Chapter Six
The idea that came to his mind was rather an itch to experiment, since all Mario had been doing was thinking in his own worldly ways and getting nowhere fast. This time, his thought was a bit more outside of the box, which box was existing in this world's physics.
Mario stood up, picked up a palm-sized rock, and walked over to the oddly-colored patch of soil. Standing on top of it, he hurled the rock upwards as hard as he could. The rock shot through the air and instantly hit an object that didn't seem to be there before. The strange colored soil now turned into a shadow, which Mario ignored. His focus was on the object, which was now falling out of the sky. As soon as it hit the dirt, he walked over to it and stole a closer look. It was a box, which seemed intricately carved by a race with too much time on their hands. Its designs were an enigma to him, which was teasing at his curiosity as to what was inside.
The box had a ball on each of its vertices, which Mario had assumed were the hinges. He put his fingers on four of the hinges which activated the opening mechanism. He peered inside, only to behold a single white glove. He pulled out the glove and noticed a ring of blue stitches around the pointer finger. As his hand was in contact with the glove, he had the strong urge to move it. He slid the glove onto his right hand, and immediately his arm was filled with what felt like unstoppable strength.
Mario grinned. "What a great plumber's tool," he thought, as he made a fist and faced the towering tree. He pulled back his fist and struck the tree with such a mighty force that his whole arm was buried in the dead wood. Pulling his hand out effortlessly, he unclenched his fist. A very fine powder fell from the hand that once was having trouble turning pipe fittings.
He then struck the ground with this same fist, creating an intense dust cloud. A hole was created that was big enough to put a refridgerator inside. He walked amongst the thick dust and picked up the enigmatic box, which he tossed into the hole. Using his flat right palm, Mario effortlessly scooped soil into the hole, burying the box and filling the pit. After completing this, Mario started to walk west, the direction of the Encampment of Corruption.
Every step was taken in confidence as he made his way to his destination. On his way, he swung his fist and listened to the sound it made as it drilled through the air. He spotted a fimiliar mound in the dirt, very similar to the shelled reptile he encountered in a previous engagement. He smirked as he approached the mound, which immediately awoke from its petrification and charged at Mario. He stopped and assumed a defensive stance as the creature tore its way across the ground. He sidestepped the charge when it drew near enough, and planted a hard jab right in the side of its shell. The force was so great that it caved in and sent the brute flying through the wind. Its long neck spun around and slapped the surface of the land. The rest of its body spun harder as it hit the ground, causing it to break apart in a shower of blood and entrails.
Mario, satisfied with the performance of the glove, bellowed a cry of war as he glared at the organic remains that littered the unforgiving landscape. As he continued west, he walked across the carnage that Mario had created. He picked up a piece of the red shell and examined it. It was sharp and strong. It reminded him of the power of his glove, and also made a good secondary weapon. He tucked it into one of his pockets in his overalls.
An easy five hours of sojourning passed. The glove gave Mario strength and energy to swiftly hike this terrain with ease. The soil turned a darker brown, and Mario had began to see signs of life, in the form of small insects and black grass. The further he walked, the darker the terrain. After scaling a hill, he was able to get a good wide look of his surroundings. Behind him was a brigher landscape, full of remiders of how relentless this world was. He looked forward towards his destination, which didn't look to merciful either. He noticed a small group of black tents, which matched the ground well. The thing that gave it away were small plumes of white smoke billowing from the tops of the shelters thereof. He started towards it, assuming it was the Encampment of Corruption that Grey had spoken of. As he walked, he noticed the sky was losing its color, fading away into a dull dark grey. It only told Mario that things were about to get much more extreme.
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