me Doc T.  I've been working at this hospital since it opened, so I'm trying to use my years of experience to help these poor people."

Mario shook the doctor's hand.  "Nice to meet you, Doc.  I don't mean any disrespect, but couldn't you just use the antidote Ace supplied you with?  I'm sure you couldn't have used up that many pills."

Doc T. shook his head.  "It's hard to explain, but this form of the Nightmare Haze has mutated into a form that is unaffected by the medicine Ace produced for us.  He'll have to scan a victim and make a new antidote."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Mario stated.  "First we need to find out who's behind all of this and take care of him.  Once we get rid of the source, curing everyone should be a piece of cake.  By the way, why was the door all banged up?"

"From what I understand, this patient was unwillingly injected with some form of the Nightmare Haze," Doc T. explained.  "It would seem as though this unfortunate man attempted to resist the criminal. Sadly, the fiend managed to break the door down and force the deadly poison into this innocent patient."

Mario clenched his fists, trembling with anger.  "I need to put an end to this, and fast."

On the other side of the hospital, Luigi hesitantly continued his search.  "Um... Excuse me; have you seen any suspicious-looking guys around?" Luigi asked aloud as he entered a room at the edge of the corridor.  The room was entirely vacant, except for a young male doctor in the corner of the room.  He was leaning against the wall, and his eyes had been closed before Luigi spoke.  Luigi slowly approached the man.  "Sorry to disturb you, but-"

The man's eyes quickly opened.  "You want me to tell you if I've seen the one that caused all of this.  I'd be glad to help.  My last name is pretty hard to pronounce, so just call me Dr. Y.  I'm not much of a social or friendly person, but I'm still willing to help.  I was resting my eyes because of the overwhelming depression looming in this hospital."  He forced a smile.  This was all it took to make Luigi feel secure.

Luigi breathed a sigh of relief.  "So what do you know?"

Dr. Y pointed to a nearby closet.  "I wrote down some notes, but my notebook is in the closet and I can't seem to open it.  Could you try?"

Luigi nodded as he grasped the closet's metal doorknob.  It was locked.  "Well, I could always try to force it open."  As he fiddled with the stubborn doorknob, Luigi paid no mind to the slowly approaching Dr. Y.  His back was turned to the doctor, and he had completely let his guard down.  Luigi's eyes widened as he felt a sharp pain in his back.  He let out a bloodcurdling scream before falling to the ground, blood pooling from a gash on his back.

"You shouldn't have let your guard down."  Dr. Y began to deform as he slowly mutated into a horrifying creature.  The abomination pulled out a syringe filled with a red liquid.  Cackling wickedly, he injected the grotesque fluid into the unconscious plumber.  "One down, three to go."

Retronintendodude7

That was a good chapter, although I thought Dr. Y was suspicious. :P
And if none of the characters ever found hospitals creepy until then, they've never been in one at night...o_o

shadowmarioguy

#35
Chapter 12: Merciless Revenge

Demonic Trials

As Luigi toppled onto the floor, an earsplitting scream shattered the silence of the hospital's deserted hallways.  Mario instantly recognized the voice.  "Bro!" he cried fearfully as he rushed toward the room's exit.  "I've gotta go, Doc!"

Down on the first floor, Ace and Glaive regrouped and discussed the source of the scream.  "I think it was Luigi," Ace whispered hesitantly, not wanting it to be true.  "We should check it out."

Glaive sighed.  "Luigi...  You're such a pain."

"The sound came from over there.  I just need to figure out which room he's in," Mario said to himself, sprinting down the main corridor of the second floor like a madman.  When he drew closer to the source of the shriek, he frantically kicked open every door he came in contact with.  He would storm into each room with his fists raised, scan his surroundings, and then leave.  You'd better be alive, Bro!

At last, he arrived at a small door at the edge of the corridor.  He kicked it with all of his might, not noticing the door was already ajar.  The door flew off of its hinges and crashed into the wall at the opposite end of the room.  A group of doctors whirled around, startled by his entrance.  Mario rushed to the center of the group and saw Luigi lying face-down in a pool of blood.

One of the doctors approached him.  He was about Mario's height, young, and had a few strands of brown hair protruding from under his blue-spotted mushroom cap.   "I'm Dr. Y.  This man has a fairly large gash on his back, but that isn't the main problem," the doctor explained.  "He was injected with the Nightmare Haze virus that's been spreading around the hospital.  As a result, his body functions have all been drastically slowed."

"Darn," Mario cursed, kneeling down to get a closer look at his brother.

Looming Threat

"The situation is pretty bad," another doctor added.  "We've studied the antidote Ace provided us with earlier and created a new one to cure the mutated version of the haze.  However, it seems as though the Nightmare Haze is capable of regenerating itself somehow.   Not even a cure will work at this point."

"Something must be controlling the Nightmare Haze's actions," Dr. Y stated.  "If we can find out who's doing this, the disease should vanish altogether.  However, based on my observations, everyone infected will be dead within fifteen minutes."

"What?!" Mario thundered in bewilderment.  "I have fifteen minutes to locate and fight this freak?!  I'll have to start looking right away!"

Dr. Y grinned slightly.  Yes, look all you want.  You'll never find me.  As soon as you're alone, you'll share your brother's fate.

Mario gulped.  Wait a minute...  These doctors all got here pretty fast.  One of them must have told them about the incident ahead of time, but the only way he could have done that is if he's the one...  Could that be why no one has been able to find him?  Is the culprit a doctor?

"You seem to be lost in thought," Dr. Y observed.  "You have a lot to think about.  Let's leave him alone so he can have some private time with his brother."  The other doctors nodded, and they all left.

Mario quickly glanced at the doctors as they left.  He memorized their faces.  "It looks like I've got a few suspects," he muttered.  He cautiously picked Luigi up and gently placed him on a bed in the corner of the room.  "Don't worry, Bro.  I'll find the guy who did this to you."

Glaive and Ace burst into the room.  "What happened?!" Glaive demanded as he noticed the badly injured Luigi.

"Is he okay?" Ace asked worriedly.  He knelt down next to Luigi and got a closer look at his wounds.  "It looks like he was hit from behind.  Luigi may be a bit clumsy, but he certainly would have noticed if someone suspicious approached him from behind with a weapon."

"I've got a feeling that Luigi's assailant is a doctor," Mario informed them.  "When I got here, Luigi was surrounded by a group of doctors.  I felt a really creepy vibe when they were around, and it went away as soon as they left.  One of them may be responsible for all of this, but isolating the criminal is going to be tough.  I might have an idea of which doctor it is, but...  I'm just not sure.  We could always ask Luigi what he knows, but he seems too sick to even wake up."

"Ace, why don't you use your NCA to scan the area for sources of Nightmare Haze and see if you get a reading from any of the doctors?" Glaive suggested.  "That would do the trick."

Ace fiddled with the device's controls before putting it back in his pocket.  "No good.  There's some kind of interference nearby."

There was a knock at the door.  Dr. Y entered.  "Sorry to bother you, but it seems as though a roguish-looking man was seen entering a room close by.  The suspect is unaware that we know where he is, and no one has entered or left the room since.  I'd like one of you to accompany me to this room."

"I'll go," Mario replied eagerly.

"We should come too," Ace insisted.  "He might be too strong for you to handle on your own."

Mario shook his head.  "Both of you should stay here and protect Luigi.  This could be a trap to lure us all away from him, and he'd be an easy target if we left him unguarded.  Besides, I have Dr. Y with me.  He can call for help if we do run into trouble."

Dr. Y nodded.  He and Mario exited the room and walked across the silent, dim hallway.  What an idiot...  He led Mario to a corridor that branched off of the main hallway.  After a few minutes of walking, Dr. Y stopped.  "This is it.  Be careful."

Mario cautiously opened the door and crept inside.  He gasped.  A familiar doctor was face-down in a pool of blood.  "He was one of the doctors that I saw helping my brother.  It's strange, but I've got this feeling... that one of the hospital staff is doing all of this," Mario confessed.

Dr. Y didn't seem as surprised as Mario expected him to be.  "Really?  Well, it would explain a lot."  He paused for a moment.  "Why don't you take a look at that doctor's wounds?  I hope that poor soul is still alive."

"Alright," Mario affirmed.  He knelt down to inspect the doctor's injuries.  His back was completely turned to Dr. Y.

What a fool!  He's making this too easy, Dr. Y thought.  His hand slowly deformed until it took the shape of a dagger.  With a wicked laugh, he thrust the blade toward the back of Mario's neck.

Tension

"What?!" Dr. Y screamed in frustration.  Mario had swiftly whirled around and caught the blade between his thumb and forefinger.  "How did you know?!"

Mario's eyes reflected pure hatred as he replied with a bone-crushing right hook to Dr. Y's gut, sending the renegade doctor straight through the wall and into the hallway.  Mario exited the room through the enormous hole that Dr. Y's body had made.  He looked down upon the doctor with disgust.

"I was... perfectly disguised..." Dr. Y muttered as his body began to transform.  His skin became a shining silver color as his body became tall and wiry.  Two red gloves were fixed at the end of his bony metal arms, and a red cloak was wrapped around his thin, barely visible neck.  In one of his fists he held a spear that was almost as tall as he was.  He had another spear attached to the top of his long, disfigured head.  "It's been a long time, Mario."

"Yaridovich," Mario sighed.  "I haven't seen any members of the Smithy Gang in a while.  I thought I killed all of you, but I guess not."

"No, we were all dead," Yaridovich sneered.  "However, we have just been given new life.  I received orders to attack this hospital, since I'm a master of disguise and was best fit for the job.  A lot of other members of the Smithy Gang are back.  We're going to have our revenge.  But enough of that; how did you know that 'Dr. Y' was really a coldblooded killer?"

"It was easy to sniff out your rotten stench," Mario replied with disgust.  "You seemed to know the most about what was going on.  I realized that Luigi's assailant must have caught him off guard, and I was pretty sure he had been attacked by a doctor.  Naturally, I was suspicious when a doctor tried to lure me away from my allies.  So I played along and let myself fall into your trap.  When you asked me to inspect the fallen doctor's injuries, I knew it.  An educated doctor would never ask an untrained person to see if someone was alive.  When you made your move, I was ready for you.  By the way, that doctor I inspected was dead."

Yaridovich began to chuckle to himself.  "Of course he is; I killed him so that he could be used as bait!"

Mario angrily clenched his fists.  "You've hurt so many people... and you have the nerve to laugh about it in my face?!"

Glaive and Ace rushed onto the scene.  "So, this is the scumbag who's responsible for all this," Ace muttered, grasping his deck of cards.  "Let's get him, Mario."

Mario slowly walked toward Yaridovich.  He raised a fist behind his head.  Glaive knew what this meant.

"Stay out of this," Glaive whispered to Ace.  "Mario's taking this personal...  I've never seen him so angry before.  Just look at him."  They observed a faint aura of red surrounding Mario.  "Usually, his aura has more of a bluish tint and only shows up as the fight is getting desperate.  This is something completely new.  I've never seen Mario fight with anger or rage.  One look at his face told me that he wants to do this alone.  Don't get in his way."

Mario vs. Yaridovich

"It feels good to take away life after being dead for so long!" Yaridovich sneered haughtily, purposely arousing Mario's anger.  "And hundreds more will be dead in only eight minutes, including your brother!"

"Shut up!" Mario screamed in pure rage.  Yaridovich blinked as the plumber vanished in a blur of red.  By the time the robot's eyes caught up with his foe, Mario was standing directly in front of him and had already thrown his first punch.  The crushing blow connected with Yaridovich's face, causing him to stagger backward as he clutched his jaw.  There was another red blur.  In the blink of an eye, Mario landed six more deadly strikes.

"I've never seen him like this before," Glaive muttered in disbelief.  "His anger makes him an entirely different warrior.  Yaridovich may not be the strongest mechanical warrior ever built, but still...  He can't even put up a fight against Mario's wrath!"

Yaridovich's lifeless body thrashed wildly about as Mario unleashed a bone-shattering barrage of attacks.  He ended the combo with a Flaming Uppercut that sent Yaridovich tumbling backward through yet another wall and into a patient's room.  The infuriated plumber rushed in after the robot and snatched his bony, metal neck.  With a cry of pure hatred, Mario slammed Yaridovich into the ground and pummeled him with a brutal assortment of Flaming Punches.

Ace rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out if what he was seeing was actually happening.  "Look at him go...  Remind me to never get on Mario's bad side..."

At last, Mario took a break from pounding his helpless opponent.  Breathing heavily, he watched in resentment as Yaridovich slowly stood up.  "Had enough?"

Yaridovich wept a thin stream of blood from his chin.  "You pack quite a wallop.  In fact, I'm not sure if I can win.  So..."  He darted to a sickly woman sleeping in the corner of the room and pointed his spear's tip at her throat.  "We'll just have to settle this peacefully.  Otherwise, this woman may just end up dead."

Mario clenched his fists as he stepped toward Yaridovich.  "Don't touch her," he admonished through gritted teeth.

"I have an antidote," Yaridovich told him placidly.  "If you promise to let me walk away from this battle without any further harm, I'll spare this lady.  I'll even throw in enough of my antidote to cure the entire hospital, and I'll never bother you again.  How does that sound?"

Now that an innocent person's life was on the line, Mario's reckless anger melted away.  He sighed helplessly.  "You've... got a deal..."  His eyes narrowed.  "But if you ever hurt another innocent person again, or if you fail to hold up your end of the bargain, I'll hunt you down and destroy you.  Keep that in mind."

"A wise decision," Yaridovich replied with a wicked grin.  Not that he had a choice.  All I needed was to create a small break in the action to let his anger melt away.  He reached into his cloak, making it seem as though he was going to pull some kind of medicine out.  Instead, he pulled out a small white orb and hurled it at the ground.  The orb exploded on impact, creating a blinding flash of white light.

Yaridovich's Escape

"You fool!" Yaridovich cackled as he slit the woman's throat with his spear.  He dashed out of the room and down the hallway's main corridor.

Instantly, all of Mario's blind rage returned to him.  As he regained his vision, he sprinted outside and caught a glimpse of Yaridovich turning right at the end of the hallway.  "He's getting away!  Find him!" Mario howled to Ace and Glaive as he raced after his fleeing foe.  He turned right once he reached the end of the corridor.  If he had turned left, he would have entered the stairway the led downstairs, where an ominous presence was looming.

"Reckless idiot," Yaridovich whispered.  "He's already forgotten that I'm a master of disguise."

On the other side of the hospital, Mario continued to pursue who he thought to be Yaridovich.  "Got you!" he screamed in anger as he landed a right hook across the robot's face.  The Yaridovich imposter vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a very confused Mario.  "Darn it. I forgot that he could create false duplicates of himself.  I'd better find him before he gets away."

Glaive emerged from the opposite end of the corridor.  "Downstairs!  He must have gone downstairs!"

Mario glanced out of a nearby window and saw Yaridovich heading in the direction of Forever Forest.  He's fast...  But I swear I'll get him for this.  He's not getting away this time.




Toad Town was merely a row of short mushrooms on the horizon as Yaridovich arrived at the entrance to Forever Forest.  "It's time to visit Smithy.  He'll help me defeat Mario, and then we can meet up with those other demons Smithy told me about."  He grinned.  "In about three minutes, all of Mario's friends will die.  I didn't expect Mario to be so strong, but then again I didn't expect him to be so gullible either."  He began chuckling to himself as he began to enter the forest.

Tension

"What about me being gullible?" a bitter voice hissed from behind a nearby tree.  Mario emerged from behind it, his red aura glowing even brighter.  "First I'm going to take you out, and then I'm going to bring down the entire Smithy Gang.  After that, I'm going to find out who brought you back and tear him apart.  Any demons that get in my way are going to end up dead."

Yaridovich stumbled backward, quivering in fear.  "Hey...  Mario...  You wouldn't really kill me, would you?  Please, have mercy!"  He got down on his hands and knees, grinning.  This always works on people like him.  His anger will fade away again and I'll have him.  "Please, spare me!  I'll do anything!"

Mario didn't even blink.  He reached his hand out to Yaridovich.  The mechanical villain's grin widened.  Yaridovich lifted his hand to accept Mario's forgiveness, but before he could do so, a colossal Fireball erupted from the plumber's palm.  Yaridovich cried out in agony as his right arm disintegrated, his spear clattering onto the ground.

"There's an old saying I've been thinking about lately," Mario spat in disgust.  "It goes something like this: 'Everything that happens once can never happen again.  But everything that happens twice is guaranteed to happen a third time.'  If I spared you a second time, you'd go on a rampage again.  I can tell you don't feel any remorse for killing all of those people in the hospital.  You have no regard for anyone's life but your own."

Yaridovich's eyes widened with fear.  "No... please... I'll change!  I swear!"

"Disappear... and stay in the bowels of hell for eternity," Mario whispered, his voice dripping with malice.  He aimed his palm at Yaridovich's head and fired a gargantuan Ultra Thunderball.  Yaridovich let out a bloodcurdling scream as his body rusted and exploded into thousands of tiny robotic parts.  The battle was over.

Mario clutched his head as the red aura surrounding him slowly faded away along with his anger.  He fell to his knees, exhausted.  His eyes were wide with terror.  What... what was that?  I couldn't control my anger...  It felt like...  It felt just like that one time...  He shook his head.  No...  It's been too many years for me to think about that.  He sat there, catching his breath.  Hours seemed to pass, although Mario was unsure how much time had really gone by.  He wasn't physically tired.  But mentally, he was exhausted.  There's no reason to tell the others about this...  No need... to make them worry...

Grambi's Theme

"Bro!" a voice called from the horizon.  Luigi came running from Toad Town, followed by Ace, Glaive, E. Gadd, and Grambi.  Luigi was the first to arrive.  "Wow...  You saved me again, didn't you?  Everyone at the hospital suddenly perked up not too long ago.  I guess it was after you destroyed that Yardo-guy that you told me about a while ago.  And he worked for some kind of blacksmith gang, right?  Well anyway, my injuries weren't too bad.  So after my illness went away, I felt fine.  We decided to come and check on you."

"Nice work, Mario," Ace commended him.

"At least you actually killed him," Glaive muttered under his breath.

"How are you?" Grambi inquired as he lowered a hand to his son.  "Need help getting up?"

"No," Mario replied weakly.  "I guess this whole ordeal just got me really stressed out.

Grambi pointed to Yaridovich's charred remains.  Sitting in the middle of the pile was a pair of red gloves.  "Those are..."

"Yaridovich's gloves?" Mario butted in.  "I wonder why my Thunderball didn't fry them along with the rest of his body."

Grambi shook his head.  "No...  These are Hero's Garbs!  They're the Thermo Gloves!"  He picked them up and gently handed them to Mario.  "They give you enhanced control of any given object's temperature, and they can help ease the stress placed on your body when you use Elemental Energy."

E. Gadd arrived last, huffing and puffing.  "I see...  So these are the tools Yaridovich used to create that disease!  He lowered the temperature of the Nightmare Haze so that it condensed into a liquid form, and injected it into his victims' bodies."

Luigi shivered.  "Ugh.  Disgusting!"

"But that means...  Yaridovich must have been working with the demons if he got his hands on those gloves.  Not to mention he would never have known about the Nightmare Haze if a demon hadn't told him," Ace pondered.  "I wonder if the entire Smithy Gang has teamed up with the demons.  If so, how many other villains have joined them?"

Mario sighed.  "I've got a feeling that something awful is going on behind all of this.  But for now, let's just see if I can contact the first Hero."  He turned to Grambi.  "So, how exactly am I supposed to do this?"

"First, put the Thermo Gloves on.  Close your eyes and open your ears.  Listen for the voice of the first Hero," Grambi instructed.  "If the Hero wishes to speak to you, you'll hear him."

Everyone grew silently as Mario carefully slipped the gloves onto his hands.  He gently shut his eyes, listening intently for any signs of the Hero's voice.  For the first few minutes, nobody moved.  Mario remained patient.  Just as Grambi began to lose hope, he noticed Mario's breathing pattern had changed.




Mario's eyelids gently fluttered open.  Around him, he saw nothing but a white land of nothingness.  It stretched on into the horizon, with no beginning or end.  He detected a faint whisper echoing all around him.

"Chosen Hero...  Why have you called upon me?"

Mario gulped.  For a minute, he was so flustered that he couldn't even remember what he had intended to ask the Hero.  His courage soon returned to him, and he cleared his throat.  "The kingdom that I am protecting is in danger.  To save it, I need the Hero's Garbs.  They're scattered across the Mushroom Kingdom, and I don't know where to start looking."

"You are asking for my assistance in your search for the garbs, correct?  Very well.  The closest garb is in a nearby forest.  It is in the possession of a group of demons, and will be difficult to obtain.  If you are determined to obtain this garb, you must venture into a temple that crosses into the Nightmare Vault."

"Really?" Mario inquired.  "I've been through Forever Forest plenty of times, and the only temple I've seen is the entrance that leads to the Thunder Palace."

"The demon temples have existed for many generations.  Their original use was to worship the Phoenix, but the demons have begun to use them as gateways to lands such as the Mushroom Kingdom.  The demons that live inside this temple have created a gateway that they can use to enter the Mushroom Kingdom whenever they want.  The gateways aren't very effective and can only allow a limited number of demons to pass through, but still...  If the demons can do this, they are getting closer and closer to completely overrunning the kingdom.  If you truly wish to save your kingdom, you must hurry."

Mario nodded.  "Thank you."




"Bro! Wake up!" Luigi screamed, frantically waving his hand in front of his brother's face.  "Are you okay?"

Mario's eyes slowly opened, and he threw the Thermo Gloves to the ground.  A quick glance at his surroundings told him that he was in E. Gadd's laboratory.  "The next garb is in Forever Forest," he informed them groggily.  "What happened?"

"You fell asleep standing up," Glaive muttered.  "At first, we just thought you were concentrating.  We finally figured out that you were asleep when we heard you snoring.  So we took you back here.  It gave us all a chance to get some rest, so I'm not complaining."

Mario yawned as he sprang to his feet.  "In any case, let's head for Forever Forest.  I did actually manage to contact the first Hero, despite what you may think.  In the meantime, E. Gadd and Grambi should try to get things settled at the hospital.  Since the Nightmare Haze threat is over, everyone should return to their homes.  Of course, anyone that lives in Mushroom Castle should stay where they are."

Unbearable Suffering

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ace asked, concerned.  "Maybe you just dreamt that you met the Hero."

Mario shook his head.  "No.  It was too real to be a dream.  I'll explain it in more detail along the way.  Right now, we need to go."

Ace and Glaive grabbed their weapons and left the room.  As Luigi began to leave, he turned around to see Mario staring at a calendar posted on E. Gadd's wall.  "Bro...  What's going on with you?"

"Has it already been eight years?" Mario whispered, gazing painfully at the calendar.  "I can't believe it's almost the twenty-seventh of July.  Could that have anything to do with what happened today?  Could it be just a horrible coincidence that I have to fight at this time of the year?"  He wept a tear from his eye and approached the door.

Luigi stopped him.  "Bro, there's no time to be thinking about that.  It happened eight years ago.  It wasn't your fault."

Without turning around, Mario replied, "You're right about one thing: There's no time to be thinking about this."  He exited the room.

"What happened on July 27th?" E. Gadd inquired, his voice filled with curiosity.

Luigi hung his head.  "It's the same every year.  Mario always feels this way... on the anniversary of her death."  The conversation was over.  Luigi dashed after his brother.  I hope he can forget about her for now.  There'll be time to grieve after this crisis blows over.  I don't know what kind of danger lies ahead of us or if we'll make it out alive.  But somehow, I can tell...  The opponents we've faced so far were just warm-ups.  Bro...  You still have a lot of work to do, don't you?

shadowmarioguy

#36
Chapter 13: Five Demons

Evil Desire

"Clever," Metal Mario mumbled as he reached the bottom of a rocky staircase.  He emerged in a cavern of solid brownish red rock.  The Star Rod began to glow.  "I never would have guessed the Nexus Access Point would be hidden in an underground component of Mushroom Castle.  The people who built this castle must have originally designed it to keep this place hidden."

He stabbed the Star Rod into the ground, causing the room to fill with an eerie purple glow.  A high-pitched crackling sound erupted from the Star Rod as a colossal bolt of lightning shot out of it.  The bolt ran from the Star Rod until it stopped in the middle of the cavern as if an invisible wall blocked its path.  Slowly, it was beginning to tear down the gateway to the Nexus.

"Ten days will go by in no time," he snickered as he exited the room.  As he walked up the stone staircase, he heard a loud THUD.

Velno's Theme

"What was that?" Metal Mario wondered aloud, suddenly feeling nervous.  "I've created an impenetrable barrier around this castle.  There's no way anyone could have gotten in."  He continued rambling on to himself, attempting to calm down.  However, even as he spoke, he began to steadily increase his stride until he was sprinting up the stairs.

He emerged from a hidden door in one of the castle's old storage rooms.  Breathing heavily, he dashed past dozens of dusty knickknacks and out into the hallway.  He saw a shadow rush past him, causing him to jump in fear.  Who could be in here?  Think... It couldn't be Mario or any of his friends...  Instinctively, he ducked.  He felt a strong gust of air pass over his head as he saw a horrifying creature's claw barely miss him.

"Y- You're V- Velno!" Metal Mario stammered fearfully.  "I thought you were de- No...  Wait a minute...  You were created by Lord Shade...  The Resurrection Cannon!"

"That's correct," Velno hissed.  "I was killed two years ago by Mario's wretched friends.  I've been brought back even stronger, but- just as it is in your case- I'm not strong enough to challenge Mario and his allies again.  Luckily, I possess the nifty ability to ingest my enemies and steal their strength.  If your power was combined with mine, I could take control of this kingdom in no time!"

"How did you get in here?!" Metal Mario inquired, trembling.

"I didn't," Velno answered laconically.  "Two years ago, I snuck into this castle to capture Princess Peach and hold her hostage.  However, Mario's friends were expecting me.  They teamed up and destroyed me.  Since the Resurrection Cannon brings Shade's mechanical warriors back to life in the place they died, I ended up here."

"Just my luck," Metal Mario muttered.  "But I'm not just going to surrender.  Lorne!  Hunter!"

"They've both gone out," Velno explained.  "If my data is correct, then my duty is to prepare Mario for the Armageddon.  In order to do this, I'll need your strength.  If necessary, I'll take it by force."

Metal Mario was surprised by how much Velno knew about the situation.  "How do you know all of this?"

"I've been loyal to Crimson the entire time," Velno explained.  "Why do you think I ran away from Lord Shade when they activated me?  I had specific orders from Crimson."

To Metal Mario, the pieces didn't seem to fit together.  "How did Crimson give you orders if you were created by Lord Shade?"

Velno grinned.  "Ah, there are still many things that need to be explained.  There's no point in telling you who Crimson really is.  Once I devour you, you'll understand everything.  Don't try to oppose me; you and I both know that I ranked higher in the Shadow Shrowds while Lord Shade was still alive.  You were one of many metallic Mario clones that were sent to weaker planets to conquer them.  I was one of the true warriors."

As Velno stepped closer to him, Metal Mario stepped backward.  His mind was racing.  If I fight him, he'll overpower me for sure.  I designed the barrier around the castle only to keep people out, so I can leave now and escape from him.  I'll have to return later.

"Trying to think of a plan?" Velno sneered, staring into his prey's eyes with a piercing glare.  "I can see right through you."

Metal Mario's fear took over.  His artificial instincts guiding him, the metal warrior raised his palms and began launching silver Fireballs in all directions.  Tiny explosions covered the walls as smoke filled the room.  Metal Mario closed his eyes, trying to recall which paths he had taken from the castle's entrance to reach this point.  At last, he turned around and sprinted away from his assailant.

Velno was not prepared for such a maneuver.  He peered into the clouded corridor, ready to pounce at anything that moved.  Infuriated, Velno groped around the hallway until he found a window.  Coughing up a mouthful of smoke, he opened the window and inhaled the crisp morning air.  Velno caught a glimpse of Metal Mario storming out of the castle.  He grinned wickedly.  Fighting him won't be any fun, so at least I'll get to enjoy hunting him down.  After I've devoured Metal Mario, I can turn my attention to something far more important.

[End Music]




"And that's all he told me," Mario concluded as the group of heroes rushed through Forever Forest.  Pickers and thorns scraping at their arms, they fearlessly ventured through the murky forest.  The grass was thick, knotted, and at least a meter tall.  To make matters worse, the trees that towered above them blocked out almost all sunlight.  Without caution, one could wander through the forest forever.

"So, the demons are constructing bridges between the two realms," Ace muttered.  "The bridges are weak and won't support many demons, but now we know that Metal Mario isn't wasting any time."

Glaive stopped and sniffed at the air.  "I know that stench anywhere.  It's the Nightmare Vault.  The temple must be nearby."

Ace pointed at a cluster of trees.  "It should be right behind that row of trees.  My NCA is detecting five enormous readings."

Demon Stronghold

The four of them emerged on the other side of the trees and spotted something completely unexpected.  Instead of finding a large, extravagant palace, they saw something that resembled a telephone booth.  It was twice as wide as a conventional phone booth, and consisted of black, solid stone.  Most interesting of all was the staircase expanding downward into an abyss of darkness.

"It looks like we're going down," Mario whispered, peering into the shadows.

Luigi gulped.  "Are you sure this is the place, guys?  Maybe we should just keep looking..."

"Nope, this is it," Ace confirmed.  "If any of you are having second thoughts, you should leave now."

Everyone turned to face Luigi.  "Umm... Why are you all staring at me?" Luigi inquired nervously.  "I'm not chickening out, so let's go."  Even as he tried to sound brave, his legs were still quivering.

Mario stepped forward.  "We're not gonna save the world by just standing around.  Let's go."  He began to make his way down, his manner so unflinching that he didn't even turn around to wait for the others to follow him.  He was going down, with or without their assistance.

Ace nodded and they all followed Mario down the stairs in a single file line.  The passage leading downward was narrow, and the smell of blood soon filled the air.  Abruptly, the stairs began to shift into a spiraling pattern.  The only sound was the rhythmic tapping of the four heroes stepping downward.  Hours seemed to pass.  No one spoke.  They silently trekked into the darkness, mentally preparing themselves for the battles that lay ahead.

At last, they reached the bottom.  They emerged outside, in a land unlike anything Mario or Luigi had seen.  They stood at the top of a circular tower, which rested in the center of a colossal palace.  The horizon was a hazy mixture of red and green, and the staircase they just used was located in another tower that reached upward into a cluster of dark clouds.  The castle itself was constructed of a metallic silver color that was heavily stained with blood.  That's where the smell must come from, Luigi thought.  He'd soon find that blood was much more common in the Nightmare Vault than he had originally thought.

Demonic Trials

"Welcome," a wicked voice greeted them, "to my palace."  He stepped into the light, where Mario's group could see him better.  "My name is Vetis.  I'm the one in charge here."  He was about twice Mario's height and wore thick, silver armor.  His boots and fists appeared to be made of solid gold, and he wore dark purple glasses over his long, decrepit face.  "You're the Mushroom Hero.  I suppose you've come for the garb."

"Yeah," Mario replied, taking his first look at a true demon.  "Hand it over."

Vetis grinned.  "I have a proposition for you.  You've got three reasonably powerful allies behind you.  I've got four teammates of my own.  Why don't we play a little game?  If you can defeat all five of us, I'll give you the Hero's Garb without further question.  However, if you all fail, your lives are ours."

"I don't fight on anyone's terms but my own," Glaive informed him gruffly.  "What's going to stop me from killing you right now?"

"We don't know where the garb is," Ace told Glaive, holding him back.  "If we don't play according to his terms, we can't find out where the Hero's Garb is.  Let's just abide by his rules for now."

"Very wise," Vetis chuckled.  "The rules are simple.  You'll fight in a series of one-on-one matches as you progress through my palace.  The loser is the person who dies or gives up.  The winner must proceed to fight the next opponent on the opposing team.  Once he loses, someone else must take his place.  Once you've lost a fight, you will not be allowed to take part in another battle."

"Sounds good to me," Mario affirmed.  "So where's your team?"

"Let me introduce you to your other four opponents," Vetis announced as four figures stepped from the shadows.  "Say hello to Geryon, Pyro, Oriax, and Cresil."

Geryon was about Glaive's height.  His entire body was a deep purple color, except for his torso, which consisted of shades of gray.  Wrapped tightly in his grasp was a tall scythe with a chain hanging down from the bottom.  The scythe's blade was jagged and looked as though it had been used many times.
Pyro was a short, mole-like creature.  His yellow, roly-poly body was lined with orange spikes that were sharp enough to slice through steel.

Oriax was a tall, muscular demon that almost resembled a tiger.  His body was orange, but most of it was covered with armor that was made up of shades of blue, red, and a few spots of green.  He had sharp claws on his toes, but they didn't even compare to the foot-long steel claws that extended from both of his fists.  He had a long tail extending from his backside, which was tipped with a sharp blade.

Cresil stood at about Mario's height.  His entire body was green, and he had curved orange horns protruding from his head.  His only other distinguishing feature was his two enormous fists, which looked perfect for beating an enemy into submission.

"The first challenger on my team will be Geryon, the temple guardian," Vetis announced.  "It's his job to prevent intruders from entering my temple, so let's let him go first."  Before anyone could object, Vetis, Pyro, Oriax, and Cresil vanished and reappeared next to a door that led into the palace.  Geryon stood between the heroes and the temple's entrance.

"Who will I be slicing up first?" Geryon inquired, twirling his scythe around.  "Don't put too much thought into your lineup; you're merely choosing the order in which you'll die."

"Who's gonna take this guy?" Luigi asked, turning to the group.  "I think I'll take the short, pudgy one."

"Leave him to me," Glaive muttered as he stepped forward.  "He's too arrogant for his own good."  Luigi, Mario, and Ace backed up.

Demon Battle

Geryon made a few practice swings with his scythe.  "Let us begin."

Glaive drew his sword.  "Are you sure you can hit me with that scythe?  Sure, it's strong, but a weapon that large won't be able to move very fast."  His eyes widened as Geryon appeared at his side and had already swung his scythe.  He swiftly raised his blade and blocked Geryon's slash, filling the room with a metal CLANG.

"You'd be surprised," Geryon snickered.  "Most of my opponents think the same thing.  Then, I catch them off guard with my speed and slice their head off.  You're the first person to dodge my initial slash in a long time."  Before Glaive could counterattack, Geryon continued to bombard him with slashes from his scythe.

Glaive narrowly parried each oncoming slice.  If he can move that fast with such a heavy weapon, he must truly be a skilled warrior.  I'd better end this now before he gains the upper hand.  He put all of his force into swinging his sword upward, knocking Geryon's scythe back and leaving him completely exposed.  Glaive jerked forward to stab at Geryon while he was still vulnerable.

"Fool!" Geryon exclaimed with glee as he caught his scythe by the chain hanging from it.  He wrapped the chain around his fingers and swung the blade horizontally across Glaive's chest.

Glaive dropped his sword and fell to his knees, blood dripping from his deep wound.  "He... he pierced my armor..."

"Glaive!" Mario screamed, Luigi and Ace restraining him from entering the fight.

"You're too slow," Geryon informed him grimly, towering above him.  "You're not fast enough to dodge my attacks and counter with your own."

Glaive clutched the wound on his chest.  "Damn...  It's my armor that's weighing me down...  But what am I supposed to do?"  He paused.  Wait a minute...

"Glaive!  Let one of us take your place!" Mario exclaimed.  "You need to rest!"

Fighting Spirit

"Hmph," Glaive sighed, slowly rising to his feet.  "If my armor's slowing me down, then I'll just have to take it off."  He pulled off his helmet and threw it to the ground, revealing his face for the first time in two years.  His face was not much different from that of a human's.  He had fair skin, dark brown eyes, and spiky black hair.  "As you know, the Nightmare Vault is cursed with the inability to survive in direct sunlight.  When I joined Lord Shade's army, I needed to be able to move freely in the outside world.  That's why I developed this armor.  It shields me from sunlight.  You have no idea how long it took me to be able to move around in it."

"That's rather primitive," Geryon commented.  "By now, most of the demons have trained themselves to live in the sunlight without any side-effects." He pointed at Ace.  "That's why your demon friend over there doesn't wear armor like yours."

Glaive removed the rest of his armor and threw it to the ground, revealing a grey t-shirt and baggy black pants.  He fastened his katana to his waist, ready to fight.  "That's not a bad idea.  I'll have to learn to live in the sunlight without my armor sometime soon.  But for now, since I'm in the Nightmare Vault, I don't need my armor."

"It looks like Glaive is about to get much faster," Ace observed.  "He might still have a chance after all."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you my armor's other function.  As Mario and Luigi already know, I have an ability that is akin to their Fireball technique.  I was born with the ability to draw upon the power of flames, but I have never fully learned to control it.  To prevent myself from burning everything around me to a crisp, I designed the armor to seal the flames inside of me," Glaive explained.  "Anyway, now that my armor is off, I'm ready to take another stab at you."

Demon Battle

In the blink of an eye, Glaive was beside Geryon swinging his sword in erratic but accurate motions.  Geryon skillfully rotated his scythe each time to block the attacks, but everyone could see that he was beginning to sweat.  Metal CLANG's filled the room as Glaive's swings got closer and closer to making a fatal blow.  Glaive made one final lunge at Geryon, putting all of his force into his blade.

"Not good enough," Geryon sneered, blocking his foe's sword with his scythe.

Glaive grinned.  "No, it'll do just fine."  He jerked his other hand toward Geryon's face, purple flames erupting from his palms.  Geryon screamed in agony as his entire body was scalded with Glaive's deadly inferno.

Geryon staggered backward in agony.  "You...  Just for that, I'll cut you to pieces!"  He gripped the chain hanging from the bottom of his scythe and pulled as hard as he could.  With a pop, a rod that was as long as his original scythe popped out.  Geryon grasped it with his other hand, and a blade materialized at the end of it.  "It's a shame I have to use both of my scythes on a group of humans and traitorous demons."

Glaive clutched the hand he had used to burn his opponent.  I never did learn how to control my power...  Even now, if I use my flames I still end up burning myself.

"What's wrong?  Is that attack starting to wear you down?" Geryon taunted, skillfully twirling both of his scythes.  "You do realize what's about to happen.  I've got two scythes, and you've already burnt your hand.  You could barely keep up when I had one scythe; what will you do now?"

Luigi jabbed Ace with his elbow.  "Hey... Do you think Glaive has a chance at winning?"

Ace's eyes were glued to the battle.  "Glaive can't use his flame-based attacks for very long, or he'll be burned alive.  That leaves him with his sword skills and his speed- both attributes that would be foolish to ignore.  Yet, if Geryon is as good with two scythes as he is with one..."

Glaive sprinted toward Geryon, his sword gripped tightly in his hand.  He quickly parried the first scythe with his blade, and then whirled around to smack the other one out of his way.  Glaive nimbly rolled between Geryon's legs and lunged at him from behind.  Just as he felt the tip of his sword entering Geryon's flesh, one of his foe's scythes wedged itself into his shoulder.  He dropped his blade, and another scythe swung around and cut into his side.

Geryon slowly turned around.  A wicked smile spread across his face.  "You've underestimated me.  I may be good at handling one scythe, but while I'm holding two my skills are unparalleled!"  He began to laugh uncontrollably as he continued to rapidly slash at Glaive with his scythes.  Gashes ran up and down his body, and blood stained the floor.  Glaive was helpless.

"Forfeit the match, Glaive!" Luigi called to him.  "He's going to kill you!"

Glaive lay on his back, Geryon towering over him.  His fate was completely in the hands of his opponent.  "You heard him," Geryon scoffed.  "Give up, or I'll rip you to pieces!"  He kicked Glaive's body across the floor, sending him near the edge of the tower.

All or Nothing

"I... refuse... to give up..." Glaive muttered as he slowly struggled to his feet.  "Not unless I know I've tried everything..."  He stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground, using it to keep his balance.

"Fine, but this is this last time I'm gonna attack!" Geryon spat.  "This time, I'll finish you."  He dashed at Glaive, wildly swinging his scythes.  Glaive stood his ground, his blade still wedged into the ground.

"He's not going to attempt..." Ace whispered in disbelief.

"What's he doing?" Mario inquired.

"He's using the Mortal Draw.  By wedging your blade into the ground, and putting all of your body weight on it, pressure begins to build.  If timed just right, when your opponent is at just the right range, and you shift your body weight perfectly, the pressure will send your sword into an upward slash with a force several times greater than a normal swing," Ace explained.  "But if his timing or technique is just a tiny bit off, he'll be cut to pieces by Geryon's scythes."

I refuse to surrender to this guy....  I absolutely will not give up, even if I die, Glaive thought.  He put all of his weight onto his blade, and the floor below him began to crack.  If I can time this perfectly, the match will be mine...

"I'm not sure what you're up to, but it looks like you've finally accepted your defeat!" Geryon cackled as he was only a few feet away from his target.  He jerked his scythes forward, twirling them around in a rhythm that would slice Glaive to pieces.  His eyes widened.

"Mortal Draw!" Glaive exclaimed, his blade shattering the solid stone of the tower.  It soared upward, almost too fast for the naked eye to see.  With that one upward slash, Geryon's scythes split apart and fell to the floor.  Geryon himself gasped as blood spurted out from a vertical cut that ran from his waist all the way up to his neck.  He fell to the ground, blood pooling around him.

He really won, Vetis thought in surprise.  If the others are as spirited as he was, this is going to be interesting.

Victory

"He did it," Mario sighed.  "He won..."

Glaive fell to his knees.  His sword clattered to the floor.  "It worked..."

Mario, Ace, and Luigi rushed to his side.  "Will you be okay?" Mario asked, helping Glaive to his feet.

"I'm... sorry..." Glaive apologized.  "There are five of them... and four of us...  I was hoping I could beat at least two of them... to even the odds..."

"Don't worry about it.  There are still three of us left.  One of us is bound to be able to trounce two of those guys," Mario assured him.  "You did your part.  Now leave the rest to us."

shadowmarioguy

#37
Chapter 14: Duels of Desperation

Demon Stronghold

"It would appear as though Geryon has died," Vetis observed nonchalantly.  "That makes Glaive the winner.  Let us move on."  Without showing any signs of grief or sympathy for their fallen ally, the four remaining demons moved on into a dim passageway.

"He didn't even show the slightest bit of sadness when he saw his comrade die," Mario muttered in disbelief.  "Doesn't he even care?"

Ace shook his head.  "No.  Demons like them have no loyalties.  You'll get used to it, in time."  He turned to Mario.  "Take note of how Glaive didn't hesitate to kill Geryon.  In a fight with a demon, you cannot hold back.  Show even the slightest bit of mercy, and they'll turn on you."

Mario nodded slowly.  "Alright."  The group of four followed Vetis, Pyro, Oriax, and Cresil down yet another staircase.  Mario groaned with resentment.  He silently wished that demons had invented some sort of elevator.

The stairway was wider than before, and much less steep.  A worn, tattered red carpet rolled down the center of the stairs, and the walls were lined with lit torches that served as the only source of light.  Luigi heard a faint bubbling sound coming from nearby, but said nothing.  Before long, the stairs ended at a long, flat corridor.  The carpet continued to stretch into the distance, and torches expanded outward as far as they could see.

"This is where the second battle will take place," Vetis announced eagerly.  "Pyro will be the next warrior on my team to compete.  Will Glaive continue to fight?"

"No," Ace responded, stepping forward.  "I will."

"You are aware that Glaive will not be able to fight for the remainder of this little contest, correct?" Vetis inquired.

Ace nodded.

"Let's begin right away," Pyro urged him, rolling forward with anticipation.  He was less than half Ace's height, and closely resembled a mole.  His golden, spherical body was lined with spikes that could slice through the sharpest of materials.  To go along with them, he had razor-sharp claws on each hand, though they were not quite as long as Oriax's.

The spectators took a few steps back, and the battle began.

Evil Desire

Just as Ace reached for the deck of cards strapped readily at his waist, Pyro whispered into his ear.  "I wouldn't do that."

"What do you mean?" Ace inquired, confusedly shuffling the cards in his deck.

A wicked grin spread across Pyro's round face.  His tone was low and hushed.  "If you want to ensure the safety of a certain friend, you will not draw your weapons against me.  In fact, do not try to confront me in any way.  If you even attempt to attack me, someone very close to your little band of fighters will die a most unpleasant death."

Ace released his grip on the cards.  "Are you... threatening me?"

Pyro nodded.  "One of my demon allies is closely watching a friend of yours- or, to be more specific, a friend of Mario's.  Do you want to know who this person is?  It is Princess Peach."

Ace's eyes widened with terror.  "No... you can't..."

"Here's how this will work: You're going to stand still as I slice you to death.  If you resist, my buddy will ensure that the princess experiences a bloody and painful end," Pyro explained with glee.

"What are they talking about?" Luigi whispered to Glaive.  "I can't hear a thing."

Glaive shrugged.  "I'm not sure, but Pyro seems to have gotten under Ace's skin somehow."

They both turned to Mario, whose eyes were glued to the battlefield.  He seemed deep in thought, as if he was fighting against Pyro instead of Ace.  His fists were clenched.  His body trembled.  It was clear that he understood something that Glaive and Luigi did not.

Sadness

"Hyah!" Pyro cackled as he sliced vertically across Ace's chest.  Blood spattered onto the cold floor, and Ace staggered backward.  His fists were raised.  He wanted to strike back.  Despite this, he did not retaliate.  "That's good.  Just stay right there."

Ace lowered his fists.  "I'm sorry... I don't want to let Mario down...  But either way, that's exactly what I'll do..."

Pyro slashed diagonally across Ace's torso.  "That's right.  If you fight back, I'll have Peach torn to bits.  If you don't, then you'll lose the fight.  Either way, you're doomed to fail."

"Why won't Ace fight back?!" Luigi whined, his voice dripping with angst.  "That mole is obviously the weakest of the bunch!"

Mario hung his head.  It's my fault...  Ace is worried about how I'll feel if Pyro kills Peach...  He doesn't want to let me down, but no matter what he does...  His entire body was quivering with anger.  "Pyro..."

Pyro's next attack was a stab.  He pierced through Ace's lower chest, slowly removing his claws to cause as much pain as possible.  "What's the matter?  Have you truly become this pathetic?  This only proves that the Demon Resistance is just a group of spineless cowards.  I can't believe you're truly that worried about one of those disgusting humans.  You shouldn't have betrayed us, Ace."

Ace didn't reply.  He only stared into Pyro's eyes, showing nothing less than pure hatred.  "Shut up..."

"Feeling angry, worm?!" Pyro inquired, giving his opponent three more deadly slashes.  "Does it make you want to cry out in pain?  Come on, scream out to the world!  Prove to us all what a fool you really are!"  He lunged forward and sliced across Ace's left cheek, further staining the floor with blood.  "Now, bow down to me.  Bow down and apologize.  Tell me that everything you stand for, all of your opposition to the Phoenix, was a complete and utter waste."

Ace remained silent.

"C'mon, just admit it.  Tell everyone that you can't attack me because you're protecting a human," Pyro chuckled.  "Do it.  Unless you want me to order the death of your precious princess."

Unflinching Warrior

Pyro's wicked smile quickly reversed into a frown.  As he had been taunting and mocking his foe, Ace had spit directly in the demon's face.  "I refuse."

Pyro's eyes narrowed.  "What did you say?"  His tone was no longer filled with cunning and mockery.  "How DARE you!"  He curled up into a ball and rammed into Ace.  The spikes running up and down his body drilled straight into Ace.  Pyro continued to beat on his foe, who didn't even raise a fist to fight back.

"I'm not going to bow down to you," Ace informed him bitterly.  "As we agreed earlier, I will not fight back.  I never said I'd obey your every command.  I'll take every punch you throw at me.  I'll stay standing until I run out of blood.  I'll wait until you die of exhaustion from hitting me so many times.  I don't need to fight back to beat a weakling like you.  Either I'll win, or I'll die trying.  But no matter what, I'm not going to throw away my pride."

"I don't know why you're talking as if you're the one in control.  I have Princess Peach's life in my hands.  You'll do what I tell you!" Pyro hissed through clenched teeth.  He rolled into a ball again and rammed Ace into the wall.  Letting his fury and rage take over, Pyro unleashed a killer combo of frenzied slashes.

Glaive gasped.  "Just look at him.  He's taking as many hits as he can, thinking that he'll at least be able to tire Pyro out."

Mario was struggling to keep himself from intervening.  I can't... interfere...  This is Ace's fight...  As he fought with himself, his eyes suddenly widened with terror.

After one final stab, Ace let out a moan of agony before collapsing into a pool of blood.  His body was covered in cuts and gashes.  Pyro merely laughed hysterically at his fallen enemy.  "What a fool!  I can't believe he was ready to die to protect one pathetic human.  Oh well, I guess compassion truly is a hero's greatest weakness."

"No..." Mario muttered in disbelief.  "He can't be..."

"Oh, and here's a little tidbit of information.  This is the best part," Pyro squealed in delight.  "The reality is that your princess was never in any real danger!  It was just a bluff by an old pro. But you had no way of knowing for sure, did you?  My greatest strength isn't in my fighting ability, but in my talent of persuading my enemies to stop fighting.  I find out what's important to you or your allies, and I make it seem as though that thing is in danger.  That's the power of Pyro, the demon of falsehood and lies.  My favorite part of the job is confessing to my opponent's corpse that his death was meaningless!"

Mario fell to his knees.  "No... why...?"

Tension

"Thanks for the tip," a voice muttered, almost too soft to be heard.  Ace slowly rose to his feet, clutching the deck at his waist.  "I think this calls... for an especially painful death..."

Pyro staggered backward in fear.  "Ace?  You're alive?  But how?"  As he got a closer look at Ace, his fear faded away.  "Oh well, your wounds are too serious anyway.  How do you intend to defeat me as you are now?"

"All the cards you've seen my use up until now," Ace explained, more to Mario, Luigi, and Glaive than anybody, "have been a Jack, Queen, King, or a number.  I've never shown you what happens when I use an Ace card.  And I'll let you in on a little secret: You know that my name is Ace Spades, correct?  Well, my name was given to me because of the technique I use when I utilize an Ace of Spades!"  He removed a glowing card from his deck.  An 'A' was inscribed on both the top left and bottom right corner of the card, and a black spade was clearly printed in the center.  His eyes glowing red with hatred, Ace crushed the card in his hand.

"Ace... no... Don't do it!  I'm sorry!  Please..." Pyro pleaded.  "Forgive me for tricking you!"

Ace jerked his palm toward Pyro.  "There is no place in this world for you.  Go find a nice corner in hell, and stay there for all eternity!"  A violet light flashed from Ace's hand, and a purple cube with a golden 'A' printed on it materialized around Pyro, trapping him inside.

Frantic, agonizing screams filled the corridor.  Muffled sounds of flesh being torn to pieces soon followed, though they were mostly overshadowed by Pyro's screams.  At last, the box faded away, revealing a corpse so disfigured that no one would have recognized it as Pyro.

Victory

Ace collapsed face-first onto the floor.  In seconds, his three allies were helping him to his feet.  His eyes met Mario's.

"Thank you," Mario said with a nod.  "She wasn't in any real danger, but it doesn't change the fact that you were ready to risk your life for her.  I can tell that you used to know these guys.  It must have taken a lot of guts to leave them behind."

"I'll tell you everything once this is over," Ace assured him with a weak smile.  "For now, let's focus on our next opponent."

"I think it's safe to say you won't be fighting again," Luigi observed with a grin.  Ace looked down at his wounds and nodded.  "We might as well save Bro for last, so I'll go next.  After all, having the last fight would put all of the pressure on me, and Bro excels at those kinds of situations more than I do."

He was willing to die to save that human, Vetis noted, slightly disturbed.  Just what kind of men are they?

Demon Stronghold

Vetis turned and started down the corridor.  "Let's move on."  Oriax and Cresil followed closely behind him.

"Only three more," Mario sighed with slight apprehension.  "And we've only got two fighters left."

Tension filled the air as the hallway quickly became silent.  Luigi remembered the bubbling sound from before.  It was back.  This time, however, everyone could hear it.  It grew steadily louder as the group approached a pair of steel double-doors at the end of the corridor.  Mario noticed that the carpet was gradually becoming more worn as they drew closer to the end.  Likewise, the stone walls became more and more fragile the closer they got to the doors.  The bubbling sound grew louder still.

At last, they reached the end.  The bubbling noise had become so fierce that it felt like an earthquake.  Vetis slowly pushed the double-doors open, filling the corridor with a metal CREAK.  The heroes gasped.  This new room was vast and far more spacious than the cramped hallway they had been accustomed to.  Luigi's nose wrinkled as an even heavier scent of blood filled the room.  They stood on a balcony several stories above a grotesque, red liquid- the source of the bubbly sound.  Several rectangular platforms stood on top of poles that extended from the liquid, each only a meter or two wide.

"I have to fight on those tiny platforms?!" Luigi shrieked in fear.  "But I'll fall into the lava for sure!"

"That's not lava.  It's demon blood," Oriax corrected him.  "Thousands of gallons of heated demon blood are down there.  One touch and your entire body will disintegrate.  But if you fall, the vapors will likely kill you before that can happen.  This is my favorite room, so I'll take the fight."

Mario put a hand on his brother's shoulder.  "You can do it, Bro."

Luigi nodded.  "I'll do my best."  With that, he took a great leap downward and landed on a platform.  Oriax joined him on a nearby ledge.  Mario, Glaive, and Ace watched from the balcony.  Vetis and Cresil viewed the match from a high platform well out of anybody else's reach.

Oriax was tall and muscular, making Luigi look like a scrawny toothpick.  He had often been compared to a tiger because of his body structure.  His orange fur was mostly covered with armor that was made up of shades of blue, red, and a few spots of green.  Foot-long steel claws that made Pyro's spikes pale in comparison extended from each of his fists.  A long tail extended from his backside, which was tipped with a sharp blade.

Demon Battle

Luigi glanced down below him, terrified of falling into the sea of blood.  "C'mon Luigi... you can take him..."

"Don't worry; you'll find your way down there soon enough!" Oriax exclaimed as he opened his mouth and coughed up a flaming sphere, which headed straight for a certain green plumber.  Luigi shrieked and dove to another platform.  He watched in horror as the ledge he had just stood on was instantly vaporized.

"Not good," Ace murmured.  "He can beat Luigi without even touching him with that technique.  Luigi may be able to dodge for a while, but there are a limited number of platforms..."

"Good," Oriax commended his opponent.  "Just as long as you never let your guard down or make a wrong move, you'll be fine."

Luigi paused, not knowing what to do.  If he made a jump for Oriax's ledge, he would leave himself completely open.  If he kept dodging, he'd eventually make a mistake.  Oriax didn't give him the chance to make a decision.  He leapt onto Luigi's platform, nearly knocking him off.  Luigi rolled between Oriax's legs and grabbed onto his tail, attempting to use it to toss him into the ocean of blood.  He winced in pain and released his grip as the blade on Oriax's tail swiped across his face.  Oriax whirled around and slashed at him, but Luigi swiftly dove onto another ledge.

Luigi wiped a small streak of blood from his cheek.  "He's too big and strong to attack up close.  That leaves me with only one option."  He cupped his hands together and began to gather flames in his palms.  After allowing the inferno to grow to a considerable size, he launched it at Oriax.  "Let's see how he handles a Super Fireball."

"So, you can do more than just run away?" Oriax commented as the Fireball approached him at breakneck speeds.  Luigi yelped in terror as Oriax effortlessly batted his attack away with a single strike.  "It's too bad.  Your pathetic flames won't be able to put a dent in my claws."

Luigi turned to his allies.  No...  I can't ask for their help...  Bro is the only one left, and I could never ask him to take on all three of the remaining demons.  I need to do this on my own.  If I can't beat him with ranged attacks, I'll have to hit him with my bare hands.  But will it work?  He scanned a cluster of nearby platforms, working out the most efficient way to reach Oriax.

Not giving his foe much time to think, Oriax launched another flaming sphere at Luigi.  The plumber shrieked before nimbly diving forward onto a nearby ledge.  He quickly pulled himself up and played a game of hopscotch on a row of platforms before he finally reached Oriax.  He lunged at his tiger-like opponent and landed a solid punch to the demon's gut.  Oriax skidded backward, but caught his balance just as he was about to fall.

Luigi stared at his fist in amazement.  "I actually hit him...  But why didn't he even try to block me?"

Oriax swung his claws in a wide, circular motion, eliminating all surrounding platforms.  "You're trapped," he sneered, menacingly scraping his claws together.  "And there's not enough room on this tiny platform for both of us."

Luigi threw another punch, but this time Oriax easily blocked it with his claws.  The plumber painfully drew his fist back, three cuts running down his knuckles.  Oriax lunged forward and slashed at Luigi, who stepped backward just enough to avoid a fatal blow.  However, he felt his foot run along the edge of the platform.  He was cornered.

Desperate Struggle

Luigi's mind was racing.  Either he'll kill me... or I'll fall into that disgusting stuff...  No matter what I do, I'm doomed... 

"Checkmate," Oriax cackled, preparing to pounce on his prey.  He jerked both sets of claws forward in a stabbing motion.  Instinctively, Luigi leaped backward- off of the platform.  "So, you decided to commit suicide instead?"

"No, Bro!  Why?!" Mario screamed, watching in horror as his brother slowly fell to his doom.  He collapsed onto his hands and knees.  "I would've taken them all on if I had to...  Why did you have to do that?  Why...?"  Tears began to stream down his cheeks.

Oriax began to roar with laughter.  "He really killed himself!  What a fool!  Out of all of the things he could have done, that was the most dangerous!  One whiff of that liquid will send him to his grave!"  Suddenly, he stopped laughing.  The platform below him began to crumble.  Sent into a panic, he took a great leap onto a ledge across the room.  A colossal green Fireball shattered the platform he had just stood on.

Hundreds of feet below, Luigi clung to one of the poles that held the platforms up, his palm outstretched toward the ledge that he had just vaporized.  "He can jump even farther than I can," the plumber noted.  "I thought for sure he'd fall straight down into the blood."  Slowly but surely, he climbed up the pole and scrambled onto the platform that it held up.  He wept the sweat from his forehead.  "Phew...  I'm still alive..."

"Get him, Bro!" Mario cheered.  "You've got this!"

No he doesn't, Glaive thought.  He glanced at Luigi, who was breathing heavily and almost out of strength.  Then he shifted his gaze to Oriax, who hadn't even broken a sweat.  He managed to survive, but the situation hasn't changed.  He can't hurt Oriax, and he'll soon be out of platforms.

"You've lasted much longer than I thought you would," Oriax admitted, "but it's time I ended this.  You won't be able to last much longer."

"No," Luigi replied defiantly, more to himself than anyone.  "I have to do this..."  Oriax responded with another flaming sphere.  Luigi raced to another ledge as the one he left behind was instantly incinerated.  Another ball of inferno.  Luigi dodged again.  This went on for a few minutes as Luigi attempted to formulate a plan.

Oriax stopped his assault to marvel at his handiwork.  "Perfect..."  He noticed Luigi's confused expression.  "Take a look around you.  You have nowhere left to run."

Luigi nervously glanced left and right.  Every single platform had been vaporized by Oriax's flames.  There were only two left: the one Luigi was standing on, and the one Oriax was occupying.

All or Nothing

Oriax took a deep breath before launching an enormous ball of flames directly at Luigi.  "You can choose how you'll die!  Will you burn to death, or let me slash you to bits?"

Luigi stared wide-eyed at the oncoming blast.  "There's only one thing to do."  He took a few steps back before taking an all-out leap toward Oriax.  He soared over the blast that the beast had fired at him and prepared to close in on his foe.

"Good job, but how will you dodge this one?" Oriax inquired as he hurled another flaming sphere at the airborne plumber.

Luigi cupped his hands together and released a mammoth Ultra Fireball.  The two flame-based attacks collided in midair, and Luigi passed right by them.  He extended his foot at Oriax, who seemed to be unable to move.  I figured out how his attacks work.  When he shoots those fire blasts, he becomes too tired to move.  It explains how I was able to land that punch earlier without any resistance.

Oriax gasped as he desperately attempted to move.  It was no use.  He was far too exhausted.  He screamed out in agony as Luigi's foot wedged itself into his chest, sending both him and Luigi off the platform's edge.  Luigi, who was standing on Oriax as they both plummeted downward, gathered all of his strength into his legs.  He was surrounded with a white glow as his Super Jump was fully charged, and he propelled himself off of Oriax.  He soared gracefully through the air for several moments, until he finally landed on the balcony beside his allies.  Oriax was not so fortunate, and instantly disintegrated in the ocean of demon blood.

Vetis squinted at his enemies.  So...  It has all come down to this...  Luigi doesn't seem injured enough to give up yet, so there are two fighters left on each team.  The Mario Brothers versus Cresil and me...  It's too bad that we're the strongest members of our team.  Luigi is no match for us, and Mario can't be that much better than the rest of them.  And if one of them does make it past Cresil, I still have my secret weapon.

Retronintendodude7

Good chapters, Shadow. ;) You update a lot faster than I do. :P

There were a few mistakes, but I think you just used the wrong letters and the program you use to write probably didn't catch them. Also, the music in the last chapter isn't working, but I'm not sure if it's just my internet or not.

I meant to ask, the girl that Mario said died on July 27th, was that part of one of the other stories that you wrote, or did your just make it up for this part of the series?

shadowmarioguy

#39
Quote from: Retronintendodude7 on October 26, 2009, 06:13:32 PM
Good chapters, Shadow. ;) You update a lot faster than I do. :P

There were a few mistakes, but I think you just used the wrong letters and the program you use to write probably didn't catch them. Also, the music in the last chapter isn't working, but I'm not sure if it's just my internet or not.

I meant to ask, the girl that Mario said died on July 27th, was that part of one of the other stories that you wrote, or did your just make it up for this part of the series?
This fanfic was the first time she was mentioned, and it will lead to some interesting flashbacks...   ;)

You may have noticed some similarities between SMB6 and my Chaos in the World of Nintendo fanfic all the way back on Oldsider.  That was for nostalgic purposes.   :P  But everything that happens from this point on has nothing to do with any of my past works, just so you know.

As for the music problem, it's not working for my either.  I'll look into it.   ;)

EDIT: I figured out the source of the music problem.  When these forums were recovered a day or two ago, a few recent chapters were missing.  I copy and pasted from the versions I had on Nsider2, so that's where the problem came from.  I'll fix it ASAP.

shadowmarioguy

#40
Looks like a lot of the chapters had random punctuation replaced with question marks.  I'll fix them... soon... maybe...

EDIT: Done.

shadowmarioguy

Chapter 15: A Warrior's Spirit

Demon Stronghold

Vetis observed the remnants of the battlefield.  "There's no way we can use this anymore," he concluded.  "The next battle still has to take place in this room, though.  Luckily, this area is equipped with two battlefields."  He pulled out a remote control and pressed a few buttons.  The circular ceiling above them opened up.  The heroes gasped in awe as the room's height had increased over tenfold.  The new ceiling was at least a mile upward, and the faint outline of a bridge could be detected.  Stairs extended from the circular room's boundaries, spiraling upward toward their new destination.

Mario groaned.  "More stairs?"

"Oh, and you might want to hurry," Vetis informed them casually.  "The blood pool will soon begin to rise."

The four heroes peered downward at the liquid that Oriax fell victim to.  It began to ascend an unnervingly fast pace.  Luigi practically forced the others up the stairs.  "GO!  GO!  GO!  GO!  GO!"

Fortunately, the blood stopped rising as soon as they were halfway to the top.  The heroes continued in silence, keeping their eyes on the sea of blood below them.  Finally, a demon spoke up.  "We needed the blood's volume to be proportional to the room's increase in size.  In other words, the blood had to go up because we're going up," Cresil explained mechanically as they reached the top.  "If the blood remained as it was, and one of you happened to fall during a battle up here, you'd have too much time to think before you landed in the pool.  We don't want that."

Luigi glanced downward and shrieked in terror.  "I-I-I-I'm a-a-a-a-afraid of h-h-heights..." he stammered in fear.  The 'battlefield' consisted of a meter-wide stone bridge that expanded across the diameter of the room, leading to a new doorway.

Cresil stepped onto the bridge and turned to face everyone else.  He yawned, his eyes only half-open.  "Alright, so who's going first?"  He sounded as if he was involuntarily doing chores and would rather be asleep.

"M- me..." Luigi affirmed, hesitantly stepping forward.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Cresil replied, uninterested.

Desperate Struggle

"He shouldn't have done that," Glaive whispered uneasily.  "I've heard plenty of rumors about these guys.  Apparently, those three earlier demons are just disposable fighters that have been beaten before.  They're manufactured by Cresil and Vetis to take care of any weakling intruders, and are replaced whenever they're destroyed."

Ace nodded.  "I used to work alongside them.  A few intruders have successfully defeated Geryon, Pyro, and Oriax in the past.  However, no one has ever defeated Cresil or Vetis."

"You're saying I just sent my own brother to his doom?" Mario inquired worriedly, intently watching Luigi and Cresil stare each other down.  "I should have stopped him..."

Luigi was slightly taller than Cresil, who stood at about Mario's height.  Cresil's body consisted of shades of green, and he had curved orange horns protruding from his head.  However, his most distinguishing features were his two enormous fists.  Each fist and forearm was bulged to over three times the size of Luigi's.

"Could you hurry this up?" Cresil requested with a yawn.  "I hate boring fights.  I rarely get the chance to battle.  When I do, my opponents aren't even a decent challenge."

Luigi observed Cresil's oversized fists.  He must focus more on power than speed, considering the size of those fists.  This bridge is pretty narrow, so he's probably planning to corner me.  I'll just have to knock him off before he can do that!  Without hesitation, Luigi sprinted at his half-asleep opponent.  As he was within a few feet of his target, he threw his hardest right hook at Cresil.

"Too slow," Cresil muttered in disappointment.  Just as Luigi's blow was about to connect, Cresil vanished and reappeared behind him.  With a gentle flick, the demon sent Luigi over the edge of the bridge.  "That didn't even last for a full ten seconds."

"It's... not over yet..." Luigi called from below, desperately clinging to the bridge's edge with both hands.  He began to climb up, but Cresil crushed one of his hands with his fist.  Luigi withdrew the injured hand in agony, clutching at the bridge with only one hand.  Cresil slowly moved his fist to crush Luigi's other hand.

"Don't do it!" Mario pleaded, Ace and Glaive holding him back.  "Give up, Luigi!  Cresil and Vetis are different from the others!"

Just as Cresil was about to send his opponent plummeting to his doom, he winced in pain and withdrew his fist as Luigi's hand was engulfed in a green flame.  "I forgot that you were capable of using the Fireball technique..."

Luigi swiftly scrambled to the top of the bridge and lunged at Cresil.  Before he could land a single hit, he found himself getting pummeled with punches from all directions.  Cresil wasn't just strong.  He was fast, too.  Drops of blood scattered as Luigi found himself helplessly entangled in a chain of painful punches.  At last, he fell onto his back, too bruised to even move.  Bored, Cresil picked him up by the throat and dangled him over the edge of the bridge.

"No!  Luigi!" Mario screamed, not able to stand still any longer.

"Here lies my most boring opponent in over a century," Cresil murmured in displeasure.  "Rest in peace."  He released his grip on Luigi's throat, sending him plunging downward to his death.

Mushroom Hero

Cresil's eyes widened.  Luigi stopped falling.  "Impressive...  I haven't seen anyone move so quickly in quite some time."

Mario stood firmly in front of Cresil, Luigi lying on the ground at his side.  "A few wall jumps and a good eye was all it took," he explained.  "You'll be fighting me now.  There's no way I'll sit back and watch my brother die."  He carried his brother to Ace and Glaive.  "You did great, Bro.  But Cresil and Vetis are in a completely different league than those other guys."

"And you're going to take them both on- two demons that haven't ever been defeated?" Glaive inquired with a slight grin.

Mario nodded.  "You bet.  Our lives are depending on it." 

"We could help you," Glaive whispered.  "If we all team up-"

Mario shook his head.  "No, I don't want the Hero's Garb unless we abide by the rules Vetis set before us.  If we cheated to get the garb, we'd be no better than they are.  Besides, we still don't know where it is.  He turned and approached Cresil.  "You seem so uninterested with fighting.  Don't you understand that you're killing people?  Doesn't that have some kind of effect on your conscience?  I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about taking another's life."

"Most demons don't hesitate to kill," Cresil explained with disinterest.  "I don't care very much for ethics.  But my nonchalance has nothing to do with taking life.  I just haven't had any excitement in my life for so long.  I've always waited for a fight that would push my limits, but I haven't come even close.  Geryon, Oriax, and Pyro kill most intruders.  I rarely even get to fight."

Mario grinned.  "Alright, maybe I can satisfy your needs.  I'm the Mushroom Hero, but lately I've begun to think of myself as something of a demon exterminator.  You see, all I've been doing recently is fight demons and the like.  It gets pretty tiring, but someone's gotta do it."

"Funny," Cresil replied, starting to feel a bit more enthusiastic.  "I'm anxious to see if you live up to your reputation."

Demon Battle

Cresil punched the ground with one of his gigantic fists, sending a shockwave barreling in Mario's direction.  The plumber swiftly rolled out of the way.  As he looked up, he saw Cresil towering over him with both fists raised.  He's pretty fast, Mario thought.  He dove between the demon's legs and quickly sprang to his feet.  Not given much time to rest, Mario ducked under Cresil's fist and took a few hops backward.

"Are you just going to run away the whole time?" Cresil inquired, his eyes half-closed.  "That's no fun..."

If I get hit by one of those fists, there's no telling what kind of damage it could do.  But how am I supposed to land an attack without getting pummeled? Mario pondered.  He was sure that he could land a punch or two.  However, he was worried about how Cresil would retaliate.  "I'll have to force him into a defensive stance."  He jerked his fist forward, which had begun to glow an icy blue color.  A chilling breeze filled the room as hundreds of tiny ice shards erupted from Mario's fist.

"Since when could he do that?" Luigi whispered in awe.

"He must have been working on his Iceball technique," Glaive guessed.  "Instead of a single ball of ice, he fires a vast number of razor-sharp ice shards.  Interesting."

Cresil instantly began batting away the shards with his fists.  He weaved left and right, punching, ducking, and rolling through a blizzard of tiny ice fragments.  "Wow, this is new."  Soon, snow began to mix in with the ice splinters, sending Cresil into what could only be described as a snowstorm.

"You like it?" Mario asked, his voice coated with sarcasm.  "It's a little variation of the Iceball I came up with.  I call it the Ice Blizzard."

Cresil continued to pound his way through the snowfall.  At last, he reached his target and greeted him with a solid punch.  Instead of hearing a cry of agony, he heard the sound of ice shattering to pieces.  As the blizzard died down, he saw the shattered remains of an ice statue- of Mario!

"It's always a good idea to have a decoy!" Mario chuckled as he appeared behind Cresil.  The demon whirled around just in time to meet a barrage of Flaming Punches and Thunder Kicks.  He thrashed wildly about as he was forced to suffer from countless painful strikes.  Mario's fist veered backward to deal a final hook, giving Cresil a split second to react.  He lunged forward and punched Mario straight across the face, following up with a devastating combo of blows from his colossal fists.  THUDs rapidly echoed through the room as Mario could do nothing but accept the merciless beating.

"No!  Get out of there, Mario!" Ace exclaimed with fear.  "Those punches will grind his bones to dust in seconds!"

Glaive hung his head.  "It's too late..."

One solid uppercut sent Mario soaring into the air.  As his lifeless body tumbled downward, Cresil connected with his most brutal right hook.  Like a speeding Bullet Bill, Mario's body flew straight into the stone wall, sending dust and debris into the air.

Fighting Spirit

Cresil was smiling ear-to-ear.  "That was actually... pretty fun...  Too bad it's over."

Luigi covered his eyes.  "Ouch!  Did you hear the sound of Bro's body taking all of those hits?  There's no way he can beat Cresil!  What's going to happen to us now?"

"We could resort to torture," Glaive suggested.  "That is, if we can beat Cresil and Vetis into submission first."

"That won't be necessary," a voice called out from a large hole in the stone wall.  As the smoke and debris settled, Mario emerged with blood trickling down his left cheek and right arm.  "I have every intention of taking both of these guys down.  I don't care what it takes.  I started this fight, and now I'm going to finish it." 

"You're still alive?" Cresil inquired, his grin widening.  "This feeling...  Am I actually enjoying myself?"

Ace gulped.  Is it me, or is Cresil starting to lose his indifference?  He's a decent fighter when he's cool and laid-back, but he's even tougher than Vetis when he gets in the right mood.  Mario... Your talent may have just led you to your demise...

Mario turned to Cresil.  "That's quite an arm you've got there, though I was expecting it to be a little stronger."  Luigi, Ace, and Glaive stared in amazement as Mario walked up to Cresil as if nothing had happened.  "I guess I'm saying that I'm a little relieved.  Your punches aren't as strong as I thought they would be, considering the size of your fists.  If all I have to do is fight two of you, I'll do just fine."

Glaive shook his head in disbelief.  Mario... What is the driving force behind your urge to protect people?  You're determined to defeat Vetis and Cresil so that we can all leave safely.  But what happened to make you so protective?  I wonder...

"That's it, Bro," Luigi breathed in astonishment.  "He can do it!  When you hear that tone in Bro's voice, you know there's no way he'll back down!"

Mario cracked his knuckles and prepared to resume the fight.  "So, how about it?  Do I live up to your standards?"

"Yes," Cresil answered with a grin.  "I haven't felt this giddy in quite a while.  I haven't even been fighting you for that long, and yet...  I feel as though you won't disappoint me."  A green aura surrounded him, and Ace gasped.  He knew what it meant for Mario.

"That's good to hear," Mario chuckled.  "Whenever you're ready..."

A Fight to the Finish]

Mario and Cresil dashed at each, each of them several times faster than before.  Cresil landed the first blow, causing Mario to stagger backward for a moment.  He soon regained his balance and retaliated with a punch of his own.  The demon winced in pain for a moment before returning the favor with another punch.  This continued for several minutes, with Glaive, Luigi, and Ace watching in utter astonishment.

"Look at them go," Ace breathed in amazement.  "They're not even bothering to block each other's punches."

Glaive grinned.  "They're strategies have become purely offensive.  Both of them are starting to enjoy the fight a little too much.  This is yet another side of Mario I haven't seen before.  He knows about the desperation of the situation, and how our lives are depending on his victory in both this battle and the next.  Yet he continues to give Cresil everything he's got, not saving a drop of strength for the next round."

Luigi gulped.  "But why?  Even if he does beat Cresil, how is he going to topple Vetis?"

"I can tell that Mario is still concentrated on winning both fights," Glaive observed.  "Yet, there is something more important on his mind.  Something about this battle is more important than victory..."

Ace hung his head.  "Mario's trying to understand Cresil.  When I was a part of their group, I was always fascinated with Cresil's mindset.  He just doesn't seem to care about anything, until he actually begins to enjoy a fight.  After that, everything about him changes."  He squinted at the two warriors giving each other everything they had.  "It may look like they're fighting, but to me... it almost seems as though they're communicating."

"Fight to kill..." Cresil murmured, throwing another punch at Mario.  "Fight to kill.  Fight to kill..."

"What are you saying?" Mario inquired, regaining his momentum.  "There are other reasons to fight than to take the lives of others!"  He ducked under attack and connected a solid right hook to Cresil's chest.  The demon stumbled backward, and the stone bridge below them shook.  "Is that all Vetis ever taught you?"

"Be quiet!" Cresil demanded, charging forward at his enemy.  Time seemed to stand still as both Mario and Cresil threw their most powerful punches at each other.  Their fists collided, causing the bridge below them to shake violently.  The impact of the blows knocked the bridge loose, sending it plummeting downward.

"Bro!" Luigi shrieked, leaning over the edge of the stairway.  He sighed with relief.  The bridge remained mostly intact on top of the sea of blood.  Undaunted by their great fall, Mario and Cresil continued to pummel each other.

"That bridge is made of a powerful demonic stone.  It should last at least sixty seconds before it falls apart," Vetis explained with a grin.

"To end the war... I need to fight..." Cresil muttered as he continued his battle with Mario.  "To fight... I need to kill..."

"You're not making any sense!" Mario exclaimed, delivering a roundhouse kick to Cresil's head.  "What war?"

Ignoring Mario, Cresil continued to babble on.  "To restore peace... there must be bloodshed.  To end the war... I've fought for years...  But was it right to kill so many people in the name of peace?  I needed to fight to restore peace to the Nightmare Vault... but to fight successfully, I must kill...  Therefore, I haven't been fighting for peace at all...  I've just been fighting... to kill..."

"What are you even talking about?!" Mario inquired, becoming more irritated by the minute.  Cresil and Mario simultaneously struck each other in the face, causing them to wobble backward to opposite edges of the nearly dissolved bridge.

"One last charge?" Cresil suggested foggily, his mind elsewhere.

Mario nodded.  The two of them barreled full-speed at each other, fists raised.  Everything seemed to stop as they were inches away from striking one another.  Cresil's mind was clouded and distant.  Why have I fought alongside Vetis so long...  I wanted to end the chaos in the Nightmare Vault...  I wanted to stop the constant fighting between the Demon Resistance and the Phoenix, but... why did I stay with Vetis?  Why have I fought for so long, even though there is no end in sight?

Mario's mind, on the other hand, was clear and focused.  As the two collided, Mario's blow was significantly stronger than Cresil.  Mario staggered backward a tiny bit, while his opponent fell flat on his back.  The side of the bridge that Cresil had fallen on rapidly began to sink into the pool of blood, while Mario's end rose into the air.

"I understand," Mario whispered with a nod.  He ducked and began to gather all of his strength into his legs.  Suddenly, a blast from above struck Cresil's side of the bridge.  The demon sunk into the blood, and his body slowly began to disintegrate.  "No!"  the plumber cried, yanking Cresil from the ocean of blood.  As he began to glow with a white aura, Mario released all of his gathered strength into one Super Jump that propelled him and Cresil back to the stairs where his allies stood.

Unbearable Suffering

Cresil's body lay on the stone ground, heavily scalded.  His legs had completely melted, and his arms had begun to deform.  He shed a tear of joy.  "Thank you...  I've waited so long for this fight...  When I joined this group, I thought I could do something to help ease the war in the Nightmare Vault... between the Demon Resistance and the Phoenix...  But all I did was take the lives of other beings...  We traveled for years, slaughtering important figures in the Demon Resistance... until we retired to this fortress...  And yet the war raged on, no matter how many people I killed..."

Mario's shook Cresil frantically.  "You can't die yet...  You've got still got plenty of time to live as a reformed demon!  You can't die now, after finally getting what you wanted!"

"It was the only thing that kept me going..." Cresil muttered in pain.  "I wanted to kill myself so many times... but I couldn't.  Not until I felt joy and happiness one more time...  Not until I found the answer that I was seeking...  Mario...  For me, you were that joy and happiness.  You were... the answer I was looking for...  You allowed me to enjoy fighting as something other than an act of killing.  You showed me that two people can battle for reasons other than ending each others' lives.  You fought not to end my life, but to save the lives of all of your friends...  I now know what I did wrong...  In my years working with the Phoenix, I fought to end the lives of others.  I just wanted the war to end, not caring who or what had to be sacrificed to get there...  Instead, I should have fought to protect the people I cared about... the ones I wanted to end the war for... With the knowledge I've gained from you, I can die in peace...  Thank you..."

"No...  It's not fair..." Mario sighed, teardrops forming in his eyes.  "You finally found a new path in life, only to have your journey end so abruptly..."

Suddenly, Vetis crushed Cresil's body in one swift motion.  "Get used to it!" he spat, looking up Cresil's corpse in disgust.  "I hate traitors...  The only thing I can do for a traitor of the Phoenix is end his meaningless life.  Soon I'll do the same with Glaive and Ace."

Exhaustion]

Mario's eyes widened.  "You... how DARE you!"  He stood up, though his wounds were severe and he had exhausted most of his energy facing off against Cresil.  He was breathing heavily.  The plumber slowly limped toward Vetis, despite the knowledge that he would most likely die.

"You're the only eligible fighter on your team," Vetis observed with a grin.  "You do realize that you are your team's last hope.  How do you intend to fight me as you are now?  If you die, so do your allies."

"I'm aware of that," Mario replied, clenching his fists.  "I've fought under worse conditions."

Vetis nodded smugly.  "Of course you have... but things are only going to get worse from here on out."  This is just the beginning.  By the end of the Demonic Trials, you won't even be able to recognize yourself.  "Let's move on."  He snapped his fingers, and a new bridge materialized where the old one had once stood.  Vetis led the four heroes across the newly formed bridge and into the final room.

They emerged in an entirely different setting.  The ceiling was made of clear glass, revealing a sky tinted with red and green shades.  Short grass covered the floor, and various exotic bushes and trees were scattered in all directions.

"This is my favorite room," Vetis informed them.  "It's my own little atrium."

"What would a demon want with an atrium?" Mario wondered aloud.  He slowly made his way over to Vetis.  I've got to keep going...  I can't give up...  No matter what, I have to stay standing...

shadowmarioguy

Time for a new chapter!  See if you can find the MegaMan X reference I threw in there.  It should be obvious for those of you who have played Megaman X4, X5, or X6.

shadowmarioguy

Chapter 16: Nova Strike

Desperate Struggle

Vetis stood at twice Mario's height, towering above the exhausted plumber in his thick, silver armor.  His boots and fists appeared to be made of solid gold, and he wore dark purple glasses over his long, decrepit face.  "This is the final match.  Whoever wins this takes home the prize.  Will I get to claim all of your lives, or will you manage to nab the Hero's Garb?"

"Let's find out!" Mario screamed, rushing toward his opponent.  Vetis stood his ground, and threw an enormous punch when the plumber got close.  His fist swung past Mario's face, followed by a strong gust of wind.  The heavy material on his fists and boots gave him even more power than Cresil had.  Mario sidestepped another blow.

"That material on his armor makes his punches and kicks unbelievably strong.  However, unlike Cresil, he's completely sacrificing speed for power.  The weight of that material is too great for Vetis to move very quickly," Ace observed.  "I've never personally seen Vetis fight.  If he's the leader of the group, he shouldn't have such an obvious weakness...  What's he hiding?"

Mario weaved past Vetis' defenses and unleashed a furious assault of heavy blows to the demon's chest.  As he hacked away at his foe, Mario suddenly felt a sharp pain in his cheek.  Out of nowhere, a rock struck him in the side of the face- hard.  He tumbled onto the ground in shock.  "What was that?" he groaned as he climbed to his feet.

The rock that had just hit him slowly began to levitate in front of the plumber.  Abruptly, it launched itself at Mario with full force.  Just in time, Mario smashed the rock to pieces with a swift punch.  "I can't believe you tried to ambush me with a rock," Mario chuckled, clutching his bleeding knuckle.  His smile soon faded away.

Duel of Tears

Mario gasped.  Dozens of rocks similar to the one he had just smashed now hovered beside Vetis.  "Do you like it?" the demon sneered.  "That was just a sample of my power.  Watch this!"

With a snap of his fingers, Vetis sent an army of stones, pebbles, and rocks at the helpless plumber.  Mario darted back and forth, occasionally batting debris away with his fists.  He took shelter behind a large tree trunk.  Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a few blades of grass uprooted themselves and made a dash for Mario.  They made four small cuts across his left cheek as they zoomed across his face.

"What's going on?" Luigi inquired in fear.  "How is Vetis doing all of this?"

Ace hung his head.  No...  If the rumors are true... then Mario has absolutely no chance of winning...

Staying low, Mario scooped a rock from the ground and hurled it at Vetis.  The stone stopped in midair and flung itself at Mario instead.  He dove to the ground, only to find his arms wrapped in chains of grass.  He ripped himself free, only for the uprooted blades of grass to slash at him once again.  Struggling to his feet, Mario wiped the sweat from his forehead.  "What's going on?  It's like I'm fighting the entire atrium..."  Mustering as much strength as he could, he barreled at full speed toward Vetis.  As he was only a few feet away from his target, a branch extended from a nearby tree and wrapped itself around the plumber.  Vetis walked toward the restrained plumber, pulled his fist back, and struck Mario in the chest with full force.

Mario tumbled backward onto the grassy floor.  He coughed up a mouthful of blood before glancing at his unharmed opponent.  "How are you... able to do... all of this...?"

Vetis adjusted his glasses.  "If you must know, it's the power of my Hero's Garb.  I possess the Awakening Glasses.  To be blunt, they give life to whatever the wearer sees.  That's why I chose to fight in this room.  Take a look around you and see how many natural weapons surround you.  I can strangle you with the very shirt that you are wearing."

" You're cheating!" Luigi cried angrily.  "We agreed to a series of one-on-one fights!  You've got Bro outnumbered!"

"One of the fundamentals of fighting is to battle in a setting where you have the advantage," Vetis explained.  "Depending on the battleground, one warrior can always gain the upper hand over another.  For as long as combat has existed, fighters have used their environment against their foes.  That's exactly what I'm doing.  The only difference is that these glasses allow me to take the concept to a whole new level!  Whether you realize it or not, almost every fighter in existence has used a similar strategy.  Even you used this method, Luigi.  Remember?  You knocked Oriax into the blood before, and I didn't complain."

Mario's Agony

Ace, Glaive, and Luigi looked on in horror as Vetis began to mercilessly pummel the helpless Mario.  Rocks slammed against his body, and tree branches clawed at his arms and legs.  While this went on, Vetis pounded the suffering plumber with his fists.

"He can't go on like this!" Luigi screamed.  "We've got to help him!  If all four of us work together, we can still stop him!"

"That's right," Ace whispered.  "We know where the Hero's Garb is!  Now we can gang up on Vetis!"

Glaive shook his head.  "Do you really think Mario will allow us to do that?"

"What?!" Ace gasped, pointing at Mario's lifeless body.  "Look at him!  If we leave him, Vetis is going to tear him apart!  What could he hope to accomplish alone?  He'll end up getting us all killed!  I'm jumping in right now!"  He lunged forward at Vetis, preparing to strike.

"NO!  Stay back!" Mario cried, his body severely bruised.  He slowly crawled to his feet.  "Stay out of this!  I didn't ask for your help!  I can do this alone!"

"But why?" Ace asked in bewilderment.  "He'll kill you!"

Mario slowly walked toward Vetis.  "Because...  They've been playing by their own rules this entire time!  Did you see any of them step in when Geryon, Pyro, or Oriax was about to die?  They've played fair this whole time, despite how much they must hate humans!  Yet you keep insisting that we all charge Vetis at once!  Are you trying to give them more reasons to hate our kind?  If we were to gang up on Vetis, then we'd be no different from Lord Shade or Metal Mario!"

"You're awfully spirited," Vetis observed with amusement.  "I can see that you're different from most humans.  For that, I'll grant you a chance to leave.  If you hand me the Hero's Garb that you currently possess, and agree to let me keep Ace and Glaive, you and your brother can walk out of here unharmed.  Instead of giving me four lives, you'll give me two and a garb.  Not a bad deal, eh?"

"You should take his advice!" Ace urged him.  "It's better than letting him kill all of us!  If we all die here, who'll be around to stop Metal Mario?"

Unflinching Warrior

"I don't need your sympathy, either," Mario refused, glaring at Vetis with fire in his eyes.  Though he was bleeding and badly bruised, the plumber slowly limped toward his foe.

"You're truly loyal to your friends," Vetis noted.  "But why?  What have they ever done for you?  Why are you always playing the goody-goody act?"

"I swore to myself that I'd get out of here safely with all four of my teammates," Mario explained.  "I lost someone very close to me years ago...  At her grave, I swore that I'd never lose anyone in battle again, and that I'd never leave anyone behind.  I promised that as long as I could still breathe, I'd never abandon my friends.  But it's not just that.  I have no intentions of losing to the likes of you.  I thought you'd be some kind of all-powerful leader, but you're just a Cresil rip-off with a lame defense.  You've thrown all of your speed away, relying on the Awakening Glasses to protect you."

"So you're not going to lose, huh?" Vetis cackled.  "You're using every last drop of power you have just to stand up."

None of my normal attacks will work on him, and I'm too tired to pull off the Tri-Elemental Form, Mario thought.  That leaves me with only one other option... but I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it right... It's the last thing I've got, so it better work...  I just hope I can execute it properly...

All or Nothing

"Here it goes..." Mario muttered nervously.  "The Nova Strike..."  Electric sparks began to emit from his body, while his right fist started to glow with a bright red flame.  Without a moment of hesitation, Mario sprinted full speed at Vetis.

"What's he doing?" Ace wondered aloud.  "He's rushing straight to his death!"

"I could care less," Vetis sneered.  "This fight was starting to get boring, anyway."

Suddenly, Mario's speed nearly quadrupled.  Vetis frantically called upon his surroundings.  Tree branches, rocks, and blades of grass rushed at the speeding plumber.  As he ran, Grambi's words flooded into his mind.  The speed of Thunder allows you to quickly close the gap between you and your opponent.  As the various projectiles were about to strike Mario, numerous parts of his body were shielded with a layer of ice.  This greatly reduced the impacts of the blows. The thickness of Ice works as a great defensive shield from any oncoming attacks as you rush toward your opponent.

"Whatever he's doing, it's working!" Glaive exclaimed in disbelief.

Mario, now only a few feet away from Vetis, took a great leap at his foe.  His fist was completely engulfed in a bright red flame.  And the striking power of Fire will be enhanced greatly by the momentum of your sudden rush.  Mario put all of his willpower into one final flaming right hook that connected with Vetis' midsection.  The demon cringed in agony, but the pummeling wasn't over.  A violent crackling sound filled the room as the wind displaced by Mario's punch suddenly rushed at Vetis.  The sound of hundreds of bone-breaking punches echoed through the atrium as the wind delivered several more blows equivalent to the power of the original punch.

The first punch is powerful, but the true strength behind the Nova Strike is that the initial blow displaces the air around it.  This sends the wind barreling at your opponent, causing a chain reaction that causes hundreds of brutal strikes to rain down upon your foe.  The Nova Strike utilizes the air around you and turns it into your ally.  Use it wisely.

As if he was being shot with a machine gun, Vetis' body thrashed wildly about in pure anguish.  After several more moments of excruciating pain, the demon fell onto his back.  His body was covered with countless cuts and bruises.  All of this was the result of one perfectly timed punch.

Mario cringed, holding his bleeding fist in pain.  Gah... I still can't use it without hurting myself...

I was only testing him, anyway, Vetis thought as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.  The Demonic Trials are still well underway...

Victory

"Looks like I won after all," Mario sighed wearily as he collapsed onto the ground.  Blood was still dripping from his wounds, and his body was severely bruised.  "I told you I could do it..."

His three companions were at his side in moments.  "That brings us up to two Hero's Garbs," Ace stated formally.  He bent down and slipped the dark glasses off of Vetis' forehead. 

"Hey Bro, what exactly was that last technique you used to beat Vetis?" Luigi inquired.  "It was the coolest stunt I've seen you pull off in a while."

"It's my new Final Smash," Mario explained wearily.  "While I was training with Grambi, he showed me how to do it.  It's called the Nova Strike."

Glaive thought for a moment.  "I think I've heard of that technique before.  It combines all of the fundamental skills taught by the Elemental Gods.  It's supposed to be nearly impossible to master."

"Yeah," Mario snickered, waving his badly bruised hand.  "You can say that again."

"A Final Smash..." Ace whispered in confusion.  "I had no idea that they existed outside of the Nightmare Vault.  A Final Smash is a technique that only powerful, high-ranking demons can use.  Since when can humans use them?"

"Well, there were these things called Smash Orbs that we used to use.  But after a lot of hard work, many of us have learned how to use Final Smashes without Smash Orbs.  Of course, it drains almost all of our energy, so we have to use it as a last resort," Mario informed him.

There was a moment of silence before Ace finally spoke.  "Now what?"

"Dunno," Luigi shrugged, helping Mario to his feet.  "We should start by getting out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Mario agreed.  The heroes took a moment to soak up their victory.  Suddenly, Mario groaned with discomfort.  "Oh no..."

"What?" Glaive inquired nervously, immediately turning to the unconscious Vetis.  "What's wrong?"

Mario grinned wearily.  "It's nothing...  I was just thinking about all of the stairs we'll have to climb to get back..."

There was a moment of silence before they all burst into laughter.  Through determination, compassion, defiance, and luck, the band of heroes had surmounted yet another obstacle that stood in their path.  However, it was only the beginning.  Many more trials still awaited them, and many more secrets would soon be uncovered.




Evil Theme

A pair of glowing eyes appeared from behind the thick underbrush of Forever Forest.  Slowly, a metallic figure crept out into the open.  "I'll be able to take shelter from him in this forest," Metal Mario whispered to himself.  "He's been following my trail, but he won't be able to trail me so easily in the Mushroom Kingdom's most dense woodland."

He dove behind a tree and scanned his surroundings.  "Still no sign of him... Velno was designed to be the perfect predator, so I can't let my guard down."  He cautiously tiptoed forward, meticulously avoiding all twigs, leaves, and fallen branches.  One sound could instantly attract Velno's attention.

I wonder if Mario is anywhere nearby.  If I know him, he's looking for the Hero's Garbs to try and storm into Mushroom Castle.  There should be a garb nearby if I remember correctly.  If I had the luck of running into him, Velno might find us.  If those two killed each other, my job would be that much easier.  Of course, Hunter should be patrolling this area as well.  His assistance would certainly help.  But no matter who it may be, I need to find someone, and fast.

Less than a quarter of a mile away, Velno entered the forest.  "So, he's hiding somewhere in the forest, is he?  This'll be fun..."  He sniffed the air around him, and his grin widened.  "Oh my, there are some other powerful warriors nearby as well.  One seems to be alone, and the other four are in a small group.  It looks like I've got plenty of hunting to do."




[End Music]

"Finally," Mario sighed with relief.  "I've missed the sunlight of the Mushroom Kingdom."  He looked around, realizing they were Forever Forest.  "Well, I still miss it.  I'll feel a lot better once we get out of this gloomy forest.  Then we can start looking for the next garb."

"Actually, I think it'd be best to put our search on hold," Ace suggested.  "None of us are in any condition to be fighting.  Our journey would go much smoother if we took some time to regain our strength and stamina.  Most of us won our battles by a narrow margin, and it'd be unwise to continue to push our luck."

"I guess a little rest couldn't hurt," Glaive agreed with a shrug.  "Let's find our way back to Toad Town."

As they turned to head out of the forest, there was a swift rustle in a nearby bush.  Luigi screamed in terror as an arrow launched from the shadows and whizzed past his face.  "I think we have company," Luigi observed with fear.

A dark-skinned male Toad slowly stepped out from behind the underbrush.  His face was painted with red and blue markings, and a bow was wrapped tightly in his grip.  In the blink of an eye, he loaded another arrow onto his bow and aimed it at Mario's throat before releasing it. 

With one swift motion of his sword, Glaive sliced the arrow into two.  "Back off, weirdo.  That puny bow won't work on us."  The heroes' eyes widened with terror as several dozen male Toads identical to the first emerged from the shadows.  Each had a bow indistinguishable from the one the first Toad held, and they were all pointed at the four heroes.

A tall, dark Toad stepped from the crowd.  A feather was clipped to his mushroom hat, and he held a large wooden staff.  "I am Chief T.  Are you friend, or foe?" he asked, impatiently tapping the ground with his staff.

"Friend!" Luigi called out immediately.

"We're peaceful visitors," Mario explained.  "We're on a journey to save this entire kingdom.  Besides, we've already found what we're looking for here.  If you'll excuse us, we'll leave right away."

A friendly smile spread across the chief's face.   "Welcome.  Many creatures have plagued our peaceful land lately.  I apologize for having my tribe attack you."

"No problem," Ace said with a nod.  "Would one of these creatures happen to look like a silver version of him?" He pointed to Mario.

Chief T. shook his head.  "Our main problem is a man that wields a gun.  He seems to be searching for someone, and he kills anyone who gets in his way.  Another creature has also been seen prowling this area.  He's tall, blue, and looks nothing like a human.  Other than those two, a few monsters were seen walking around occasionally, but we haven't seen them recently.  They usually came from the same entrance as you did, so we thought you were them."

"Oh, we took care of those guys," Mario chuckled.  "They were part of the group we're trying to stop."

Chief T. and his fellow tribe members gasped in awe.  "You four defeated them?  Our prayers have finally been answered!  Please, come back with us to our village.  We'll supply you with food and tend to your injuries.  You can stay as long as you wish."

The four heroes beamed with joy.  "That sounds great!" Luigi exclaimed with glee.  "I'm starving!  We can stay for the rest of today, get a good night's sleep, and continue our search tomorrow!"

Mario shook his head.  "We'll accept a meal and medical attention, but we have to leave as soon as possible.  The man that Chief T. mentioned might be looking for us, and that other creature doesn't sound very friendly either.  If we stay with this tribe for too long, we'll end up dragging them into our own problems.  I don't want to involve this peaceful tribe in any of our affairs."

"Fine," Glaive agreed with a nod.  "We'll stay for a little while, and then get back to our search."

Chief T. made a series of strange gestures.  The rest of the tribe slowly dropped their weapons and started back toward the village.  Mario, Luigi, Glaive, and Ace followed them through a complex series of right and left turns.  Each time they reached a fork in the path, the Toads stopped and closely scanned their surroundings for some sort of landmark.

"Good old Forever Forest," Mario sighed.  "I remember Goombario and I doing the exact same thing when we were looking for Boo Mansion."

At last, they stopped at a small clearing in the woods.  Several tipis ran across the area, circling around a large campfire.  The soil below their feet was moist and fertile, and the smell of Shroom Steak filled their noses.  "We're just in time for dinner," the chief informed them with a warm smile.  "Feel free to eat as much as you want."

Female Toads emerged from the tipis to greet their husbands and visitors.  They laid blankets made of animal skin on the ground, and everyone took a seat around the campfire.  Without a moment of delay, they proceeded to present the tribe- and their special guests- with a generous feast.

Mario and Luigi stared wide-eyed at the upcoming meal before hungrily devouring as much as they could.  Glaive and Ace, on the other hand, ate slowly and politely, making sure to chew their food before swallowing.  Mario eagerly devoured four Maple Shrooms, two plates of Koopasta, three Yoshi Cookies, and washed it all down with a can of Super Soda.  Luigi practically inhaled his Spicy Soup, Shroom Steak, and Fried Shroom before gulping it down with a tall glass of Tasty Tonic.

Glaive and Ace carefully picked at their food, not used to the kingdom's typical cuisine.  They did, however, enjoy their very first taste of Shroom Cake.

"Ahh... I'm stuffed," Mario said with a burp, clutching his stomach.  "Thanks..."  In the corner of his eye, he saw a small child lying down away from the group of feasting Toads.  He gestured toward the lone child.  "Why doesn't he eat?"

"He has an illness," the Toad's mother explained.  "His name is Todd.  He's had this disease since his infancy.  He always feels sick to his stomach, and can hardly eat."

"That's my wife, Catherine," Chief T. explained.  "As for my son...  We try to feed him, but when he eats even the slightest bit too much, his condition becomes critical until his body can digest the extra food.  I need to devote a separate meal to him each day, and measure the exact amount of food he needs."

"Oh... I'm sorry," Mario replied with a sympathetic nod.  "Don't give up on him.  I'm sure he'll recover sooner or later."

"Well," Ace concluded with a sigh, "thanks for the meal.  We'll be on our way now.  We don't want to attract any unwanted attention to this village."

The four of them stood up, each feeling a little bit stronger.  "I wish we could stay until we got all of our strength back, but we'd never be able to collect all of the Hero's Garbs in time if we rested after every battle," Glaive explained.  "Let's get going."

"Thanks for everything," Luigi said with gratitude.

Mario knelt down beside the ill Toad and patted him on the head.  "Get well soon, Todd."  With that, the four of them were on their way.

Evil Desire

As the heroes disappeared behind the forest's thick undergrowth, a tall figure glared at the group of Toads that Mario had just been talking with.  "So, that was Mario.  Funny, I thought he'd look much stronger.  It's hard to believe that he defeated Lord Shade two years ago."  He stepped into the light and clutched a pistol strapped to his waist.

"I really don't like taking orders from that silver weakling, but Sir Crimson told me that I should obey all of Metal Mario's orders until his 'replacement' arrived," he groaned.  "I hope he shows up soon.  Until then, I guess I'll just have to find some enjoyment in hunting Mario down.  Now, what's the best way to draw him out?"

Chief T. held his son up high above his head, playfully carrying Todd around the village.  "Mario's right.  I'm sure you'll feel better in no time."

The figure in the shadows grinned wickedly.  "Hunter, you're a genius," he chuckled to himself.  "The Mushroom Hero always comes running when there's someone in danger.  I'm sure the child will serve as decent bait."  He drew the pistol from his waist, aimed at the chief, and fired.  Heh, perfect aim as always.

Retronintendodude7

If I was Mario, I would've just burned down the whole atrium...

Was the Mega Man X reference about Vetis being a Cresil rip-off? (Where do you come up with these names? :P) I used to play a few Mega Man X games when I was younger but I honestly don't remember that much.