She should have listened.
So many warnings were given to her about avoiding the Phantom, yet she had ignored them in favor of adventure and curiosity. She was ignorant to danger, and now, she was no fool.
Nothing bad had ever happened to her, and that left her oblivious to what could happen, especially when pursuing it. She chose this fate, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She brought this on herself.
Suddenly, the four koopas' eerie laughter was replaced with blood-curdling screams as they backed away. Peach opened her eyes, only to see the three goons cowering behind Leo, who shakily held his knife in defense.
Peach's posture perked up as she was met with their fear. She looked around her, not seeing any reason for the group to be afraid, especially of her.
What were they so afraid of?
A loud slam echoed through the alley as something large landed directly behind Peach, splashing water all around the group, and soaking Peach even further.
Suddenly, Peach was turned around and pulled away. Her face softly landed against something she vaguely recognized.
"King Koopa?!" The three yelled in unison.
Their faces paled as their dead king towered over them, his eyes wide with vengeful hatred as he held the human against his chest. She leaned into his grasp, terrified of the koopas before her, even more so than her kidnapper.
He held her so softly yet so firmly against him, so much so that she didn't even believe this was the same koopa.
No, this was the Phantom of her dreams in that moment, not the one who had kidnapped her.
They mumbled and frantically whispered countless cries of confusion and fear as they slowly stepped away. Leo dropped his knife against the damp pavement with a loud clunk. They looked at one another, desperate for one of them to know what to do.
But instead, they remained still, staring in the eyes of their dead king.
King Koopa growled, his body dripping with territorial rage.
"Close your eyes," he darkly ordered, his grip loosening. Peach could feel his stare on the top of her head, and instead of obeying, she looked up towards the King, meeting his gaze.
He was coated with rain, his red hair falling limp and messily over his head. He was so tall that his features were hidden in the darkness, but an occasional boom of lightning would light up his face, revealing his darkened stare in full glory.
The scars she had noticed earlier were even more graphic than she had remembered, especially in the brighter light; they wrapped around his torso and neck, and even half of his face. They traced along his body, though the worst of the markings were on his neck.
Peach flinched, afraid of the monster and his deadly stare.
King Koopa growled at her disobedience and his grip intensified, though remained gentle enough as to not harm her.
"Now," he added, his voice completely opposite to the way he held her. His eyes were now mere slits as hatred dripped from his glare.
Peach shuddered as she slowly covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see what would happen if she disobeyed the monster. She didn't understand his order, but the heated anger in his tone was enough to convince her.
King Koopa slowly let her go as he left her to stand alone in the rain. He eyed her cautiously before stepping forward towards the four brutes, all of which were frozen with both shock and fear.
When his attention was fully on the group, his face darkened.
Peach stared into her palms as she trembled against them, patiently following her captor's demands. Her quick breaths clung to her skin as she continually begged for everything to turn out okay.
With her only guide being her sense of hearing, she intently tuned into what happened before her.
Peach could hear him walk forward through the large puddles, but even more so the whimpering koopas before him. His growls and angered grunts were as much explanation he was giving to the stagehand, and it was more than enough to show what he was going to do to them.
He was going to kill them.
Peach's blood ran cold as she realized she was going to be responsible for the deaths of these koopas. She was no hero, but this was unnecessary! Shakily, she peeked through her hands, afraid of what she was going to see.
King Koopa towered over three of the koopas who had backed into a corner, the black-shelled koopa being held by his throat, high in the air. The scene was almost that out of a movie, with the villain holding his victim to face him, thunder booming around the group and wind pushing through their hair.
King Koopa raised his free claw, his fingers bearing claws that could easily rip through the koopa's shell without even trying. He slowly dragged his claw upwards, taking pleasure in the look of fear in his prey's eyes.
The black-shelled koopa was trembling, surely begging for his life, though his words were blown away with the storm. He kicked his feet and gripped King Koopa's claw, to no avail, as his grip was unflinching.
"STOP!" Peach cried, her hands falling to her sides as she ran forward towards the four koopas. "Put him down! You already won!" She plead with a begging, desperate frown.
King Koopa glanced over his shoulder, eyeing her hands and then her face, disapproval and the slightest bit of concern covering his grimace. He hesitated for just a moment, eyeing the human angrily.
And within an instant, he roared in pain.
King Koopa collapsed to his knees, dropping Leo who landed on his shell. The three free koopas threw their knives to the side as they grabbed Leo's arms, helping him maneuver away from the beast.
They scuttled away, slipping and tripping over the wet pavement as they ran, leaving two bloodied knives behind, scattered around the scene.
Peach flinched, now only feet away from her kidnapper, who had now become her savior.
She parted her lips to thank him, but couldn't find herself able to say any kind words to the beast, as he had simply subjected her to more time trapped within his world. He had not come to save her, but to retrieve her.
King Koopa groaned as he shakily stood up, using the wall for support. He glared over his shoulder at the human, his eyes full of pure disapproval and fury, earning a small yelp as she jumped away.
He was not happy.
He slumped against the wall with a moan of discomfort before falling back to his knees, his claw scratching against the obsidian wall as he attempted to hold himself up. Peach flinched as he slammed his fist against the wall, clearly in a silent fit of rage.
She gasped, reaching out to help him before flinching, conflicted once again. He cursed countless vulgar words under his breath as he clenched his claws.
"Are you...okay?" Peach mumbled quietly, almost afraid to talk to the beast.
Her eyes wandered, landing beneath him, where a puddle of water was slowly turning a deep shade of red. The thicker liquid flowed through the clear water, turning into a murky red that made Peach feel sick.
"Definitely not," Peach quickly corrected herself with a clear undertone of panic. She took a few steps towards him, ready to pull him away. "You need to get out of the rain! We need to bandage you up and-"
"Shouldn't you be running?" King Koopa grumbled bitterly, finally managing to find the energy to stand up to his full height. His right claw covered his left arm's forearm, shielding the wound away from Peach.
However, he wasn't able to hide the second gash along his right leg.
Peach, for a moment, flinched at how he towered over her. But, she didn't find anger in his words...almost amusement.
"That's not a bad idea," Peach whispered with a sigh, "but you would catch me."
King Koopa groaned.
"I don't think I would be able to."
Peach's eyes lifted to his wound, realizing he was barely in a state to stand, let alone chase a human.
"You helped me, didn't you?" She paused as she waited for her captor's agreement, but was only met with a judging glare. She sighed. "So, let me help you. It's only fair."
King Koopa eyed him for a few seconds, bewildered.
"That's stupid."
Peach nearly choked on her words at his childish, ungrateful reaction at her attempt at kindness. While he didn't deserve it, she felt inclined to fix the mess she had put him in.
Her eyes sparked with annoyance and a bit of fury as she placed her hands on her hips. Her annoyance grew even further as she swore she could have seen a small smirk of entertainment cross his face.
"You know what else is stupid? Not letting me help you!"
"So is running in the middle of a storm," he bitterly retorted. "And letting those idiots get away."
"You were going to kill them! Of course I wanted them to get away!"
"They were going to kill you!" King Koopa angrily spat back, no longer amused.
She paused as his words caught her off guard.
"Why do you care?" She asked sheepishly, not exactly wanting to know the answer. King Koopa visibly flinched at the question. "Shouldn't...I be the one you want dead?"
The two stood in silence. Peach eyed the monster curiously, yet still fearfully, as she had now seen what he was capable of, though she knew he could clearly do far more.
Bowser, on the other hand, remained dark.
"If I want you dead, it'll be at my own claws. Not at the hands of some wanna-be turtle who can't even handle alcohol," he boasted, but something told Peach that he wasn't going to harm her, at least for the time being. He knew this didn't answer her question, but it was easy enough to dodge.
Using his left claw, King Koopa grabbed Peach's waist and placed her over his shoulder. He shuddered at how wet her clothes were, not exactly fond of the contact this time.
Peach yelped as she was suddenly snatched up, once again easily fitting in his grip. It alarmed her, once again making her realize just how...massive he was.
She fought against him for a few moments, trying to sit up and move, finding herself shoved back on his shoulder with ease every single time. She sighed, exhaustion flowing through her as she fell limp on him.
She gazed over his back, surprised at what she saw.
His fiery hair clung to his skin and he was covered with water, droplets running down his shell and along his spikes. The scars running along his body were mirrored on his shell with gashes and cracks that didn't break through the tough surface.
Peach stared in awe at his damaged shell. Nearly every inch of him had been permanently damaged and ripped apart, though, somehow, he remained in one piece.
What happened to him?