Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).
Moley Koopa- Yayz! I hoped you like those pics, even if they're not very good! *hugs* And that scene showing a different side of Crash was something I've been eager to do, and I'm glad it was well received by ya, buddy!
Virgofox28- No worries, I'm sometimes too lazy to log in myself! XD And thankfully, Crash is fine (or alive, I should say; as being a tad bit suidical probably doesn't qualify as being 'fine'). He wouldn't be too great an antagonist if he gets killed off so early in the story!
Jakeroo- A new reviewer and I already love how insightful you are! You actually brought up a point that I've been planning to address later on, so kudos! I really do hope to hear from you again and I hope you continue to enjoy my story! :)
Chapter 10
"Change of plans, kid." Kops stated as he opened the cell door, finding the bed empty and the Paratroopa perched high up on the window ledge. Gazing into the outside world had become a regular activity to him, one that strengthened his resolve with each new day and relaxed him even in his most irritated mood. Upon hearing his guardian's words however, even the bright clear morning outside did little to prevent Pip from immediately feeling a bit on the defensive as he crossed his arms with a scoff.
"Lemme guess: Bowser's still butthurt about me not joining his stupid army and now he decided that I can't have a day off?" He asked with a bit of a sharp tone, fully expecting the Koopa Troopa to nod in confirmation. After all, it did sound like something the tyrant would do. But to his surprise, Kops shook his head as he kept himself from rolling his eyes at Pip's hostility.
"Overworking you isn't going to do him any good, kid. Even hard-headed recruits like you need a break sometimes," he told the grouchy teenager before continuing with the real reason for his announcement. "Actually, something came up for Rattles. He wants to meet you in the Bone Room instead."
"Bone Room?" Pip asked, tilting his head. "What's that?" It sounded like a pretty dangerous place, like some kind of sacrificial chamber or something. Already he could imagine the floor of such a chamber being coated with years worth of skeletons and rotting bodies. Why exactly would he want to go to a place like that?
"Don't worry," Kops reassured, seeing the spark of fearful nervousness in the young Koopa's face. "I wouldn't send you into a death trap. It's just a place where Dry Bones and Boos like to hang out."
"Oh..." Pip muttered, a relieved look spreading across his features.
"Here, I'll give you some directions." Kops said as Pip fluttered down to him and they wandered out of his cell, pausing just outside the door as the older Koopa pointed down the hall. "It's actually close-by the Lunch room. Just take a left on the last turn instead of a right. Then you take the second right, then the third left, first right, and down the hall around the corner." He turned to Pip. "You got that?"
"I think so..." Pip muttered, not really confident in his sense of direction, but it didn't seem too difficult. "How will I know if I'm in the right place?"
"Well, if Rattles isn't there when you arrive, it's a round domed chamber, with several doors bordering it. There might be a Boo or a Dry Bones there, so they could probably help you if you're not sure."
"Okay..." the Paratroopa responded with a nod and Kops smiled before turning away.
"Good luck, kid. My first errand shouldn't take me too long, so I'll stop by to check up on ya. If you get lost, I'll rescue your whimpering tail." he said with a chuckle as he walked away and Pip paused for a moment to do something he rarely ever did: think ahead. For the first time since his capture, he's alone outside his cell. It seems like a perfect opportunity to make an escape attempt. But then again, if he failed as he usually did, he'll never be trusted on his own again. Maybe he should wait until a later time, build up everyone's comfort level and lower their guard. Then he'll make a break for it when they least expect it. Agreeing with himself on that, he began heading for this Bone Room place...
And he was lost already. He knew well how to get to the Lunch Room, but Kops' directions began to mix in his mind and he was second-guessing himself. It didn't help that the halls all look the same, at least to him. Fiddling with his hands, he began to call out, just in case his friend was within hearing distance.
"Rattles?! Rattles, if you can hear me, can you help!?" Nothing but his own echoes, but he continued nonetheless. "Rattles!" Did Kops say to take a left or a right here? He was pretty sure he said left on the second turn. And there's a corner and he peeked over to see another hall ending in a stairway rather than a domed chamber. Back tracking, he tried again on another route, taking the right. "Rattles! C'mon, man, where are you?!"
Still there wasn't anything in response and Pip was starting to really worry. He wasn't expecting much of a verbal reply, true, but a few acknowledging chitters or clatterings would be nice. Arriving to a chamber out of pure luck, he saw that it was domed, just as Kops said, with several doors visible from the entrance hall. However, it was completely empty of life...or death...or undead. His head began to hurt.
Maybe he's looking in the wrong place. No, he was sure this is where Kops told him to be. Just how many domed chambers can there be in this castle? Sitting down by the entrance he arrived in, he waited for a few moments, wings fidgeting in paranoid restlessness. He still found it strange how he hasn't met any Dry Bones or Boos ye-
Oh, nevermind! Feeling a wave of relief, Pip saw a distant skeletal figure enter through another hall on the opposite side of the chamber and head into a room, closing the door behind him. Finally, someone who can put his mind to ease! And who knows, maybe the other Dry Bones will know where Rattles is. Standing up and dashing ahead towards the door, Pip pulled it open and stepped inside. A long, dark hallway awaited him, somehow even darker than usual. This one didn't even have the occasional lantern hanging on the wall. But not going to let something as trivial as darkness stop him from locating his potential helper, Pip allowed his eyes to adjust before heading further, leaving the door open so he'll be able to use the light to find his way back if need be.
He wondered where this tunnel led. It seemed to have a downward slant to it, like it was heading deeper and deeper into the earth. Maybe it was leading to the basement or something. Did castles have basements? He didn't know. After a while, however, he didn't seem to be going anywhere and he took deep breath.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing back to him almost instantly. "Someone? Anyone?"
Nobody seemed to be anywhere. But didn't he just see someone come in here? Where was that Koopa and why wasn't he answering back? Pausing, Pip noticed his defensive instincts were raising a red flag of alarm. Something wasn't right about this and maybe he should head back. Turning around, he only had time to let out a startled cry before he felt himself get slammed into the wall behind him, a powerful grip around his neck.
For a very brief instant, Pip thought it was Crash seeking to do him harm for something or another. But wait, it wasn't scales he was feeling, and the grip lacked any kind of body heat. Opening his eyes, his expression went from confused to horrified in a split second. It wasn't Crash, but a very pissed off-looking Dry Bones with an appearance much different than Rattles. He was a few tones darker in color, with glaring red eyes and blood red shoes and gloves. Sharp claws were sinking into the flesh of his neck, but all Pip could really focus on was how and why he ended up in this situation. The skeleton must've snuck up on him and now Pip had a feeling he was going to be in big trouble for trespassing. Well, in his defense, nobody told him this place was off-limits.
"Uh…" Pip piped with fearful awkwardness, the grip on his throat not tight enough to hinder his speaking ability, yet. "Hi…?"
"What are you doing here?!" the Dry Bones hissed and Pip stiffened in fear. This thing's voice… If he thought Bowser's voice was guttural, this guy sounds like his vocal chords are in shreds, which it probably was. If this is what Rattles would sound like speaking English, he was glad his buddy limited himself to the occasional chitters of Koopa speech. Gathering his composure as best he could, Pip was about to reply when the Dry Bones gave a painful-sounding growl that made the Paratroopa cringe. "You must think this is so funny…" the skeleton started. "Coming into my tunnels just to mock me!"
"What?!" Pip piped up in confusion, not knowing what the hell this guy was talking about. Perhaps he was confused as well and the young Koopa shook his head as he began to assure the undead creature. "You've got it all wrong! I'm just looking for a friend and I thought that you could-"
"Like I really need your excuses," the Dry Bones snarled. "Like I really need to see the likes of your kind every minute of every day for the rest of time, MOCKING me with your happy little lives!"
Suddenly, it made sense to the bewildered Paratroopa. This must be one of those angry, jealous Dry Bones Kops had once warned him about. Why was it that he always seemed to be a magnet for guys like this? Wasn't a grief-crazed Hammer Bro. enough to handle? Apparently not…
There was silence for a brief moment as the Dry Bones glared at him, tilting his head before speaking again. "I know you," he grumbled. "You're the one King Koopa's trying to break; the one everyone says is going to die." Like he really needed to be reminded of that… But before he could respond, the skeleton gave a small smirk. "If that's the case, why not speed the process along?"
Pip couldn't even get time to squeak in surprise as the grip on his throat tightened considerably. His hands immediately shooting up to pry at his assaulter's hold, he struggled as he tried to gasp for air, only getting little wisps of the life-giving oxygen. Barely enough to speak.
"L…let…go…" he demanded with much effort. "I-I can't…can't…" He couldn't choke out the last word, but he didn't need to as the Dry Bones took the liberty to complete the sentence, with a hostility that could match Crash's.
"Breathe?!" he snapped, glaring hard into his victim's eyes. "Neither can I." His growls slowly easing away as he smirked maliciously, he was unfazed by the Paratroopa's struggles to get him off as he continued in a whisper. "But maybe you can change that. Maybe the magic that binds me can absorb your life as I take it away from you…"
"You…you're insane…!" Pip managed to squeak through his horror and lack of air. This guy didn't honestly think-
"Not insane," the Dry Bones responded with a shake of his skull. "Just desperate." It took a moment for Pip to understand what he meant; it certainly didn't help that his mind was too busy being traumatized by his predicament. But looking at the heavily scarred and worn-down face of his attacker, he knew this Dry Bones have been dead for a very long time, much longer than Rattles. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised if this Koopa would want his life back at any cost necessary, even at the cost of taking another's.
The guy's still out of his mind… Although Pip did wonder if this magic was capable of doing such a thing. In pure fear, he imagined his life essence being taken into someone else and it took his logical mind to convince him that that can't be possible…right?
Regardless, he had to get out of here and for that he had to get free of this hold. Struggling even harder as he began taking as much air as he could, he started to cry out for help when the grip tightened completely, choking his voice half-way into the distress call. Freezing his struggles, Pip tried to hold what little breath he had, still prying at the hands uselessly. Koopas can hold their breaths for a decent amount of time, but that time felt too short for the little Paratroopa, given that he barely had air to begin with. So within a single tantalizing minute, he was already feeling as though his lungs would explode out of his chest and his pain must've been quite visible, for the Dry Bones purred.
"Strangulation is the best way to do this, I think," he muttered in a cheerful nonchalance. "It's the only method where I can quite literally feel your life ebb away from you and flow into me."
YOU'RE STILL CRAZY! Pip wanted to shout but couldn't. So instead he settled on glaring at the Dry Bones, once more using his defiance to hide his fear. But it didn't seem to work very well as his assaulter still kept a smug face. Oh man, now the pain was truly becoming unbearable; every second seem to slow down now as it was filled with an ever growing agony.
"Stop being so greedy, fleshie, and just die already!" the Dry Bones hissed impatiently as another minute inched its way past. Pip tried to growl but no more did he have any amount of defiance left to share. In horror, he saw the edges of his vision going black and he closed his eyes to avoid seeing it and to avoid looking into the literal eyes of death.
So it was finally happening; his death was finally coming. Just like everyone predicted. Never did he think he would die like this; he expected it to be at the hands of Bowser or Crash or maybe even himself. But this? A chance encounter born out of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? No, he didn't want to end like this. Let go… his thoughts muttered desperately in his head as if somehow his apparent executioner would hear it. Need…air…let…go…please…
Strangled whimpers forced their way out from his throat and as his pain reached its very peak, his body removed itself from his control and began thrashing about in the same desperation his mind shared. But it was of no use as the Dry Bones kept his hold stubbornly, the undead creature's purrs returning as he knew what these thrashes meant. The child has reached the limit and now…
Feeling that its best efforts meant nothing in gaining freedom, Pip's oxygen-deprived body began shutting down on him and the pain and agony began easing away. However, the Paratroopa did not like this one bit and he fought a losing battle to stay awake, trying in vain to get a life-saving wisp of air. He had to stay awake, he had to get out of this alive, he…
Against his own will, his body went limp as his mind faded into the black void of unconsciousness. Feeling his victim's heartbeat slow down to nothingness, the Dry Bones grinned as his ragged purrs grew louder in delight. He's done it; he's claimed a life to replace the one he lost so very long ago and what a prize it was. A still-growing adolescent of a highly energetic species… If this wasn't enough, he didn't know what was. But nothing seemed to be happening, so perhaps he needed to do something more or maybe…
Opening his beak with a hiss, he seemed about to take a bite out of the body to ensure its death when a force out of nowhere slammed into him. With the skeleton forced to release the Paratroopa as he was reduced to a pile of bones, Kops shot back out of his shell as he helped Rattles gather the limp body of their friend.
"C'mon, before he gets back up again!" Receiving a nod in response, the two Koopas hurried out of the tunnel as fast as they could with their cargo before reaching the door and Bone Room. As Rattles closed the door behind them, Kops gently eased Pip onto the ground, placing his ear on the child's chest to listen for any signs of life.
There was nothing…
Cursing under his breath as Rattles hovered worriedly nearby, Kops acted quickly and proceeded in giving the lifeless body CPR. "Wake up, kid," the Koopa Troopa grumbled between each breath and chest-compression. "Live, damn it, live!"
It didn't seem to be working and Kops casted a hopeless look towards Rattles. The Dry Bones whimpered in distress as he leaned over to offer a couple more chest compressions, giving Kops a return look of desperate determination. The other Koopa paused for a second, thinking it wasn't going to do any good and that Rattles was just being too stubborn to accept it, but he sighed and gave the motionless body one more breath.
And it was a good thing he did, for Pip gave a cough as he jolted back to life, gasping for air to replenish his starved body. Feeling himself close to tears, Kops held the Paratroopa close as Rattles chattered happily, relief practically washing over the both of them as the coughs and gasps eased from their revived friend.
"You're alright, kid." Kops muttered, knowing how dangerously close that was. "You're gonna be alright."
Pip opened his eyes to see only blurs before the colored blobs came into focus and the first thing he saw was- He yelped in fear and Kops quickly reassured him.
"It's okay! Don't worry. It's just Rattles."
"R…Rattles…?" Pip breathed softly, earning a nod from said Dry Bones. Soon recognizing his undead companion on his own, he relaxed as he tried to recover from his brush with death. After a few moments of silence and relief, Pip couldn't stop himself from addressing Rattles with a particular request. "Hey, Rattles, can you promise me something…?"
The Dry Bones tilted his head a bit before nodding confidently, willing to do anything at this point.
"Promise me you won't go insane anytime in the near future…" he said with a soft smile and Rattles smiled back, giving another nod as Kops chuckled. Pip was certainly gonna be okay.
"Kops?" Pip started softly as his friends carefully settled him into his chair, now back in the Medical Wing just to make sure the youngster didn't sustain any serious damage from his few minutes of death. The atmosphere was still filled with relief that the young Paratroopa was alright, but even that was about to change as Pip continued with his question without waiting for the Koopa Troopa to respond. "That guy who tried to kill me… Who the hell is he?!"
At this, Kops and Rattles froze, casting uneasy glances at each other before Kops cleared his throat. "His name is Hollow," he started with some reluctance. "The Demon Bones."
At this, Pip felt both his fear and curiosity spike. "What? I…I thought he was a Dry Bones."
"He is. The rest of us just calls him that, especially since he looks and acts a bit strange for a normal Dry Bones." Sitting down next to Pip, the Paratroopa could tell this was going to be a long story and he prepared himself with rapt attention. "We don't know much about him really; Hollow isn't even his real name. Hell, not even King Koopa knows much about him. The only facts we have is that apparently, he's the first Dry Bones to ever exist."
"Really?" the younger Koopa piped and both Kops and Rattles nodded.
"With so much mystery in who he is and where he came from, of course there's going to be legends surrounding the guy. The most popular one is that Bowser's great great great great great…you get the idea… Grandfather wanted to bring back the dead, so he got some Magikoopas and a random Koopa Troopa. They had that poor soul killed so they can begin experimenting. Now, since this is their first attempt, many said that when they succeeded, they made a huge mistake. That instead of bringing back the murdered Koopa, they dragged in a demon and put him into the body of a Dry Bones. We've come to call that demon Hollow."
Kops allowed a pause to let it all sink in before continuing. "He's resided in those underground tunnels for centuries, hating the living and doing who-knows-what down there. They say that the tunnels lead all the way to the Underworld, but any who enters aren't seen again, for reasons I'm sure you understand."
Pip nodded, a hand automatically rising to rub his bruised throat.
"The creepy thing is that he's completely unpredictable. He holds no loyalty to Bowser and we all know he's carrying out his own agenda." Kops shook his head. "He hasn't done anything truly drastic yet, but we all know it'll come eventually."
"Wait," Pip interrupted with confusion. "If he's doing his own thing, why does Bowser even keep him around? Can't he just get rid of him?"
"Of course he can; he just chooses not to. I think King Koopa's fully aware of Hollow's position, but decides to make do with it on the chance that he'll find a use for him someday." Kops then give a half-hearted chuckle. "I also think that Bowser finds the stories we make up amusing." Standing up with Rattles as a Shy Guy called for Pip, he continued. "I personally don't buy into any of the legends, of course. I just think that being dead for so long has driven Hollow into being psychopathic asshole. He's no different than the regular Dry Bones when it comes down to it."
And with that, he led his companions towards the waiting doctor, whom Pip was certain was getting tired of seeing them all the time...
Well, our lovable little Paratroopa practically got himself killed; that's a great way to start out his first day off, wouldn't you say? Hollow's actually tied with Crash to become my favorite Mario OC, and I'm glad to finally introduce him here!
As usual, reviews are much appreciated! :)
