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Author's Note:
Early Update = Short Chapter
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Enjoy :)
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea and any OCs.
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Chapter 43:
Curse Mark
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"Are you sure that this is the cause of death?"
Kamek had a solemn expression on his face as he stares down at the body in front of him. He was in the medical bay with several white Magikoopas around him. These Magikoopas were specially trained to use their magic to help others in the medical field. They were more efficient when it comes to dealing with patients who were injured by more magical means. If the regular Koopa doctors couldn't solve the problem, then these Magikoopas probably can.
The head koopa nodded. "We are 99.99% certain, Master Kamek. " He said. "His injuries are not serious enough for him to die under normal conditions. And he didn't have any health issues either; he was perfectly healthy. All odds could only lead to this…"
The koopa pointed to the cause of the shy guy's death – a black mark placed on his left arm.
"This…" Kamek started. "This is a curse mark…"
Again, the head koopa nodded. "And it isn't just any curse mark, sir; it's a curse mark of darkness."
"Yes, I see that."
"Should I inform the king about this?"
"No." Kamek said. "This will surely upset him and he could take his rage out on anyone. It'll be best that I do. I'm used to it by now anyways."
The koopa nodded. "As you wish, sir"
The long time Koopa advisor let out a deep sigh. "It seems that gathering information on Clawd may be harder than we suspected."
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"This is what he died from? A stupid mark on his arm?"
Kamek mentally sigh in relief; he was expecting the King's reaction to be more...negative. Of course he didn't expect the king to know exactly what this mark was. It's a good thing he have someone around to explain it to him.
"It's not just a mark, your Koopaness; it's a curse mark."
"A curse mark?" Bowser said nonchalantly. He had a picture of it in his hand. The curse mark takes the shape of three crescent moons interlinked with each other.
"And what exactly is a curse mark?"
"Well, they're special magical marks or seals placed by the user onto their targets in an attempt to control them."
This interested the king. "A mark that is used to control other people? Why wasn't I told about this before?"
"Because there is a limit on how you can use them; it's not like you can place one on your enemies and have them you do your bending. It doesn't work that way."
"Oh." He frowned, leaning back in his throne as Kamek continue explaining.
"There are many different kinds of curse marks and seals; each with their own unique purposes. And, if powerful enough, you can create your own...to an extension of course." He quickly added.
"Right...So what kind of curse mark did the doctors find?"
"Well, from the looks of it I can clearly say that this curse mark is an element of darkness. But as painful as it is for me to say this, I have no knowledge of it."
Bowser raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
"I'm afraid not...All I do know is that the curse mark is custom-made so it mostly won't be in just any book."
Bowser grew silent for a moment. Kamek was the top magikoopa in the whole Klan. He had the most knowledge about mystical things than anyone else in the castle. If he doesn't know anything about this curse mark, then they must take it seriously.
"How does it work?" He asked
"I'm not sure but based on what we were told, it activated when the prisoner began talking. Soon after that, he suffered what appeared to be a seizure that quickly leads to his death." Kamek placed a hand on his chin in thought. "It is still too early to be sure, but if I were to guess… I think Clawd is using this curse mark as some sort of safe guard."
Bowser narrowed his eyes. "Safe guard? For what?"
"To ensure no information about him gets leaked out." Kamek said bluntly. "I hate to say it, your Majesty, but if all the prisoners have this mark on them, then there will be no point in gathering information from them."
"Damn it," Bowser growled. "Just when I thought I might have something."
Kamek didn't say anything. He could understand the king's frustration. Clawd has proved numerous times to be a very troublesome yet clever opponent, even more so than Mario. He himself was frustrated as well because none of his own ideas were working against him.
"If I may, my lord," He said after a moment's silence. "There's another thing I've been meaning to discuss with you."
Bowser growled irritably. "What?"
Kamek didn't flinch. "It's been some time since the incident and the council members are still waiting to hear your decision."
It has been over three weeks since the assassin attempt and some of the council members were getting a bit tense. With the castle no longer safe, each day they run the risk of another attack. The best thing for them to do now would be to move as quickly as possible so they could to throw off their enemy.
"Fine, schedule a meeting with them tomorrow."
Kamek nodded. "I'll get right on it."
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Ending Note:
Once again I got the curse mark idea from Naruto...or to be more specific, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Technique. Difference between theirs and the one I made up is that mines actually kills them, not paralyze them.
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