Author: Yo, KILL THE EMPIRE here writing another chapter of La Belle, I hope you enjoy my chapter. Oh, by the way, I hope you like plot twists!
"So…" Bowser lightly tapped on the gray wall lying in the basement, "This is the phantom wall that'll take us to the murder spots?"
"Yes, it's the wall that gave way while I was in the basement," Isolde replied with a nod.
Bowser nodded as well and tried to push his way through the wall, but failed. He growled and pounded the wall with his fist. "Argh! What's wrong with this stupid thing?" His impulsive anger rose.
"Isolde, are you sure this is the right wall?" Fox asked.
"Yes, I'm positive." Isolde began to press on the wall, but it also refused to budge. She became astonished.
"Perhaps it's broken." Mario suggested.
"Or maybe it won't work until someone looses a match," Peach guessed.
"What ever it is, we found it," Bowser said with a sigh of relief. "Now, all we have to do is wait until the match is over, and then rush in there and save the victim. And if we can, try and catch the murderer!"
"Sounds like a good plan." Mario complimented Bowser.
"Thanks, I'm personally waiting for this moment because I can't wait till I get my hands on that bastard."
The investigation group made their way out of the basement and into the lobby to wait.
"So who's going to fight tomorrow?" Isolde asked.
Fox went pale. "Uh oh…" Everybody turned to him.
"What's wrong, Fox?"
"I have to fight Samus tomorrow." Fox replied. The others frowned. "Yeah, I know, I bet after the stunt with Ganondorf she wants to tear us a new one."
"Well, don't die on us, it'd be a shame for us to loose you," Bowser said with a smile.
"But then Samus would die…Why are you smiling?" Peach asked.
"Because once one of you two loses, I'll finally be able to meet this murderer."
"Don't get your hopes up, what if the murderer knows what we're planning and alters things around?" Mario asked.
"Well if what Isolde says is true, then I don't think there's much the murderer can do. I mean he can't exactly choose where the rooms will teleport, how else will he get there?" Bowser asked. "The only people who can honestly know how to get around like that and be sure of where they'll end up are Albrecht and…" Bowser gapped.
"What's wrong Bowser?" Peach asked. Bowser swiftly turned to Isolde and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Isolde, did Albrecht build this mansion?" Bowser screamed while shaking the poor girl.
"No, father ordered a couple of men to build it. Actually one of the construction workers is here." Isolde quickly muttered with a shaky voice.
"Who?"
"The caretaker, Sergio." Isolde replied. Bowser gasped. "What's wrong?"
"That creep, Sergio! I don't trust him!" Bowser growled.
"But he and Father have been working together for years. They're like best friends. What's not to trust about him?"
"I don't know…I just don't know…" Bowser bowed his head down. "Listen everybody, I've been thinking about these murders…"
"What about them?" Peach asked.
"Look what the murders have been doing to us? If we survive this mess, who's to say we won't be haunted by this?" Bowser proceeded to explain, "I mean look at Popo, he didn't even cry over his own sister's death! We've all become desensitized!"
"Desensitized?" Isolde scratched her head.
"Yeah, it means we've all become so used to these murders it barely effects us anymore. For Christ's sakes I haven't been thinking about Pikachu, Mewtwo, Luigi, Captain Falcon, or anyone for the past few days. The only person we think about is the latest victim, and that's all."
And then it hit them. There was a long pause.
"He's right," Mario broke the long pause, "I mean after someone dies, they're only thought about for a few days, and then when the next person dies, it's as if they were a vague memory."
"What has happened to us?" Peach trembled in horror.
They all stood, bowing their heads, saying nothing. Just thinking of the past, thinking of those who had been mercilessly slaughtered like lamps. All for what, loosing a simple match? They dubbed it insane, and refused to believe it until they realized they truly forgot about the departed. The mystical pause left them all skeptical of what was going through Bowser's mind. He stood his head up and turned to walk away.
"Where are you going, Bowser?" Fox asked.
"I think I want to take a walk." Bowser muttered before he left.
All of this was getting to him, but he had to stay strong. He was the one who lead the investigation, and he can't let anyone down. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind, he had been thinking about Sergio lately, despite how he dismissed him as a murderer earlier. Second thoughts were popping up in his mind, and he needed to have a talk with him.
Before he knew it, he was at the foot of Sergio's room. He didn't even bother knocking. The dark figure turned his head to face the king of the Koopa's.
"Bowser, what a pleasant surprise," Sergio said with a friendly smile, but Bowser's face was stern. "What's wrong?"
"Don't give me that crap!" The koopa king growled. "I know the truth now."
"What ever do you mean?"
"One day a man with a passion for fighting had arrived in this world with hopes of creating the greatest tournament on Earth…" Bowser said as he marched up to Sergio with a look of intense hatred in his eyes. "He started out small with illegal street fights, and slowly made his way to world class Martial Arts tournaments…"
The pale man gave a look of confusion, wondering why Bowser was approaching him with such intensity in his eyes.
"And then the man had met someone who helped him with his tournaments. The two became best friends and eventually they became the proud hosts of the greatest tournament on Earth." Bowser finished his story. "Sergio, you and Albrecht are those proud hosts."
"Yes, that is correct."
"But somewhere along the lines you were left out of the picture. It no longer became Albrecht and Sergio's tournament. No, the tournament was proudly hosted by Albrecht himself, and Sergio is just another care taker. Is that correct?"
"I have no idea where you're going with this!" Sergio's voice began to rise, "But I do not appreciate this one bit! True things went wrong and I ended up down here as a worker, but I have been loyal to Albrecht for ten years, and despite how I'm no longer a host, I'm still important to him."
"But all the money was going to him and you were loosing your share of the cut!" Bowser growled, "You must have been angry about this!"
"No, there were a few minor complications, but as you may notice, I'm his right hand man. He depends on me!" Sergio called in an attempt to defend himself.
"Which means you have him right where you want him! So what would happen if his tournament was a disaster? What if people started dieing?" Bowser had thrust his finger at the pale man, "You would be the next host while Albrecht would fall!"
"Are you accusing me of these murders?" Sergio asked in an abrupt voice. "I'm innocent!"
"Bullshit! You had to of been the murderer, then not only would you become the new host, but you'd also get the money Albrecht rightfully owes you!" Bowser smirked, "I guess you are as pathetic as you look."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Sergio exploded in anger. His pale face had turned red immediately. "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF BEING A BACK STABBER! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF BETRAYING MY BEST FRIEND! AND HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF MURDER!" Bowser had never expected Sergio to get so upset, "GET OUT!"
In one swift motion, Bowser jumped with one hand out and thrusted it upon Sergio's neck. "YOU MURDERER!" he screamed. Sergio's facial expression turned from anger to shock. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Sergio's body began to rise in the air as Bowser tightened his grip. "YOU KILLED OUR BEST FRIENDS! YOU KILLED THE INSPECTOR, AND YOU KILLED THE GOD DAMNED CHILDREN!" Sergio tried to gasp for breath, "AND WHAT ABOUT ROY! I'VE SEEN YOU AROUND HIM, YOU'RE MANIPULATING HIM, AREN'T YOU!"
Sergio's body began to violently shake. His struggling only seemed to make matters worse. "AND WHAT ABOUT ISOLDE? WHAT DID YOU PLAN ON DOING TO HER AFTER YOU GOT RID OF HER FATHER? KILL HER TOO?" Bowser's rage had finally blinded him, for he didn't see Sergio turn blue. He could only grasp on to Bowser's claw for so long, for his grapple had overpowered the tiny man.
Just then, a red headed man had walked by the door and turned his head to take notice of the situation at hand.
"B-Bowser?" he stuttered. "What are you doing?"
"Roy?" Bowser turned his head just now noticing Roy becoming a witness of the event taking place. The redheaded teen stood staring with mix of bewilderment and astonishment. "He's the murder!" Bowser snapped.
Roy immediately shook his head. "No." He whispered. "He can't be. Sergio has been helping me." Roy explained. He opened his mouth to speak once more, but hunched over grabbing his head as if someone was tightly squeezing it never letting go. "W-Why are you doing this?" He blinked back the tears trying to escape.
"Because he is the one killing everybody," Bowser replied keeping his grip on Sergio. "He is manipulating you Roy. You need to understand!"
"No…" Roy took a deep breath as a few tears escaped rolling down his reddened cheeks. "He isn't the murderer…"
Bowser huffed hating to argue with the smasher at a time like this. "Roy, you need to understand. My guess is that he is blaming the murders on you!"
"But it's wrong….even if he did do it."
It was time to use reason over power. He couldn't believe Roy was being so shallow. "Roy, this man killed an entire family. He has killed our friends, our allies, our fellow smashers. He has taken innocent lives and their deaths must not be in vain. He must now pay," Bowser turned back to Sergio, who was an inch a way from losing consciousness. Bowser growled. "I shall bring him to justice with my bare hands!"
"No…" Roy fell to his knees dropping his hand to his side. "Please! Stop it!"
"Good-bye Sergio," Bowser spat feeling his grip tighten.
"No…" Roy muttered. His head pounded harder, the tears rolled faster, he could only bare so much. "Stop it…STOP IT….STOP IT!
Bowser's eyes shot open as pain shot through his body faster than lightning. Everything seemed to stop the moment he understood what occurred. Roy stood a few inches behind him holding the sword that was responsible for impaling the giant lizard in the back. Only his heartbeat was heard faintly echoing through out his ear. The pain was unbearable as Bowser found himself unable to move. He felt his grip loosen watching Sergio's body lifelessly fell to the floor.
"Wh…why…"
Bowser opened his mouth as the unpleasant feeling of blood lifted from the back of his throat dripping out of his mouth. What did do wrong to deserve an outcome like this? Why was it so hard to understand that he was trying to help? He was determined to bring peace back to the tournament. He wanted to make sure that the lives of the fellow departed smashers were not in vain. Was it so wrong? He felt himself become powerless and at that moment he was terrified. He was completely scared still confounded of the sudden reality that was taking place.
He managed to turn to Roy expressing nothing but despair, who stepped back as if a ghost magically appeared. His face was pale and full of anxiety. Bowser's world blackened as his body fell to the ground next to Sergio.
Roy quickly backed up and stared at the bodies in horror. "What have I done?" He screamed and tears began to pour out of the red head's eyes. "HELP! HELP!"
He screamed as loud as he could until Fox and Mario ran into the room.
"Roy, what's wrong- OH MY GOD!" Fox screamed as he looked at the panicking Roy. "What happened?"
Roy didn't say anything; he just stood in place as if he was paralyzed. The only thing he could do was stand with the shocked expression on his face while muttering, in between sniffles, "I didn't mean to…"
Soon the whole investigation team was there, witnessing the breakdown of Roy. Peach eventually approached him with a comforting embracement. As soon as she touched him, he collapsed into Peach's shoulders, crying even harder, continuously muttering "I didn't mean to…I'm sorry…" The only thing Peach could do was sympathetically rub the red headed swordsman's back as he continued to release his tears of sorrow.
…Ugh…
"He's waking up!"
…Where am I?
"Bowser! Are you alright?"
The blinding light finally overtook Bowser's eyes as he slowly revealed them to the world. He looked up to see Fox and Mario looking down at him.
"Hey man, you alright?" Fox asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Bowser mumbled, "But how's Sergio?"
"He's fine, just got winded a little and passed out." Mario said with a smirk, "Damn dude, what did he do to you?"
"I don't know. One thing led to another, and I attacked him." Bowser groaned while gripping his forehead, "I thought he was the murderer and freaked out."
"Now what happened to 'no more lashing out at accused suspects'"? Fox asked as he crossed his arms.
"Something came over me." Bowser groaned again. "Man is he around somewhere, I want to apologize."
"He'll be around for you to apologize." Albrecht walked in the room casually, "But first I'm afraid I cannot constrain Roy any longer. He's about to explode if he doesn't apologize."
"Sure thing, send him in."
No sooner when he said that, a burst of red light swarmed the room and soon the red head was on his knees at the foot of Bowser's bed, screaming "OH MY GOD BOWSER I AM SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT! IF THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN DO, JUST NAME IT!"
"Relax, relax, chill out, dude." Bowser said weakly, "its fine. I deserved it."
"I KNOW, BUT-
"Look, you saved Sergio's life. I think it's he that owes you the servility." Bowser gave a warm gentle smile and struggled to pat Roy on the head. Roy wiped a tear from his eye and stood up. "Look, I overreacted."
"Overreact much?" Marth asked as he walked in the room, alongside with Isolde.
"Just a little." Bowser let out a small laugh.
"Well you need your rest." Albrecht said. He then turned to the investigation team. "Guys, there is something I must show you."
"Sure thing," Fox said. "We'll catch ya later Bowser, get well soon!"
"Don't worry; I'll be out in no time!"
The investigation team left with Albrecht. As soon as they exited the hospital wing, the light expression on his face turned into a dark frown.
"Guys, I know things have been confusing about the whole 'why can I not cancel the tournament' and 'why can't we get out' stuff." He said, "And I believe I have no choice but to show you right now."
"What's wrong?" Mario asked.
"I believe there's more to this then a few uncharted rooms in this mansion." Albrecht's voice turned darker.
"Where are we headed?" Marth asked.
Albrecht lead the smashers to the front door of the mansion. "Recently I haven't let anybody exit the mansion. Now what you are about to see may startle you, but don't freak out."
The smashers braced themselves for what was to come, but they never expected what was on the other side of the door. The old German slowly opened the door, and everybody gasped. The sky around the mansion was a dark purple, and after a few steps, there was nothing. Somehow the mansion had been floating over a pit.
"Holy hell!" Fox screamed. Mario took a step outside and gazed over the pit, only to find boiling lava waiting from what seemed to be thousands of feet below.
"Again," Started the Italian plumber, "Where is this mansion supposed to be located?"
"I could have sword there was a garden around here somewhere!" Marth scoffed. "What the hell kind of trick is this?"
"It's an illusion, cast by somebody specialized in dark magic." Albrecht said, as if he was not surprised by the reactions. "Sergio has been investigating this, and he's studied dark magic before. This is an illusion."
"If it's an illusion, then can't we just walk out of here?" Mario asked.
"Go ahead and see what happens." Fox smirked.
"No, the illusion lasts until the user runs out of magic, or the user is killed." The German Continued.
"So you're saying this murderer is using dark magic?" Fox asked, "Come on, this is so unreal, how is this possible?"
"Well think about it, how can Popo and Nana get in a car accident inside the mansion?" Albrecht asked, "And notice when you go through those phantom walls, we cannot find you. Obviously those walls are taking us somewhere else."
"You mean these murders weren't happening inside the mansion?" Isolde asked.
"Correct. These murders have been occurring in another dimension." Albrecht said, "I'm afraid this guy has the ability to open rifts in time and send us to another world for the sole purpose of killing us."
"Dear God!" Isolde cowered in Marth's arms. "Who could possess such a power?"
"I don't know, but upon investigating one of the rooms, we managed to find this." Albrecht dug into his pocket and pulled out a glimmering gem. "Somebody lost a piece of their jewelry."
Marth took it. "Hmm, looks like a sort of decoration."
"Who ever the murderer is, they sure have good taste." Fox said as he gazed closer at the gleaming stone.
"I'm afraid until we find out who's behind all this; we are unable to escape this mansion." Albrecht turned to leave. "Oh, and here's the funny thing, this has no effect on the T.V broadcasting of the tournament." He chuckled and headed off.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm afraid I have to tell Bowser how bad of a condition he is in." Albrecht sighed, "It's not good, and my only regret is not having somebody with me to hold him down. He's not going to like this one bit."
"Oh boy…"
Bowser groaned as he struggled to roll over. "Argh! How bad did Roy hit me?"
"I'm afraid it's not good." Albrecht walked in holding a clip board.
"So how bad is the damage?" Bowser asked. Albrecht frowned.
"I'm afraid he managed to rip through your vertebrae column, and heavily damaged the sacrum area. Not to mention there's intense trauma in the coccyx. In other words, he penetrated your spinal cord so bad, you're pretty much screwed."
"Oh man, so what does that mean?"
"I'm afraid there's no easy way of telling you."
"Go ahead, I can take it."
Albrecht threw aside the clip board and laid a hand on the koopa's shoulder. "I'm afraid you only have forty percent body functions. You can only stand for two hours max, and lift about thirty pounds at the most. I'm afraid you'll be like this for the rest of your life. I'm sorry."
Reality struck Bowser faster than a moving bullet. His heart completely dropped to the emptiness of his stomach as Albrecht's words settled in steadily. The first immediate reaction that exploded inside of Bowser was anger.
"What? Are you serious?"
"I'm afraid so."
Bowser couldn't let this happen. "What am I going to do for the tournament?"
"I'm going to have to disqualify you."
His anger soon subsided as he could no longer fight off the dejection that urged to take over. Everything was lost at once in a swift moment that could have easily been avoided. Everything he worked for and strived to complete was suddenly slipping out of his hands down a darkened path never to be retreated. How is he supposed to help out being crippled? What could he possibly accomplish by sitting in a bed?
Hope became a foreign word to Bowser as he refused to wipe the tears that escaped his eyes. It was uncommon for him to be easily upset, but reality hit him hard within the stomach briefly knocking the air out of him.
"I'm sorry; we did the best we could." Albrecht bowed his head. Bowser stood still, his mouth wide open, letting the tears slowly trickle down his cheeks.
"No…This can't be!" Bowser finally said.
"I'm sorry…"
"There's got to be some way!"
Albrecht repeated his apology. "You're permanently disabled. You will never be able to fight again."
"But what about the tournament? The murderer? WHAT ABOUT MY CHANCE TO LIVE?"
"Well technically you're not fighting. Meaning you will indeed live." Albrecht said. "You have to fight and loose to get murdered."
"But it doesn't matter! I want to find this murderer!"
"You can't!"
"You can't disqualify me!" Bowser screamed. "If I sit here and watch my friends die like this, I don't know how I'll live with myself!"
"But unlike your friends, you will have a chance to live!" Albrecht screamed. "Listen, it's good to value other people's lives, but it's no good if your own life is in danger! You have to think about what's best for you!"
"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR ME! I WATCHED A TEN YEAR OLD CHILD DIE! I WATCHED A CHILD DIE IN FRONT OF ME! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
"GOD DAMMIT BOWSER DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? A DOOR HAS BEEN SHUT, AND A NEW DOOR HAS OPENED! A DOOR IN WHICH THE OTHERS WILL NEVER HAVE THE INSIGHT TO KNOW! A DOOR THAT LEADS TO LIFE! A DOOR THAT LEADS TO PEACE! I OFFER YOU A PATH OF LIFE, AND YOU SIT HERE AND SAY NO! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALLUS OF YOUR OWN DAMN LIFE?"
"SO YOU WANT ME TO SIT HERE AND WATCH MY FRIENDS GET SLAUGHTERED LIKE HELPLESS ANIMALS? I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IF THAT'S THE CASE! SHUT YOUR DOOR!"
Albrecht stood back, angry. "Do you really want to do this?"
"I'd rather die than to live knowing I never had a chance. I'd rather die fighting." Bowser growled. "Because if I lived, then it would haunt me for the rest of my life."
"You do realize that there is no way in hell that you will live through the next round, right?"
"If the last thing I ever see is the eyes of a murderer, then so be it." Bowser's breathing got heavy.
"Careful not to overexert yourself," Albrecht quickly ran over to the machine Bowser was hooked up to and pressed and flipped a few switches. "Now listen, if you want to continue fighting and die, then I have no right to step in. Just remember, you were my favorite smasher. I always hoped you'd live."
And with that, he turned to walk out of the door. Soon Albrecht's presence was replaced by the investigation team.
"Bowser you'll never believe this, but we're screwed!" Fox screamed as he ran in. He noticed the flushed cheeks on Bowser's face. "Dude, have you been crying?"
Bowser let out a small sniffle. As much as he wanted to meet this murderer, he honestly did not want to die.
"Sorry guys," Bowser slowly wiped a tear from his eyes, "I'm afraid I can no longer assist you in the investigation."
"Why's that?" Marth asked.
Sergio walked into the room "I'm afraid he's permanently disabled."
"What!" Fox screamed. "How the hell did that happen?"
"It seems Roy's attempt to save me went a little too far." Sergio said with a small frown. "Don't worry, Bowser, I'll be sure to take good care of you. If you ever need anything, just let me know."
Mario raised an eye brow. "Why are you doing this?"
"I do feel ashamed for the way this turned out. I want to help him as much as I can." The pale man said with a smile, "Is there anything you need?"
"After all of this," Bowser smirked, "I could use a drink."
Fox and Mario waited in the battle arena. The fight between Fox and Samus was about to start, and Mario wanted to give some encouragement to Fox.
"I don't think I can do this." Fox took a deep breathe. All of this pressure was beginning to get to him.
"I'm sure you can handle her. No offence, but she IS a woman." Mario smirked.
"Not funny!" Fox growled, "You don't understand, she probably wants to kill me after what we did to Ganondorf."
"Why would she hold this grudge against us?" Mario asked. Then a thought had occurred, "Hey wait, you don't think…Samus had, you know…Feelings…For him?"
"I wouldn't put it past me." Samus said as she walked into the room. The two males were startled. "Sorry to scare you guys."
"Hey Samus, what's up?" Fox asked.
"I know we all had some differences, and I have been rather cold towards you guys, but I wanted to let you know that if I were to die, please know that I died in peace." She said. "I let everything go, and I want to finish this day either knowing I'm alive, or die knowing I'm at peace."
"That's very brave of you, but you talk as if you'll loose." Fox said.
"Yeah, don't act like that." Mario smiled. "Look, if you win, you can take Fox's spot. We have been lacking in the women department, what with Zelda's death and all."
"MARIO!" Fox screamed.
"It's okay; we do need to lighten up. Things have been a little too depressing, even for my taste." Samus giggled. "Well, good luck, Fox."
"You too."
Samus drew closer to embrace Fox, then Mario, right before she left. Mario blushed and looked at Fox. "I think she likes you."
Fox blushed, "Shame we have to fight to the death…Hey, where's Peach. I haven't seen her all day."
"She's been with Popo, keeping him company." Mario replied. "I think the two have a T.V in their room, along with Bowser and Sergio."
"At least they won't miss the match."
Roy walked into the room. "Umm hey guys."
"Oh, hey Roy, what's up?" Mario asked.
"Well, umm…After what happened, I think I want to help you guys out." Roy stuttered. "Please, I want to atone for what I did!"
Fox and Mario looked at each other. "I don't know," Fox started, "You have been a little weird lately. How do we know you won't freak out on us?"
"I know how I've been lately, but I want to help. I can't sit around and watch my friends die." Roy stated, "Besides, I can fight!"
Mario sighed. "…Alright, you can help."
"Really?"
"Yeah, besides, if you're able to take Bowser down like that, then I'm sure you can take out the murderer easily." Fox smirked. The two patted Roy on the shoulder, and gave him a radio. "Alright, if any paths open, then go through them and inform us immediately!"
"Gotcha!" Roy took the radio with glee and was soon headed off.
"You know," Fox glanced at Mario, "He's so lively when he's not sleeping."
Mario chuckled.
"3"
Fox and Samus stared long and hard at each other.
"2"
They both knew this would be the last time one would see each other. But this time was different. They were sure to get the murderer now.
"1"
The two smashers took their battle stance, ready to give it all they've got.
"GO!"
Samus took off in a blaze of light, sending missiles in every way she could to try and hit the shined blind Fox. The fox replied by holding up his reflector shield, deflecting all of Samus's projectiles back at her. She managed to dodge each one with the grace of a dancer.
"Damn, "She muttered to herself, "I can't touch him with my projectiles…"
Fox saw an opening and swiftly sent her flying off of the stage. Upon coming back, Samus landed and held up her hand to indicate a time out.
"What's wrong?" Fox asked.
"I cannot win like this." She proclaimed. She than held out her right wrist and pressed a small green button. The suit began to light up, and soon fell off. "That's better."
"What the hell?" Fox was shocked at the presence. Samus threw off her power suit, and was now much swifter; almost as swift as Fox. The battle raged on. After a long hard battle, it was now down to the final stock. Samus ran towards Fox for a final blow, but Fox parried with his arm and followed it with a devastating kick to the face, which sent Samus off the stage, and into the black abyss.
The crowd cheered, and instead of smiling, Fox quickly pulled out his radio and screamed "GO!"
Roy leaned against the basement, yawning. He knew this would take a while, but it was allot longer than expected. Than out of nowhere, a white screen materialized. "Huh?" Roy scratched his head. He than took out his radio. "Yo, Fox, I got the white screen."
"Alright," The radio blared, "Go in there and make sure Samus gets out of there alive!"
Roy nodded and rushed through the white screen. What lay on the other side was nothing Roy expected. A long narrow corridor, with a purple aura emitting out of the walls. "Whoa…Am I in the Twilight Zone?" There was a low whale coming from the end of the dark corridor. "Ahh!" Roy held his arms up as if he was defending himself from something. He slowly lowered his arms and burst out running.
"That was quite a match, wasn't it Bowser?" Sergio asked.
"Yeah, I can't believe Samus had such power. If only she were on the investigation team." Bowser replied. He looked up at Sergio, "Hey, thanks for taking care of me."
"No problem." Sergio smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."
Bowser dismissed him, and turned his attention back to the television, which showed replays of Fox's match. It amazed Bowser at how much he saw, and how much the viewers saw. "Man, all they see are two people fighting for a silly tournament, while we see a battle between life and death." He shook his head, "Damn you, murderer." He muttered.
The replays on the television blurred out and changed automatically to a picture of Samus tied up to a chair.
"What the hell!" Bowser screamed. "Samus!"
She was bound by ropes and gagged by a sock and duct tape. In front of her was a huge device with a timer on it marking fifteen minutes. Bowser gasped and quickly reached for his radio. "Guys! Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, what's up?" The voice of Fox came out of the radio.
"Guys, Samus is on the television! She's bound in a room with a time bomb in it set to go off in fifteen minutes!" Bowser screamed.
"You're seeing this on T.V?" Fox screamed. "Oh my God!"
"Wait, so this is being broadcasted live?" Mario's voice screamed. "What kind of cruel bastard is this?"
"This is Roy; I'm running as fast as I can!" Roy's voice screamed. "I'm in some weird world with this purple aura around! There are markings on the wall!"
Roy quickly put his radio away and continued running. He turned a corner and the markings turned into red stains. "Huh?" The crimson red stains were splattered everywhere, on the floor, the ceiling, and the walls, everywhere Roy's eyes met. "Umm guys, why is there blood everywhere?"
"What do you mean?" Mario's voice asked.
"There's blood all over this place, it's like someone was slaughtered here. Ugh! It smells! This guy must be some kind of sadist!"
He turned a corner and continued to run. Time was running out, so he decided to dismiss the awful smell. After a few more corners, he saw a huge shadow. He drew closer and closer to the big shadow, and turned the corner to scream.
"Roy, what's wrong?" Marth's voice screamed.
"OH MY GOD!" Roy screamed.
"Roy! Are you okay?" Marth's voice screamed again, "Roy, I'm coming in there!"
"Roy, what the hell is wrong!" Fox screamed.
Roy screamed again at what was in front of him. A huge wooden cross stared down at the red head, baring the flesh of all who have died. All of the corpses were staring coldly at Roy, as if they were accusing him of an evil deed. Captain Falcon's head was separated from his body, but still there. Young Link's body was dangling on the side, with no bag on his head. Roy could no longer look at his dead companions, or at the bloody mess.
He couldn't help but notice the wall above the cross. On the wall was a message reading "GOD WILL NOT SAVE YOU!"
He collapsed on his knees, gripping his head. Soon he heard someone's feet pounding as heavily as the breathing.
"Roy!" Marth called from the other side, "Roy, are you alright?"
The blue headed swordsman showed up to see Roy collapsed on the ground. "Marth," Fox's voice screamed through the radio, "Marth, is he okay?"
Marth pulled out his radio in time to scream at the cross. "Holy crap!" Marth screamed, "Yeah, Roy's fine, but he needs somebody to get him out of here."
"Why?" Fox's voice asked.
"You'll see. And make sure Isolde does not come with you! What ever you do, she is not allowed to come!" Marth screamed. He looked down at Roy's collapsed body. "Don't worry, you'll be safe…I understand you fainting at a time like this, I almost lost my lunch." He muttered.
He looked ahead of the cross and saw a crack in the wall. A shadow was at the end wall. "Hey!" Marth screamed as he pulled out his sword.
He ran down the hall and watched the shadow take off running. He turned down many paths and turns, making sure not to loose sight of the shadow. His heart was racing, and his breathing heavy, but he got closer and closer until…"HOLY SHIT!" Fox's voice screamed "IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?"
"Do you think you can get Roy out of there?" Marth asked.
"Yeah, that's no problem, but how am I going to sleep tonight?" Fox screamed.
"Oh dear God!" Bowser's voice screamed. "Fox, I see you! This is being broadcasted live on T.V!"
"What!" Fox screamed. "You've got to be kidding me! Is this guy trying to fuck with us?"
Marth shut the radio off and continued to run. He lost sight of the shadow. "Damn…" He finally stopped to catch his breath. Now he had the time to notice what kind of place he was at. There seemed to be a puddle of water in front of him. He looked closer to examine it, and jumped when he saw a figure jump across the puddle. He quickly looked up to see a crack in the ceiling. He continued to run ahead, keeping an eye up on the ceiling to see if he could catch a glimpse of the lurching figure.
Eventually a shadow jumped down and ran down the hall around a corner. The shadow seemed to have stopped. "Finally." Marth muttered to himself. He slowed down and changed his walking into a small gale.
He slowly drew closer around the corner, gripping his sword, ready to pounce the figure. His heart continued to race, his hands were shaking; he could barely control his breathing, and drew closer, and closer…
BANG!
Everything went black. The lights swiftly disappeared, and Marth stood still. He could see nothing, not even his own hands. There was the sound of water splashing quickly, and stopping in front of Marth. Marth tried to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat, sweat rolled down his forehead, and he could barely prevent himself from whimpering.
There was a deep, low laughter surrounding him, taunting him, torturing him with the endless laughter. The laughter stopped, and the lights clicked on. There were no more shadows, only the corner Marth was about to turn. He sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off of his forehead before proceeding.
Around the corner was a door. Marth grew excited and ran to the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. He rushed in there to see the timer marked for a minute, and Samus staring up at him anxiously.
"Samus!" Marth screamed. He ran up to her and quickly untied her. After ripping off the duct tape and taking out the gag, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Samus said as she leaned over to embrace Marth. Marth quickly picked her up and ran out of the room as far as he could before the timer went out.
He stopped and put Samus down, and sighed in relief. "Guys! I got her!" Marth called over the radio.
"You did?" Fox asked over the radio.
"Yeah! She's right here!" Marth held the radio to Samus's face, in which she said "Hello."
There were loud cheers coming from the radios. Everybody was cheering in joy. "Good job Marth!" "Way to go Marth!" "Drink's on me, Marth!"
BAM!
The sudden explosion knocked Marth off his feet to the wall behind him. His back throbbed in pain as he held his ears from the high pitched ringing that ceased to diminish. A pool of blood splattered over his tunic as if an endless rain continued to fall upon him. There was an empty spot where Samus once stood now filled with blood and body parts of the almost rescued bounty hunter.
Marth opened his mouth to speak but no words seemed to escape. His mind raced as he witnessed yet another gruesome murder. His spirits were blown up in the process and Marth felt despair arise as the scene made his stomach cringe. No one had ever been this close to saving another's life. A possibility was there but the murderer founds way to change everything around, and it gave a sense that maybe they were fighting a losing battle.
"Holy shit!" Marth's voice suddenly returned to him as he wiped the blood off his face with his bare hand.
"Marth, what happened?"
"SAMUS JUST BLEW UP!"
"WHAT?"
"SHE JUST FUCKING BLEW UP! "
"DEAR GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS?"
"THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!"
Bowser and Sergio's mouth dropped in horror. "Oh no…" Sergio whined, "This is horrible!"
A tear descended down Bowser's face. He couldn't believe what he saw. Samus blows up out of nowhere, Marth breaks down crying, and now there's a big mess all over the camera. "And we had her too…" Bowser said in a horrified tone.
The camera changed to a picture of a man in a dark cloak. "Hello, everybody." The figure said in a very raspy voice.
"Oh dear God!" Bowser screamed, "It's him!"
"So that's the guy who's murdering everybody?" Sergio asked. "I see…"
"He's hi-jacked the broadcasting system," Bowser muttered, "I can't believe this!"
"Allow me to introduce myself," The figure said, "I am the one who has committed the horrible crime of murder. I am the one who has taken the life of your beloved friends, and smashed the dreams of many. I have taken the lives of children and women, and I have torn apart brothers and sister. I come here today to announce to the world, that these competitors of this tournament have not been going home, but have been murdered, slain, slaughtered like pigs, and shown to the world. What you saw, was the corpse of all that I have killed. That is my art, my beautiful creation, and their tomb."
The figure cracked out a high pitch laughter, "I come here today to tell the world that nobody will leave alive, and I intend to kill every competitor. The one's who loose the match will also loose their life. As you have all witnessed, Samus Aran has been blown to smithereens, right before your very eyes. From this point on, I am done toying with you, and I will now take to my deepest pleasures to bring the most detrimental agony to those who will fight and die later on. From this point on, I will no longer show mercy, and you will all become a plaything for my amusement. And you, the viewer, will have the discrepancy to witness each brutal murder. I do hope that you enjoy the show, because from here on out, nobody dies without agony."
There was a deep laughter and the screen went black. Sergio glanced towards Bowser. "Wow…I'm terribly sorry."
Bowser didn't seem to hear him. He continued to blankly gape at the blank screen before finally talking. "I can't believe it…Everything we have worked for to keep this secret is gone…Everything we have done to investigate this crime has just been torn down…And now…The world knows…"
"I have a bad feeling that Albrecht is going to be pissed." Sergio muttered.
Bowser let more tears slip down his cheeks. "It's not fair…" He mumbled, "It's just not fair…"
Author: Woo! That was long. Well, KILL THE EMPIRE here, hoping that you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry it took a while, but I think it was worth it.
Big credit goes to Babygurl for helping bring out the drama, couldn't have done it without ya.
I hope you enjoyed my chapter. UNTIL NEXT TIME!
- JIMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO