Not very much in terms of the author's note today, as I know that you all wanna get to the chapter. However, I will say that the two groups are going through their respective events at the same time, one half battling Shatterhand, the others fighting the captain. Anyways, beware, this one is unfortunately violent for our crusaders…
-Justan
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 29: Wilted Flowers
"LINK, MOVE!"
Link's ears didn't pick up the sound, but he felt his whole body being pushed out of the way. Solo, having managed to recover from being kicked in the side, bolted towards Link and pushed him out of the way of Shatterhand's charge. Then, he sensed his entire body going into shock, with silence permeating the throne room as blood flew out and splattered against the wall and floor.
Shatterhand frowned, his only good hand creating a gaping hole not in Link's torso, but Solo's. His broken ribs thanks to Shatterhand's boots left his chest vulnerable, and it was remarkably easy for the fiend to plow his fist through his flesh. The green-haired hero sputtered, flinching violently as his attacker ripped his hand back through his body and left the hole wide open. Solo shivered, the damp, cool air hitting his insides and sending furious chills along his nerves.
"S-Solo…" Erdrick muttered, unable and unwilling to comprehend what was right before his eyes.
"Hm… A rare display of valiance from a lonely, depressed man," Shatterhand mocked as Solo slumped onto his knees, struggling to get his body to do anything. The red-haired maniac then put Galaxia into his other hand, powering up his stolen blade via the Dark Matter gauntlet. Then, just as all the darkness culminated at one point at the tip of the sword the golden glow of a Light arrow pierced it, causing a large explosion, sending Shatterhand straight into the door. The sword was completely obliterated, the gauntlet damaged in the blast.
Link, bow in hand, wore only a hollow glare as Shatterhand was dispatched just briefly. He knew the light could counter the dark, but his foe still possessed remarkable physical prowess, so he was uncertain how long Shatterhand would remain out of commission.
"Solo!" Erdrick scrambled to his feet and raced over to his friend, pulling him up into his arms. "Wh-Wh…" The normally bold hero stuttered, trying to get his mind to pick something, anything to say. "D-Don't worry, Solo, you're going to be alright. I just need to heal… Yeah, healing!"
Crystal rushed over to try and help Erdrick, them being the closest to her. Her side still throbbed, pain almost too much for her to even stand, but she managed. Hobbling over and going down onto her knees, her Passion instinctively started to wrap around Solo's damaged body, as did Erdricks'.
Meanwhile, Link slowly made his way over to Tael, dropping his bow and bending down. Carefully, he scooped his beloved fairy into his hands and sat down, silently pleading with his Goddesses to somehow save Tael's life.
"Tael…? Can- Can you hear me?" Link asked softly, his words wobbly, trying to fight back the urge to cry. When he received no response, a single droplet dripped down his cheek and hit the carpet, his body curling down in sorrow.
"L… L-Link…" Tael's purple light returned; it's glow horrifyingly faint. He was still holding on, trying to sit up in Link's hands. Only one of his little arms had the strength to hold him up, the other broken, along with his left leg. Both wings attempted to move, to flutter, but they couldn't.
Link looked at Tael with watery eyes. He wrapped his hands around the wounded fairy, wanting to protect him with his entire body.
"I'm… I'm alright, Link, honest…" Tael said, fighting to smile despite the ruthless damaged inflicted on his wings. They hurt the most, the veins that pumped blood to fuel his flight directly exposed.
Over where Shatterhand had been sent, from the rubble of the now destroyed swinging door to the throne room, pieces of wood, the metal hinges, and chips of stone grating the ears as the madman rose from the ruins. He looked down at his gauntlet, clicking his fingers together. Weak sparks flashed; the weapon damaged just slightly by the light arrow. That put things into perspective, this battle requiring a much more serious performance from Shatterhand.
"You…" Shatterhand pointed to Link. "You're next!"
"Tael…" Link gently put Tael down on the ground. He needed to get Shatterhand away from the others so Erdrick could have the time to possibly save Solo. Taking his sword by the hilt and strapping his shield to his arm, he bolted, gunning towards the closest window and jumping through, glass breaking as he escaped.
Shatterhand ignored the others, his eyes focused only on finally killing Link. He pursued, leaping through the broken window and giving chase. Dusk was swallowing the land, sunlight dimming as it set below the horizon. The glow of Link's Passion as he used it to swing along the trees in order to gain speed slowly faded from view, leaving Erdrick, Crystal, Tael, and Solo in the throne room.
Crystal, fearing the worst for Link's fairy, ran over to help him instead, cradling him in her arms as her Passion started to wrap around his broken body.
"Come on…" Erdrick muttered to himself, casting his third healing spell. His magic seemed to have little to no effect, the gaping hole in Solo's chest refusing to close up or heal in the slightest. "Come on! PLEASE!"
"Erd-" Solo wheezed, hardly able to breathe with his lungs pierced and partially torn through. "Erdrick… J-Just leave it…"
"No, don't say that you idiot. You're fighting to stay alive, just- just work with me!" Erdrick cast Heal for a fourth time, and when it didn't appear to have any effect, he had an idea. Grabbing his satchel, he stuffed his hand in and searched around for some medical aid.
"No herb is going to f-fix this…" Solo guessed.
"I'm not looking for an herb, I'm trying to find a…" Erdrick pushed away all the medicines, water, and whatever else in his bag, looking for a very sacred item. Rare and valuable, Erdrick had his sights on an Yggdrasil Leaf, something used to bring back the fallen. He could've sworn he had one.
The realization set in after he rummaged through the bag for nearly a minute, no luck in finding the special leaf. Horror and dread filled his eyes as he looked back at Solo, his own Passion writhing around in the pool of his blood that had accumulated around him and Erdrick. It seeped into the carpet, coloring it a deeper red, splotches now riddling Erdrick's cape, gloves, and pants.
"Erdrick, I…" Solo lifted his arm up and put his hand on Erdrick's cheek, smiling weakly. "It's okay… I'm fine with this."
"No, Solo, we made sure that we were going to fight Shatterhand together! I'm not-! I-I'm not…!" Erdrick was lost, his emotions everywhere as he held his friend in his arms.
"And we did… We fought…" Solo restated.
"I… I can get the others! Surely they have a leaf that we can-" Erdrick was about to stand up, but he found his tunic being tugged on.
"N-No, please… Don't leave me…" Solo begged. His words, unlike the rest, were accompanied by fear, the only time he was legitimately scared. Erdrick did as his friend asked, remaining with him, holding him as he bled out. The Passion coming from Solo's arms started to shift in color, their normally vibrant, blue hue dulling. Hideous grey cracks formed along the rims of the vines, bits and pieces of the thorns starting to fall away. "I just… I just wish that the others were here."
"M-M… Me too," Erdrick said, petrified as he watched Solo's Passion begin to wither away. Their hum died out, the life fading, the vines crumbling into dust and blowing away just from Erdrick's harsh, heavy breathing.
"Just... Win... Win for me, okay?" Solo asked.
As the sun fully set, nightfall blanketing Hyrule, Solo died. His skin grew pale, blood no longer dripping, and his Passion completely withered. All the Wave Energy had ceased, leaving nothing but his husk. Erdrick, moisture in his normally stoic eyes, held the body of his friend close, muttering sweet nothings as Crystal tended to Tael. At that moment, the crusaders had lost a member, the silence between them almost deafening as Erdrick screamed out in grief.
"Heh, I never thought Link as one to abandon his allies…" the captain remarked, catching the attention of Mario, Luigi, Amy, Eight, and Eleven. He raised his arm again, letting the blades glisten before going into a cat stance, prepared for any attack the heroes might have.
"Nah, we just think quickly," Mario affirmed, using whatever strength he could to charge his hands with Firebrand again. Luigi did the same with Thunderhand, the brothers leading the charge against the captain and his team.
The sun beat down on Castle Town with almost blinding power, the streaks of light coming from the captains blades along his arms flashing so brightly that even Empyrea and Landia noticed them from where they were flying, the pair still fighting against the dreadnaught. As Link, Tael, Crystal, Erdrick, and Solo raced down the pathway towards Hyrule Castle, the rest of the crusaders began their battle against the captain and his men.
At first, Eight and Eleven, being the only two with swords, contended with the captain against his blades of brilliance. Despite being outmatched physically, the captain held his own with ease, moving his arms in such a way to parry the different simultaneous attacks from both swordsmen. Luigi fought against the other men at the captain's command, Mario and Amy backing him up allowing them to be on par with the five attacking units.
Luigi opened with a blast from his Thunderhand, dispatching one of the men right away. Their armor was metal, so the electricity flowed through it too effectively, stunning them. One problem, Luigi would need to charge his Hand Art up again before using it, but Amy jumped in and covered the surrounding turf in ink.
"What is this stuff?" One of the men questioned the ink across his hands. He smudged his fingers with it, inspecting the substance before Mario challenged him.
"I think it'd be best for her to tell ya!" Mario pointed his thumb towards Amy, the Inkling taking the hint and shooting his glove with her Dualies. With the ink covering his fist, he punched the man straight in the jaw, a thick splat of ink erupting from the impact.
Amy covered the man with ink for good measure, smirking as she twirled her guns around. "It's a little bit of us!" She turned curtly and put her hand on her hip, thinking the enemy had been taken care of.
"Gah…" The man slowly rose, huffing, shaking the ink off his armor.
"What the-?!" Amy realized that her opponent wasn't done for and reeled back in hindered fear.
"Shatterhand's given us some advancements! It's going to take a lot more than gunk from a pen to finish us!" he said, swinging his sword downwards. Amy jumped, dodging the blade, but wasn't ready to be met with a roundhouse kick to the stomach when her feet touched the ground again.
"Amy!" Eight looked behind him, hearing Amy land on the road roughly just a few feet away. The distraction was enough for the captain to rush forward and clotheslining the hero, sending him crumpling to the ground.
"Hey!" Eleven shouted in defense of his friend. A spell was quickly cast, Flame Slash, and he aimed for the captain's right arm blade. When they touched, Eleven was suddenly forced back, his magic bouncing off the blade and the flames being inflicted on him instead.
The captain just laughed maniacally, the light from his weapons bending impossibly. "It seems you heroes can't recognize superior magic! These blades were gifted a special art by a genie far more powerful than you!" he boasted, walking towards Eleven. "My, my… She certainly was lovely, though that pirate in which these come from was far fouler."
"What… What the hell is a genie?" Eleven asked with surprising seriousness. The captain just frowned, inwardly frustrated.
"Tch- No matter! These blades can move independent of my arm, slicing at speeds far faster than I could!" The captain inched back, raising his weapons and closing one eye. As if he were peering through the scope of a rifle, he carefully aimed his arm, looking to slice open Eleven's chest. "Even I don't know what their limit is!"
A bolt of lightning abruptly struck the ground next to the captain, gaining his attention.
"And we aren't finding out!" Luigi said, scowling that he had missed his target just slightly. He was never the best at directing his powers, unlike Mario.
"Luigi…" hissed the captain, grinning madly at the sight of the green plumber. "You came at a good moment, actually. You and I… have unfinished business!"
"Huh?" Luigi put his arms down, confused. "We do?"
"Yes, I- Unbelievable," the captain snarled and stepped away from Eleven, his blades now set on Luigi. It gave the purple-clad hero time to bail, getting out of range of the captain's swords. There, he started to ready his arms to cast a spell.
"Bang!" Eleven called out the name of his magic, his Wave Energy gathering by his palms and dispersing, soaring towards the captain. Before it even got close, the captain sneered, swinging his arms. His blades lit up, flashes of light blinding both Eleven and Luigi as the spell was negated, the explosion going off prematurely.
"Useless, useless, USELESS!" The captain bellowed, returning his twisted gaze onto Luigi. He kicked his legs into the ground and flew up at amazing speeds, Once he reached the peak of his jump, over fifteen feet above Luigi, he thrust his fist forward. A glimmer of light came from his blades, just narrowly missing the green plumbers' right hand. They cut the ground cleanly, a perfect gash in the stone.
A blaze of fire then came from behind Luigi, Mario launching a small volley of fireballs out his hand courtesy of Firebrand. While they were parried by the captain's blades, the distraction gave Eleven time to help Eight and Amy, who were now fighting against the quintet of men further into town.
"You guys going to be okay?" Eleven shouted as he left.
"Of course! Link said to take out the swords!" Mario replied. Turning to his brother, the mustachioed hero smirked. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Heh, you know it!" Luigi pumped his fists into the air, electricity crackling. Mario did the same, embers bursting forth and raining onto the ground. For both of them, The Passion sprang up and covered their hands, empowering their skills.
The captain raised an eyebrow, unaware of what he was allowing the brothers to do. An unseen force whirled around them, pulling them up into the air and making them appear to take flight. Their powers surged, Mario heading towards the captain first, twirling around like a spinning top.
Mario made collision with the captain, The Passion moving so fast that it slashed him in the chest, cutting his shirt and almost taking off his star-shaped rank insignia. Luigi came in next, going low before jumping up and delivering a fierce headbutt. Mario was up again, stomping on his head to add to the pain. Luigi then swerved close, spinning around like a cyclone. The pair kept this pattern going, hitting the captain again and again without fail.
"Urk- GAH!" The captain made rather humorous noises as he was pummeled on repeat, until something unimaginable inside him snapped. He yelled as loud as he could, and right as Luigi was going in to strike him with The Passion curled around his fingers, a bright slash of light interrupted him.
Once vision returned to the brothers, Luigi's arm felt lighter. Looking down, he saw a stump where his right hand used to be. Below him on the ground lay his severed hand, twitching slightly before going limp.
"WHA- AH! AAAAAAAAAAAUUUGH!" Luigi cried out in pain, holding his arm.
"A new trophy!" the captain proclaimed, kicking Luigi so hard that he was sent flying into the air and into a boarded-up window right across the street. Dust followed, cracked planks of wood falling to the ground, another resounding crash being heard, Luigi presumably colliding with a nearby wall inside.
"Weege!" Mario shouted, ignoring the captain and using his Passion to swing up and dive into the window to find his brother.
Inside, Luigi had slammed into a wall and slid down, landing on a wooden crate filled with strange, blue devices with yellow highlights. He was too busy screaming in pain to acknowledge their mouse-like shape, the building he had been sent through being the Bomb Shop's upper floor, where all the explosives were held in storage.
"Hey, Luigi!" Mario called out. He gasped at the sight of all the bombs and treaded carefully to find his brother. When found the green man, he quickly carried him out of the storage room and into the hallway, setting right beyond the door and next to the stairs. "Bro! Hey, look at me! Are you alright?"
"M-M-My hand…" Luigi whimpered, clutching his right arm. The wound making up the stump perplexed the brothers. Instead of blood, there was a reddish-orange substance forming, almost like magma. It was hot to touch for Mario and even more painful for Luigi.
"Thank you for the trophy, Luigi," the captain said smugly from the foot of the stairs. He had taken the scenic route inside, passing through the shop and meeting his enemies with a smile. In his hands was Luigi's, holding it like a toy and taunting Mario as he stared down at him with hatred.
"Y-You… You're sick!" Mario jumped into action, fire burned by his hands as he flew down the stairs and landed on the first floor roughly.
"I only wish to give my leader a fitting reward for finishing off you and your little friends! The right fists of my opponents are a fine gift to give the man with the mangled hand!" the captain's reasoning for relieving Luigi of such a precious body part made Mario want to puke. There was no understanding this deranged beast, the red hero deciding there and then to end him, even if it meant his own life.
At the same time outside, Eight, Amy, and Eleven were busy. Enough ink to fill a pool had been sent all across the market area of the town, the sounds of ink squishing between both the heroes and the villains' feet. Magic sizzled through the air, often making contact with its targets, occasionally missing, but still flying all over the place.
"C'mon, just a bit more space…" Amy said to herself, knowing that she almost had her special fully charged. She needed to make herself useful while still fending off the attackers. In one hand was her blaster as the other lobbed burst bombs around, her efforts looking haphazard for the enemy.
Two swordsmen were teaming on Eight, the bandana-wearing hero fighting to try and cast a spell that he knew would be effective.
"Eleven! I need you!" Eight shouted.
"A little busy right now!" That was the only response Eight got, as Eleven was busy dodging the shots of the leader, his gun firing in his direction was dangerous intent. One bolt hit his boot, causing him to slip. Quickly, he cast Bounce, protecting him from any incoming projectiles as he recovered.
"Aha!" Amy's cheered, her gauge finally full. Bombing the area in front of her, she got away from the group and readied her Tenta Missiles. In her eyes she eyed all four of the attackers and locked them in.
Pulling out a set of missile launchers seemingly from nowhere, Amy fired them into the air. After a moment, they all turned, seeking out their designated targets. The arial ambush was unexpected, the three remaining swordsmen and the leader being knocked away from the impact of the blasts, though they weren't as strong as normal. Since there were four targets all together, fewer missiles were reserved for them all. The special was only meant to aim for three, after all.
"Guys! Get up, hurry!" Amy called out, watching as some of the men were already getting up after just a few seconds.
Eight hadn't gotten up because he was finally able to get ready for his spell. Sword in hand, he got to his feet. "Metal Slash!" He said, swinging his weapon at the closest warrior.
Each of Shatterhand's finest were wearing steel-plated armor, reinforced to provide further protection. However, against a spell devastating to all forms of metal, it was rendered pointless. The slash caused the armor of Eight's enemy to contort, warping heavily until it exploded under the pressure, causing such intense injuries to the wearer that they were far more than simply knocked out. They were completely out, retired from the battle, many bones broken.
"Of course, Metal Slash!" Eleven exclaimed. He used the same technique, hitting the armor of another close enemy. The same results that befell the first victim happened to the second, Amy taking care of the leader of the group with a swift but powerful punch.
"Is… Is that all of them?" Amy asked, looking around. Luigi had taken down one of the men with his Thunderhand earlier, two more were down thanks to Eight and Eleven, and the leader was out for the count.
"Nah, this one over here…" Eight said, walking up to the last one, the man just barely conscious. Amy and Eleven joined him, looking down on their final opponent. "What should we do with him?"
"Wave Energy, anyone?" Eleven said, summoning his Passion around his fingers.
"How'd that work?" Amy tilted her head.
"We just send it through to him. It'll be too much for him to handle, putting his lights out," Eleven explained, his vines already wrapping around the man in question.
Eight and Amy just shrugged, bringing out their Passion and together with Eleven, sending streams of the waves through into the last warrior. As expected, it overloaded his senses, knocking him out for a good while. They didn't totally want to kill him, though, as it was clear by the youthful look on his face and tired eyes that he was forced to be a part of Shatterhand's wretched forces. Due to the revitalizing nature of Wave Energy, he'd wake up in a few hours feeling like a million dollars.
"Wait, where's Mario and Luigi?" Eight asked, noticing the concerning lack of plumbers in the area.
"Uh… They were…" Eleven trailed off, the last time he saw them being when he left to join the others, leaving them to face the captain. The trio's question was soon answered, as a blast of fire burned through the door to a nearby shop, a sign with an image of a bomb bursting into flames.
"I guess he's there, come on!" Amy took action, bolting towards the inferno without a second thought. Eight and Eleven were right behind her.
Mario gasped for air, his arms aching. He had been using Firebrand too much, lacking the energy to use it without issue. Now that he was going off whatever scraps of willpower he had left, everything around him felt fuzzy. He wished he had a few of those beans from the Beanbean Kingdom. They could keep him going if he truly needed it.
"Bro!" Luigi called from the stairs. He was hardly able to stand, yet he found the strength to overcome his state of shock from his severed hand and make it down a few steps.
"Weege, don't! Stay there!" Mario ordered, not wanting his brother to lose any other part of his body.
"Hah! I thought you learned that you don't always need to be alone, you! Or… was that Link's lesson, I'm not sure…" the captain mused out loud. He grabbed Mario by the collar, pinning him down by a table.
"How- How do you know about that?" Mario grunted.
Before the captain could answer, Eight, Eleven, and Amy burst through the door, weapons in hand. Delighted to see fresh meat, the captain raised his arm again, causing his blades to flash. Anticipating an attack right when they entered, Eight put his arm out to stop the others from going further, inadvertently saving his right hand from being cut off after a beam of light flickered brightly in front of him where his arm would've been.
"No!" the captain realized that Eight's hand was intact, and he pushed Mario into the side of the table, flipping it over. Strutting menacingly towards the new arrivals, his blades shimmered, moving so fast that the sound of their vibrations were almost akin to The Passion's hum.
"Shit, Eight, don't use magic-" Eleven tried to warn Eight about what happened when he tried to use Flame Slash against the captain's weapons, but it was too late.
"USELESS!" the captain smirked.
Eight was going in for another Metal Slash, seeing the captain's blades as simple swords. He was met with a rude awakening, his energy reverberating and sending him crashing into the wall. All that followed was a laugh from the captain, his wide smirk unsettling for Eleven and Amy.
"Guys!" Luigi snapped the others out of the captains' trance-inducing smile. He waved his stump in the air, showing just what the captain was capable of. The act pained him, and he curled back and seethed. "Alright, Weege, you've got this…" he said under his breath, mustering up the strength to attack.
Amy moved to the side, putting both her Dualies together and firing them together. A technique from her more tactical days as an Agent, the stream of ink flowed faster than normal and hit the captain almost like a punch, blinding him for a moment. Eleven followed up with a weak Sizz just to get him away, joining up with Eight and heading past the captain to get to Mario.
"You little bit-" the captain was quickly cut off by Luigi jumping down from the stairs in a gambit, all-or-nothing move. Both his boots landed on the captain's left blade, all the plumber's weight forcing the ruthless man to the ground.
Then, a sharp snap came from the captain's weapon. Luigi had broken the sword grafted onto his left arm clean off, clattering to the floor loudly. The captain didn't scream, holler, or do anything. His eyes went wide at the sight of one of his blades on the floor. Now, something else inside him clicked, his mouth hanging open just slightly as he held almost perfectly still, the green-capped hero in front of him.
Luigi smirked, charging up his fist with Thunderhand. He turned his body around to give the captain the strongest punch he could throw, but a quick flash of light made him stop all movement.
"LUIGI!" Mario yelled.
A soft chuckle came from the captain's mouth as he stood straight. Luigi was frozen, his mouth shuddering as all the electricity in his hand dissipated. Then, he fell to his knees, a mortified look on his face as two bloodstains formed on his shirt, one on his back and the other on the opposite end.
"Hah…" the captain breathed heavily, having put a lot of energy into what he called his 'statue attack'. When Luigi had broken off his left blade, all forms of thinking besides winning exited the captain's mind, his body locking up and the blade along his right arm spinning to pierce the green man's heart at sub-light speeds. "It's… been some time since I did that…"
"Lu…" Mario crawled out from beneath the flipped over table and towards his brother. The captain, feeling merciful, decided to let the plumber do so without intervening. While it would've been easy to kill him then, somehow, he still had some honor left in his darkened heart.
"L-Lu… Luigi?" Mario rolled is brother over to try and get a response, but he only got to see the deathly-white, pale look of bloodless skin. Taking off Luigi's left glove, he checked for a pulse, but it was in vain.
"Poyo?" A voice came from outside.
Mario ignored it, tapping Luigi's cheek, hoping that something would happen.
Kirby had just fled from Hyrule Castle at Link's behest. The Dark Matter gauntlet could quickly prove to be his demise had he stayed any longer. Now he didn't know what was happening with Link, Tael, Crystal, Erdrick, and Solo, but finding that Mario, Luigi, Amy, Eight, and Eleven were nowhere to be seen didn't instill hope in his heart.
"No! No! Please!" Mario didn't begin sobbing, instead, he begged. He begged whatever higher power truly existed. "Please, god, no!"
"Poy poyo!" Kirby followed the sounds of dismay until he found them, coming through the door to the bomb shop and making his way in. Once he discovered the scene of Mario holding Luigi with Eight, Eleven, and Amy mortified by the stairs, the captain standing above the brothers, he quickly prepared himself.
A quick vacuum flowed through the room, Kirby inhaling Luigi's discarded glove and obtaining the Fighter Ability. Death was something the Star Warrior greatly despised, and with a warriors' bandana appearing on his head, Kirby raised his paws up in preparation for a beatdown. Luigi and Link were the only ones so far who could understand his words, that fact being cherished by the little, pink puffball.
"Now!" Eleven and Eight drew their swords and went to attack, but a flash of light from the captains' left blade created several cuts along Eleven's face and sliced open Eight's leg, keeping them away.
"His death was painless, I assure you," said the captain, taking one step closer to Mario. Eight and Eleven groaned on the floor and Amy was struggling to act now that she had seen a man die right before her eyes. "You should be grateful, you know."
Mario didn't respond, getting onto his knees to mourn his brother.
"M-Mario! Do something!" Eight shouted, getting up slowly.
"…" The red plumber mumbled something.
"What was that?" asked the captain.
"I said… monster…" Mario reiterated himself, standing up. Then, with all the passionate rage he could ever muster in his life, he turned around and punched the captain. Then he hit him again, and then again. Blows struck the man's chest, arms, and face, never letting up.
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mario screamed, borrowing Link's battle cry.
Time slowed down for him while he gave the most meaningful barrage of blows of all. All that swelled through his mind was to avenge his brother, the cruel punishment feeling so sweet and savory. His last punch sent the captain flying, where Eight gladly continued the pummeling. His fists flew with just as much anger as Mario's, slamming down onto the captain's face without mercy.
"POOOYYOO!" Kirby said, uppercutting the captain and delivering his own bout of unrelenting fury.
Finally, the captain was sent Amy's way, where she finished the beatdown with all the effort she had.
As she went to town on the captain, Amy's sanitized eye sparked painfully. Strangely, it was somehow numb for her as her target was sent crashing into the stairs, thoroughly destroying them once it was all said and done. She only wished that Crystal was here, their fusion's power being the only thing strong enough to fully deliver the vengeance Mario deserved.
Eleven was still on the ground, unable to see. The cuts along his face were deep, one along his eyelid. Eight went over to help him, and luckily, the damage was minimal. If the slash to his eye was deeper, it would've blinded him.
Mario, on the other hand, was slumped over by his brother's body. Now the tears were flowing. Kirby trotted over to him and didn't wait to be spoken to, simply hugging him as tight as he could. The Passion emerged from his round, pink body and wrapped itself around the red plumber, giving all the comfort he might ever need. It still wasn't enough to quell the grief that was flooding in.