Chapter 38 Starlight, Starbite

Muffled voices. Muffled sounds. They overlapped, they pounded on Roy's ears. They made him feel like he was in another world. They made him feel wrought with fear. His stomach felt as if it was going to leap out of his body and strangle him; he was that afraid. He tried to move, but that was a fruitless effort. He couldn't even lift a finger; doing so caused him to internally wince.

"Look at this guy," said one distorted voice.

"Look at the girl," said another distorted voice.

"Is it just me, or does the guy look like one of the Koopalings? What's his name...Don? Ron?"

Okay, now that made Roy angry. Roy! I'm Roy, you dunce! It was bad enough when someone got the names of his siblings confused. Now this person was mixing up his name; butchering it as a matter of fact! Ohh, if he could move, he would pound this guy into ground beef!

"I know! And look at the girl," said another voice. "She looks awfully weird for a human."

"Yeah. What color dye do you think she got for her hair? Cause I certainly want to try it out."

Roy heard groaning come from right beside him. He recognized the voice as Celia's, and she sounded….awful. She sounded like she was in pain. Roy wondered if she too was experiencing problems with movement, just like he was.

Now that he thought about it...he should not be knocked out! He shouldn't be! He should be up and moving, he should be taking Celia back to the castle. He should know what the heck was going on. He shouldn't be surrounded by complete strangers on all sides, strangers who observe him and Celia while they sleep.

Man. Even without the distorted voices, these strangers were just...creepy.

Roy opened his eyes. It took every last ounce of physical effort and willpower he had at his disposal in order to do so; that's what happens when one feels like they are paralyzed. When his eyelids opened, he noticed the strangers. That's what he assumed the big, fuzzy blobs to be anyway. They had to be people; monstrous demons and colorful ghosts didn't make much sense. Soon enough, his eyes adjusted, allowing the people to come into focus. He noticed that most if not all of them were Koopas. They stared at him in awe, wonder, curiosity.

"The brute's awake!" one of them whispered.

Roy felt bile rise to his throat. "I ammmm nwot a bwute." Only once he said did he realize how messed up and slurry his speech was. He sounded like he had swallowed a bottle of cotton, like his tongue had been injected with anesthetics. It was like the numb feeling one has in their mouth after a dentist appointment only...so much worse.

The Koopas laughed. "Man," said one of them. "Do you come with subtitles, buddy?"

The laughter grew stronger. Roy gritted his teeth and lifted himself up. His body screamed at him to not exert so much effort, but he ignored the pain.

"Listen, bozos. You've got a lot of nerves messing with me and knocking me out like that. I could pound you into pancakes if I…" A sharp pain stabbed Roy in the chest. "OWW!" He put his hand to the problem area and sucked some air through his teeth.

A Lakitu laughed. "Buddy, you aren't going to pound anybody into anything. Not until the spell wears off."

"Which it won't," said a Koopa troopa. "Kamark used a pretty strong sleeping draft; you're gonna be a sitting duck for a while."

Roy snorted. "I don't know who this Kamark guy is but he sounds like a real piece of work. Now, take this spell or whatever it is you call it off of me so my friend and I can leave."

A goomba wore a smirk. "That ain't happening, buddy. You crossed onto the Starbite Society's property. That means you've gotta pay the price."

Roy blinked. "The Starbite Society?" He scrunched up his brow. "Never heard of it."

"Oh really? Well, that's a surprise." A Dragon Koopa narrowed his eyes at him. "Unfortunately, ignorance to the laws of our land isn't going to save you. You're in our hideout now. Whatever Kamark says he wants done to you is what is going to happen."

Roy's heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was the gravelly tone, but the way that person said that freaked him out. He looked over at Celia, still groaning in her sleep. He realized that, if these people tried any funny business, she would get hurt. He didn't want that; not on his watch.

So, he decided that he might as well buy some time by engaging in conversation. "Kamark. Is that your boss?"

"Yep. He's a magikoopa. He established our organization with his brother Kam about twenty five years ago."

Roy snickered. Wow, twenty five years and he was still part of this organization? This guy must be really dedicated to making his stupid dreams a reality.

"Pretty pathetic that he wasted twenty five years of his life," he said.

A Koopa troopa slapped him in the face. "DO NOT DEGRADE KAMARK'S NAME LIKE THAT!"

"Woah, man, sorry; you don't need to go attacking me." He put his hand to his throbbing cheek. "So, this organization…"

The Dragon Koopa sniffed. "Not that it's of any meaning to you and your puny little brain, but we're the Starbite Society. We run this town."

"Really?" Roy looked around, noticing the dirty, candlelit walls. "You run this town from underground? I would think you would have the town hall to do something like that."

"WE'RE AN UNDERGROUND NETWORK!" the Dragon Koopa yelled. He spit all over Roy as he did so. The burly Koopaling nonchalantly wiped it off.

"Okay, great," Roy said. "So you're underground. Why would you give yourself a flashy name like the Starbite Society then?"

"Because it is the mark of our organization." A Koopa troopa lifted his arm, showing a star shaped birthmark just a few inches away from the armpit. Everyone else showed Roy their birthmarks in various places on the body. "A mark of a lucky Koopa, a superior koopa."

Roy snickered. "Well that's a little egotistical."

The Lakitu narrowed his eyes. "Never. Question. The Starbite Society's ideals. Ever."

"Yeah," said a Koopa. "You'd better wish that you have a starbite on you, or you're gonna receive a very slow, very painful death."

Roy smirked. "You're bluffing."

"Are we though?" came another voice, a different voice. Roy watched as the Society cleared the way, revealing a magikoopa. He wore a cloak that resembled the night sky in color. His face was a tan, reminding Roy of a grapefruit for some reason. On the back of his right hand, the hand that held his wand, there was clearly a starbite visible; a grey starbite that resembled the one that Morton had on his face.

Roy smiled. This guy didn't appear so tough. "I believe you are."

The magikoopa chortled. "Well, prepare to be proven wrong. Do you have a starbite?"

"So what if I do?" Roy asked defiantly.

The magikoopa narrowed his eyes. "You must show me this Starbite. You must."

"Kamark, what if he doesn't have one?" asked a Koopa troopa.

Kamark smirked in a smug fashion. "Well then, we will treat him the same way we treat all trespassers who lack a birthmark." He waved his wand. "Levitatia."

Roy grunted as he was lifted into the air. Kamark stared him down in a cold, stoic, unmoving manner. "This is your last chance. Show me your Starbite."

Roy chuckled. "I ain't showing you clowns nothing."

"Well then, you've brought this upon yourself." Kamark flicked his wand holding wrist. When he spoke the incantation, he used a menacing inflection. "Outburtsa Pann."

Roy bit his lip. He felt like he was being crushed. His ribs were cracking, his spine snapping, and his heart bleeding. He screamed. He screamed in agony, wailed in misery.

"OWWWW!"

The pain spread throughout his body. He felt like his toes were being chewed on. He felt like his fingers were on fire. He felt like he was going to die.

"Stop!"

Roy could just barely comprehend Celia yelling at the Starbite Society over his pain. Kamark snapped his focus away from Roy, causing him to drop to the ground. He gripped his chest and panted, his mind reeling at such methods of torture.

Kamark grinned. "A human! Interesting how a human girl was accompanying a Koopa boy in a realm that despises humans." He approached. "I think it goes without saying that you do not have a starbite."

Roy's heart leapt into his throat. "No!" He stood up, ready to brawl with Kamark. "I swear, if you so much as lay a finger on her…." He tried lunging, but Kamark stopped him with a petrification spell. He fell to the ground with a clunk, which meant all Roy could do was watch hopelessly with his vision halfway obscured by the rocky floor. While he was frozen on the outside, inside, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Don't hurt Celia! DON'T HURT HER!

Kamark faced Celia, who shook as she stared into his face. He examined her, taking in all of her features in a way that made Roy feel even more uncomfortable than before. He was like a lion staring down a gazelle in the middle of the field.

Seriously, DON'T HURT HER!

Celia stared into his eyes. "What if I do have a starbite?"

If Roy was still capable of movement, he would have blinked. Wait, what?

Kamarl chuckled. "You are human, my dear girl. You cannot have a starbite. It is a birthmark exclusive to the different types of koopas."

Celia's face looked ultra serious as she took off her hoodie, leaving only her peach colored tank top on. Roy found this appearance extra appealing; her figure was really complimented. However, he knew that she didn't take off her hoodie for him. She took it off in order for Kamark to see…

"What?" Kamark leaned forward, adjusting his glasses as he stared at the star shaped birthmark on Celia's arm. Roy couldn't even see it, but he was willing to bet he was just as if not more surprised than the magikoopa. Kamark stared into Celia's face. "H...how?"

Celia faced him seriously, defiantly. "Bet you've never seen a Koopa human hybrid before, have you, Buster?"

The entire Starbite Society gasped. They whispered amongst themselves, taken aback by this shocking revelation. Meanwhile, Roy was left dancing on the inside because he knew that Celia had just outsmarted that magikoopa putz.

Speaking of the magikoopa putz, he narrowed his gaze at her. "That is impossible! I've never heard of such a thing."

Roy internally laughed. It seemed someone hadn't done as much research as Iggy had.

"It's true. Do I look like a regular human to you?" Celia spat out.

The Society whispered amongst themselves again, this time at a louder volume. Roy waa able to pick up on some of their dialogue. "She does have Koopa hair." "How else could she have a starbite?"

"Quiet, all of you," said Kamark. He placed his hands on Celia's shoulders, causing her to squirm.

"Let me go!"

"I have to prove your mind, child. I have to…"

"LET ME…"

Kamark chanted an incantation, causing Celia to stop and her eyes to glow blue. Roy had a feeling that Kamark's eyes were glowing the same color as he seared his fingerprints into her skin.

"Show me," Kamark chanted. "Show me, show me…"

He gasped. Not only did he let go of Celia, but he also stumbled backwards. He tripped over Roy's frozen form, causing pain for him. He was wondering what the heck happened when he heard members of the Society gather around their leader.

"Kamark?"

"What's wrong?"

"What did you see?"

Kamark whispered something. It was almost inaudable. However, Roy was able to pick it up, and when he did, it made his heart leap.

"She's Singe Marksmite's daughter."