Chapter 18
"Royal Rumble"
Mario, Luigi, and Starlow stared up in awe at the large reptile that stood over them. Scuro was barely conscious, but for a brief moment, he cracked open an eye one last time. His face twitched as if he was about to smile before finally passing out.
"Lady... Lisa?", Mario choked out, hardly believing that the large reptile just saved them.
Lady Lisa reared up, puffed her chest out, and spread her neck bristles. She hissed warningly, giving the Macabres a chance to desist. Some Macabre Trees recognized her and took a step back out of reflex, but they didn't back down. The black tree took a step forward challengingly, not knowing who the green lizard was at all.
The Macabre Alphazard roared angrily at Lady Lisa. She snorted and glared in disgust at the skeletal lizard. To her, the skeletal reptile was undeserving of life. It may have lived once as a proud ruler, but its time has come to die, and there was no reason for it to return. Such an abomination needed to be buried back into the ground.
She planted her forefeet firmly and roared back, her forest themed colors melting away into an intimidating red.
The Macabre Alphazard had fought many other Alphazards that trespassed into its territory when it was still alive. Challengers, Alphazards or different alpha species, would constantly try to dethrone it, but none have succeeded. It barely remembers the fights it had been to and how it managed to win every single one of them, but it was enough to know what to do.
It reared up, and puffed its chest out. It lacked the neck bristles that the female lizard had, but the magenta lights on its neck glowed brighter, forming what looked like a row of spines. The Macabre was bigger than Lady Lisa and the size difference was obvious. Its magenta eyes glowed brighter, and so did the magenta lights that filtered through its joints and segments. It hissed, dark fog sifting through its clenched teeth.
The two Alphazards took in a deep breath before releasing it into an exchange of loud roars. The impressive display of authority drowned everything out. The authoritative sounds fought for dominance, the loud sounds making everyone's ears ring. Both alphas, Lady Lisa and the Macabre Alphazard, surged towards each other with their teeth bared and colors flaring.
A loud crash echoed as their shoulders collided. A few, barely visible cracks formed on the Macabre Alphazard's shoulder blade and ribs. Lady Lisa gained a few minor scratches and a bruise on her side.
They recoiled and jumped back a few feet before head-butting each other. The branch on the undead lizard's head sliced the female Alphazard's forehead. Lady Lisa jerked back at the stinging pain between her eyes before the Macabre Alphazard clawed the side of her face, giving her three new claw marks.
Lady Lisa elbowed the undead lizard's chin, snapping its head up forcefully. It grunted and shook its head. The female Alphazard spun around and hit the Macabre's face with her tail, a loud snap coming from the blow. The branch on its forehead loosened up, and it began to loll slightly every time the undead lizard moved its head.
The Macabre Alphazard recovered quickly and it tackled Lady Lisa. Lady Lisa was pinned to the ground, but she wasn't going to let the tides be in favor of her undead opponent. She rolled over, flipping the skeletal reptile over and under her. The undead lizard bit her foreleg, which came too close to its mouth. Lisa screeched in pain as the sharp and jagged teeth buried into her skin and flesh. She was kicked off by the skeleton's hind legs, forcing her away.
She rolled over and stood meters away from the Macabre Alphazard, which also got up. They faced each other before roaring at each other again in their own chorus of defiance. They rushed towards each other again.
Mario, Luigi, and Starlow silently cheered on for Lady Lisa. The alpha lizard had just saved their lives, which also meant that she was on their side. Grins made their way onto their faces. Their chances of winning had just grown and the thought of rising victorious and getting out of this alive egged them on to their feet.
Meanwhile, the black tree, knowing that its leader was going to deal with the female Alphazard itself, decided to let the Macabre Trees deal with the brothers, star sprite, and the Dark Star. With a signaling bellow, the black tree ordered the undead trees forward, inviting them towards the group.
Mario, Luigi, and Starlow, stumbling slightly, began to get up. They noticed the Macabre Trees approaching them, and they readied themselves for the next part of the battle. Determination plastered their faces and their growing confidence inspired them to get back into the fight.
For a moment, they forgot all about their ancient relic companion until Mario's gloved hand felt something cold. Mario turned around and found the unconscious ancient relic with ash speckling his purple hull. He gently picked Scuro up, and held the purple orb under his armpit with his hand supporting him from underneath.
They split up when a tree tried pounding them with both of its arms. Mario sprang to the left, Luigi jumped up, and Starlow flew back to her position into the misty sky.
Luigi reduced the hands to splinters as he stomped on them. The Macabre Tree grunted in pain and recoiled. But it recovered quickly and attempted swiping at Luigi with both of its stubby arms. Luigi, after being exhausted and winded from before, was slower, but he still dodged them.
Mario was having quite a hard time moving around with the Dark Star in tow. He jumped lower, moved slower, and everything he did was more exhausting. He wanted to leave the Dark Star somewhere safe so he could do his thing without a problem. Maybe under a log or far from the battle scene would be good enough. But he couldn't just leave Scuro alone...
The black tree noticed Mario and the Dark Star. It lumbered towards them, its left hand dragging its claws through the ashen ground. Mario's instincts instructed him to throw the Dark Star towards the Macabre, but he didn't do it. Yes, the Dark Star would barely feel a thing nor would he know what Mario would do, but the red plumber didn't want to make himself guilty for something his quest-mate would've made him regret.
The black tree swiped at them with its remaining arm. Mario ducked under it, narrowly avoiding the large wooden appendage that sailed over his head. The arm swung back and Mario jumped over it.
Starlow watched tensely as the Macabres, her companions, and Lady Lisa fought. From there, she could only see their silhouettes and basic form, but it was still enough to know what was going on.
She noticed the fog had gotten thinner ever since the Macabre Alphazard became preoccupied in fighting Lady Lisa... was it because the skeletal lizard caused the fog and that the female Alphazard's sudden appearance made it lose focus on its control over it? She ignored the thought in favor of actually trying to help, but seeing how she was incapable of battle... she could only watch.
Luigi was doing fine on his own. He slid under a Macabre Tree as it tried grabbing him. The tree recovered from its failed attack and spun around. Luigi simply jumped over the incoming arms. Another tree came into the scene and both of them tried grabbing at Luigi.
Luigi jumped onto a tree's face, and it yelped in surprise. It stumbled back and clawed at its face, trying to get the green plumber off, but Luigi held tight. The other tree punched its companion's face, trying to hit the green plumber.
It tilted its head in confusion when its companion fell limp and unmoving with its face cracked open... It wondered where Luigi had gone... Had it managed to hit him? It checked its own clenched hand to check if maybe the green plumber was stuck in it... He wasn't there.
It yelped when Luigi stomped on the back of its head, pushing and toppling the tree. The tree tried to get up, but Luigi stomped on the back of its head again, cracking it.
Mario tried his best to dodge or counter the black tree's attacks, but holding the Dark Star slowed him down. He would sometimes forget that there were also white trees in the battle until white and bony arms tried to grab at him. He dodged all of them, surprisingly.
The black tree was getting frustrated. The lack of its right arm made fighting harder, and its left arm was too heavy to move faster. Mario dodged the attacks without much difficulty, but the black tree noticed that he was becoming noticeably slower.
The black tree improvised, grabbed at the ground, and flung dirt and rocks at Mario. The red plumber dodged the rocks, but sprayed dirt wasn't something anyone would be able to dodge. Some tiny pieces of dirt got into his eyes, making him close them shut and rub them. During his momentary blindness, the black tree swung at them... and hit.
Mario and Scuro went sailing and separated. Mario landed somewhere away from the battle, while Scuro was flung to the other side. And unfortunately, the Dark Star was rocketing into the middle of the Macabre Alphazard and Lady Lisa's battle.
Lady Lisa bit down and tugged on the Macabre Alphazard's tail, causing the latter to screech in pain . The Macabre tried to snap at her, but she was out of its reach. She tugged harder at the end portion of its tail. The Macabre Alphazard roared painfully as the sharp sound of its tail snapping off was followed by the biting and throbbing pain.
The Macabre Alphazard, which was now free from the female Alphazard's grip, spun around and reached for Lady Lisa's neck. Lady Lisa simply sprang to the side and head-butted the skeletal lizard's side, pushing it away.
Lady Lisa seemed to have the upper hand. The Macabre may have been bigger and stronger than her, but she was faster, heavier, and more level-headed. And so she thought...
The Macabre Alphazard spun around quickly and hit her face. The bony tail had sharp edges on it, and that added to the sting of the blow. She hissed at the pain on her cheek. The Macabre made use of her momentary distraction...
The Macabre Alphazard bit down on Lady Lisa's neck, tearing a few of her bristles off. This angered Lady Lisa and she tried as hard as she can to get out of the skeletal lizard's grip. But her efforts were in vain as the jagged teeth only sank deeper into her neck. She roared both in frustration and pain as her head was brought down to the ground. One of the Macabre Alphazard's forefeet stepped on Lady Lisa's snout, pushing her further down.
Lady Lisa tried to figure another way out. She lifted her tail up like a scorpion would with its stinger and smacked the Macabre's side with it. The angle of their positions made the blow very light and it only earned a grunt from the Macabre Alphazard. It muffled a growl and tightened its clamp on her neck, forcing her to stay put.
Lady Lisa screeched desperately as her neck bones creaked in protest. Any minute now, her neck would snap and it'll be the end for her. Her screeches began to die down into a choked moan, and she could feel her windpipe about to be crushed.
Unexpectedly, a purple orb smacked into the Macabre Alphazards head, causing the skeleton to yelp in surprise and release Lady Lisa's neck. She sighed in relief as her neck eased back into place.
Lady Lisa used the moment to her advantage and elbowed the Macabre Alphazard's chin. She then proceeded to bite down the undead skeleton's neck, crushing its spine. The skeletal lizard's loud roar was reduced to sputtering wheezes as its head lolled loosely on its neck.
She smashed the Macabre Alphazard into the ground. The Macabre croaked in protest and it spluttered black fog. Still dissatisfied with her attack, Lady Lisa dragged the Macabre through the ground and flung it, sending the skeletal lizard rolling into an unfortunate group of Macabre Trees. She could see it trying to get up, but it kept on stumbling trying to straighten its head.
She heaved a sigh of relief as she took a moment to recover. She felt the burning pain on her neck easing into a numbing sensation. Her tail was sore from being used as a whip. Her jaw was aching from overexertion. She was tired, too... She was panting heavily, her large lungs making deep rumbles as they took in large amounts of air. Her eyes darted around the battle scene...
There were only a few Macabres Trees left: around 5 of them including the black tree. The Macabre Alphazard was still trying to get up, croaking frustrated sputters. Mario was back in the battle, duking it out with the black tree and a white Macabre Tree by himself. Luigi was doing fine with the 3 remaining Macabre Trees, jumping away from their swipes and using the trees' attacks on themselves. Starlow would swoop down from the fog and help the brothers evade attacks.
Lady Lisa's eyes rested on the purple orb, lightly nicked and soiled. It was the purple orb that had saved her from death...
She approached. She held it with her forefoot before bringing it closer to her face to study it. She flipped it, and she found a black star that adorned its purple hull. She was surprised to recognize that it was Scuro, the ancient relic whom she thought was a threat to her home...
She felt something inside her, especially her chest, grow warm. Was it gratitude? The Dark Star may have been unconscious and unaware of what he did, but he still saved her... Lady Lisa crooned thankfully at the Dark Star before cradling him close to her chest. She dug a hole on the ground before burying Scuro in it. It wasn't the most comfortable hiding spot, but it was the best she could do within the circumstances. She was still in the middle of a fight after all...
A distorted roar caught her attention. She whirled around and found the Macabre Alphazard had recovered. But its head still lolled loosely on its neck, the branch on its forehead had snapped off, and its jaw was broken, making it hang limp on its skull.
Lady Lisa cringed when the Macabre Alphazard's head reared up and bended back. It tried its best to move its broken jaw. The jaw only managed to loll to the side. It roared, but it came out more as a distorted screech. It stumbled on its forefeet as it tried to balance itself.
It was obviously incapable of battle, but it refused to give up. Lady Lisa almost felt pity for the skeletal lizard... Almost.
She rushed towards the skeletal lizard, but before she could ram into it, something tugged at her tail and swung her away. She rolled away, regained her footing, and snarled at whatever stopped her from her attack.
The black tree stood protectively in front of the Macabre Alphazard. Some of its branches have snapped off, one of its red eyes was cracked and flickering unstably. It bellowed deeply and pounded its remaining arm on the ground.
Without hesitation, Lady Lisa lunged at the black tree.
She yelped when she was sent to the ground by a downward swipe from the black tree, the disturbance making the ashes fly and scatter. Before she could even process the pain, the tree's arm came swinging back to deliver a backhand. It hit the side of her face and she tumbled away.
She recovered and got back onto her feet. She rushed towards the tree again. The black tree used the same move, raising its arm up to deliver another downward swipe. But Lisa anticipated this, and she sprang to the side when the wooden arm came crashing down where she was milliseconds ago.
She turned around and bit its arm. The black tree howled in pain as the sharp teeth dug into its bark.
The black tree tried to pull its arm from the female Alphazard's mouth, but it only succeeded in making the jaws clamp tighter. It's arm began to groan and creak in protest, the pressure creating cracks and fissures on the bark and wood.
The black tree dragged her around and tried to shake Lady Lisa off, but the female Alphazard held tight. This encouraged Lisa to bite down and tug harder, eliciting both a frustrated and pained growl from the Macabre. The black tree tugged harder, cursing silently for missing its right arm. If that ancient relic hadn't decimated its arm, this fight would've been way easier...
With the sickening sound of tearing and breaking, the black Macabre's left arm severed.
The black tree howled in agony, unable to do anything about the pain on its left shoulder anymore. It staggered around, desperately trying to block out the searing pain from losing its remaining arm. It could only watch as Lady Lisa gnawed on its limp appendage like it was her chew toy.
The Macabre Alphazard, still staggering around and unable to fight well, saw Mario, Luigi, and Starlow regrouping through the light fog. It saw that the other Macabre Trees were no more. They were now mere splinters and hollow husks of bark on the ashen ground. The least it could do now was finish them off, even if it wasn't capable of combat anymore.
It trudged towards them, walking unevenly. Its head lolled from side to side, causing it to constantly lose focus on where it was going.
Mario cradled his broken arm which he had gotten from the fall. He had it splinted between some wood from the dead Macabres and wrapped it in bandage from their medical supplies. Mario grimaced when Luigi and Starlow tended to it, checking if he had splinted it well.
"I said I'm fine now." Mario waved his good arm to shoo away his companions. "But are you guys okay?" He pointed towards Luigi, who had some bruises and scratches on his arms and legs, and Starlow, who had a bump on her head.
"Yeah... We're fine... Nothing some bandages wouldn't fix." Luigi rubbed his bruises and tried not to wince, assuring his brother.
"Mine may look bad, but it doesn't hurt! As long as you don't touch it." Starlow piped up.
They turned around when they heard a distorted growl.
The Macabre Alphazard charged blindly towards them, trying its best to stay upright and keep its head steady. Mario, Luigi, and Starlow dodged it easily.
The skeletal lizard spun around and turned to face them before charging again. Mario and Starlow sprang to the side. Luigi jumped up and stomped on the Macabre Alphazard when it surged under him.
Ash and dirt flew as the Macabre crashed through the ground. It barreled towards Lady Lisa, but she sidestepped and the skeletal lizard missed.
It clawed at the ground, steering and stopping itself. It skidded to a halt beside the black tree, which had stopped wailing and thrashing about. They glanced at each other briefly, rumbling towards each other. The Macabre Alphazard broke its neck and jaw, and the black Macabre Tree lost both of its arms, but they refused to give up. They returned to face and glare at their enemies.
Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Lady Lisa glared back defiantly. Lady Lisa roared, accompanied by the defiant shouts of the brothers and star sprite. The Macabre Alphazard and black tree roared back, the skeletal lizard's distorted screech and the tree's deep bellow mixing into a loud and disturbing sound.
Both groups rushed towards each other.
There would only be one winner...