"Death is Not An Escape"
III: Lore [Mario]
Mario is the beloved hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. He can always be depended upon to save Princess Peach, and defeat any enemy set on conquering the world. Though he's faced a number of villains in the past, Marios sworn adversary is Bowser the Koopa King, a large, horned turtle-creature, determined to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and marry its princess.
Throughout the years, Mario has constantly defeated his nemesis. No evil scheme King Koopa can concoct is successful with the hero here to stop him. And yet, no matter how many times Bowser loses, whether he's boiled in lava, stomped on the head, or thrown out of the fighting ring by his tail, he never gives up. It's as if the man and the monster are fated to do battle until their games are over. Or so it seemed.
After a recent failed wedding attempt, Bowser and his minions vanished. At first people thought it was another trick, a ploy to instill false confidence so the Koopa Clan could swoop in once everyone let their guards down. But as the days went by, absent of terror and torment, nerves began to settle. Landscapers found work again now that people didn't have to worry about their yards getting destroyed. Shops stayed open late. Citizens happily picnicked in parks without worrying about goombas or conniving koopa troopas sneaking up on them. Everyone in the kingdom was taking this opportunity to relax. But there was one person who couldn't relax, who wouldn't let himself relax. That someone was Mario.
He knew Bowser better than anyone else. He'd seen the fury in his eyes during every battle, the thirst for vengeance that had yet to be quenched. Bowser was not someone to just give up, regardless of Peach rejecting him or not.
The princess begged her hero not to worry about their foe. She wanted him to rest and enjoy his time off, not busy himself with being paranoid about an attack that might never come. She suggested they travel, return to Isle Delfino perhaps, or put together another sports tournament. Maybe a few kart races would be the best way for him to get his mind off things. She tried everything, but every offer was always turned down. There was nothing that could be done or said that would get Mario to stop thinking about Bowser, so eventually, one by one, people stopped wasn't their time.
The hero spent his days on patrol, while his nights were sleepless. He didn't care if people thought he was being silly, or irrational, or out of his mind. He knew that the moment he let his guard down, Bowser would strike.
It was crisp and cool, with colored leaves sticking to the ground when he heard the cackle in the night. His bedroom window was open; an evening breeze blew the curtains away to let the voice slip inside and the moonlight shine on the hardwood floor. His feet slid along the wood as he approached the window. He listened. He had to hear it again. Breath trapped in his lungs, leaning over the sill, he waited. And waited.
And there it was again.
He lunged through the opening and broke into a sprint once his feet touched the ground. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, partly from the wind on his face, and partly out of genuine relief. Yes, he finally felt it. The sweet, sweet sense of solace overcame him. He wasn't crazy. Bowser was up to no good after all.
Mario skidded to a halt at the top of a hill overlooking the kingdom. He expected to see airships with cannons at the ready, and koopatrols storming the castle. He should have witnessed conflagrations engulfing buildings, and toads running in the road, heard people calling for help, calling his name.
There was nothing.
The cookie cutter houses that lined the streets of Toad Town were untouched. Streetlights without a single flicker revealed no suspicious shadows lurking in corners. The only figures he did spot were guards standing at their post in front of the castle gates. Everyone else was sound asleep.
The cackle echoed through the air. He tensed, back stiff as a board. This wasn't right, it couldn't be right. Something was coming. He knew it. Unless…
The cackle again, louder this time, as if someone was standing right behind him. Mario turned but there was no one there. His hands clawed through his hair; he didn't want to believe it. The voice was real. He heard it again, this time in his head, reverberating off of his skull. Louder, less controlled. Louder, louder...
The laughing, the stress from the last few months, it was too much for him to handle in that moment without losing focus. The hero fell to his knees, fighting the urge to let his own voice travel with the wind on that quiet night.
By the time he noticed the scent of magic in the air it was too late. Hexes materialized before him, tightening around his body like metal hula hoops. He writhed and wiggled in an attempt to escape, but this only caused the shapes to shrink. Pressure built up behind his eyes, as if they were about to pop. Colors started to decorate his vision. A sharp pain shot through his ribs as he felt bones crack. He wanted to scream but he couldn't, air being squeezed out of his lungs like a nearly finished toothpaste tube.
He heaved until he couldn't anymore, slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was the wind biting at his skin and a blurry figure cloaked in blue floating beside him.
A fearless hero set on ensuring the safety those dear to him. His personal perks: Hero Sight, Super Jump, & Perseverance allow him to keep an eye on his allies and stay in the fight.
Hero Sight: Your protective nature forbids you from letting friends close by out of your sight. Allies auras are revealed to you when they are within range of 20/28/36 meters.
Super Jump: Past battles have given you invaluable experience with avoiding enemy attacks. When injured, tap into your adrenaline bank and jump forward to gain distance and avoid damage.
Perseverance: A hero never quits, even when the going gets tough. Grants the ability to recover from the dying state once per trial.
Thank you, thank you for reading :) Reviews more than welcome, follows/favorites always appreciated.
Review Responses:
Mavi:
Funny you mention adrenaline because...well, you'll see! Glad you think the story is interesting so far. It's definitely outside of the box considering there was only one other DBD/Mario crossover story last time I checked. Maybe more will pop up? I hope so!
Omni Spectator:
After thinking about it, I've decided to change this to an M-rated story. Eventually it is going to get gory, so I should probably have the proper warning for that, lol. So, thanks!
Ridley as a killer. That's not too hard for me to imagine considering his Smash reveal trailer! I plan on expanding on killers later, but I think I'll be keeping them in the realm of the Mario universe. Sadly, I don't know enough about other Nintendo franchises to confidently write about them. Nevertheless, some of the darker Nintendo characters as DBD killers is cool to think about!
Amethyst Goldenwind:
Glad you're liking the story so far even if you haven't played DBD! I highly suggest picking it up, though fair warning, you might get addicted :D
Yeah, Bowsers much more sadistic here, going along with the the mood of DBD. Hopefully the darker themes keep you intrigued! And the girl...is not someone from DBD. Mario characters are pretty much the only ones I write for, and I'm not a fan of OCs. I guess that narrows it down a lot, but you'll still have to wait to find out who she is!