Hello. I'm back for the next chapter of Mario's adventure in Hell Kingdom. Alastor is preparing Mario for the meeting with the Overlords. Let's see what's going to happen.
Mario in Hell Kingdom
Chapter 8: The Radio Demon's 1st Trial
At the top of the radio tower, Alastor was busy looking at his video screens, many sinners doing their everyday job of killing and drinking to death. He never gets tired of watching so many victims fall into death and despair.
One of the screens started to vibrate, and a specific Overlord showed up on the screen. His name is Zestial, a lanky spider-like form with dark gray skin and lime-green eyes. He wears all-black clothing, with a pitch-black cloak that covers most of his body. At the front of his cloak is a large black spider with lime green stripes on its eight legs, as well as lime-green eyes and lime-green on its back. The interior of his cloak is lime-green with a spider web pattern and four red spider legs extending across the cloak. He also wears a distinctive big black top hat with a light gray patch at the front, along with a gray skull and a lime green-and-maroon-striped feather on the right side.
"Greetings O' Alastor, did I come at the right time to make you suffer?" Zestial pleaded. Even though it sounded threatening, Alastor knew him.
"Not at all, Zestial. I'm just looking at several sinners being lazy as usual." Alastor replied. "So what brings you here in my radio tower?"
"An important meeting is happening in our facility. The 'Arms Dealer' wants to discuss with all the Overlords about the plans for the next Extermination Day and how to manufacture newly specific weapons." Zestial informed. "I hope you'll be there ASAP, right?"
Alastor then started to think about it. If the 'Arms Dealer' wants to conduct new weapons for the next Extermination Day, then perhaps it's time to bring the important guest into this meeting. But first, he would need to train him if he were to survive the more dangerous circumstances. After all, Alastor still hasn't shared his allegiance with the heroic plumber yet. So he faced back at the monitor to speak his answer.
"I'll be there as always, Zestial. Before you go, though, I have an important guest who might be suitable for this meeting, and perhaps he can help with making those new weapons." Alastor commented.
"Oh? Is it someone you know of your slaves, or is it the Princess of Hell?" Zestial wondered.
"Oh nonono, it's not her, actually. Let's just say he comes from another world and was sent here by accident. I'll tell you more once I juiced him up for the big leagues and bring him along. Sounds okay to you?" Alastor bargained.
"Hmm, very well. Make sure he knows what he's about to learn, for his sake. I'll see you at our rendezvous." Zestial finished, and the monitor changed the channel to its previous screen.
Alastor got up from his seat and took a quick gander at the Hazbin Hotel's windows. He saw Mario waking up and getting ready for the day.
"Well then, Mario, the time has come for you to prove your worthiness on us, the Overlords." he perked as he teleported away.
Inside the Hazbin Hotel's room compartment was our beloved hero Mario, who got done taking a clean shower and putted on some fancy clothes. After Charlie agreed to have Mario help with the commercial, Mario, Vaggie, and herself went to a nearby clothing and supply store to buy the necessary equipment needed for this. If making a commercial made him and his brother a good start, then Charlie's commercial could at least get a head start as well.
Mario came out of his room and made his way downstairs to the foyer. Everyone was setting up everything for Charlie's commercial. Husk was organizing some liquor for his role as the bartender, Niffty cleaned and swept the floors and walls including bug infested cocoons, Angel was reading a script of his lines, Vaggie was inspecting the props if they were organized correctly, and Charlie watched with glee it's gonna happen.
When Mario made his presence, Charlie noticed him and greeted him.
"Good morning, Mario." Charlie called.
"Mornin' your highness." Mario replied back.
"Please, just call me Charlie." she assured.
Mario looked at everything the other staff were setting. "So what's the occasion?"
"Well, to start things off, I want to create a scene where a sinner comes into the Hotel, looking for help." Charlie elaborated. "Everyone here has their role: Husk as the helpful bartender, Niffty as the housemaid who helps the client with their clothing, Angel as the client who needs to rehabilitate, and of course there's me as the owner who welcomes the guest."
"So what will be my part? And what about Vaggie and Alastor?" Mario conjectured.
"You will be the bellhop, as in the assistant who'll help the client's personal luggage and make them feel right at home. I couldn't find any bellhop clothing at the clothing store, but with the hat and a suit, it'll work out. Vaggie and Alastor will be recording everything as it plays." Charlie clarified.
Then Mario looked everywhere, noticing that Alastor wasn't seen anywhere.
"Hey, where's Alastor? Shouldn't he be here at least helping out with the playset?" asked Mario.
Right on cue, a flash appeared next to Mario and pretty much, the tall radio demon appeared, in which Mario got surprised a little.
"Did somebody call me?" Alastor asked.
"Oh, good morning, Alastor. Mario and I were just talking about how the commercial will play and asking where you were." Charlie answered.
"It's nothing, just doing personal duties at my radio tower." said Alastor, smiling. Then he looked at Mario and remembered something. "Say your highness, mind if I borrow our dear fellow with me? I need to talk to him about a specific petition."
"Right now? But we're about to begin doing the commercial." Charlie chirped.
"Have the staff take their time to start memorizing their lines by the time we come back." Alastor complied. "After all, Mario here only has to say a few lines as a bellhop, right?"
Charlie had second thoughts, but he was right. Only the hotel's staff have important lines while Mario just has to comply with the demand in a simple way.
"Okay you can have him. Just make sure it's nothing dangerous and don't try to make a deal out of him, okay?" Charlie bidded, the last part sounding a little serious.
"Not to worry, I'll make sure he'll be top notch by the time we get back." Alastor replied. He touched Mario's shoulder and both teleported out of here.
Vaggie came up to Charlie to see what was happening. "Hey where did Mario go?"
"Alastor said he had some classified charges with him. Don't worry, I already told him to make no mistake in putting him in danger or deals." Charlie responded.
"Okay then, so can you come help me in setting up the cameras and lights, please?" she seeked.
"Sure, anything for my girlfriend." Charlie gushed. The girls went over the sets and started to place them up.
Outside, at a far away site from the Hazbin Hotel were Alastor and Mario, who appeared in a flash by the radio demon's teleportation. The site was an abandoned factory with broken drain pipes and old cabins used to manage oil productions. Mario wondered why they were here.
"So why did you bring me here out in a dank factory place?" Mario questioned.
Alastor turned his body and looked at him with his smile. "Remember when I introduced myself to you the first time you came?"
"Uhh yeah, your name is Alastor, one of the Overlords of Pentagram City and the facility manager of the hotel. Yes?" Mario responded.
Alastor was impressed by his memory. "Correct my fellow meatface. Now I want you to repeat the first important word and tell me what you think it means?"
So Mario started to think again. "Well, an Overlord is someone who is in charge of important business and perhaps a ruler of a specific venue."
"My my, you do know your social standards." said Alastor, very opportune and continued. "You are right, I am an Overlord who ranks above regular sinner demons and places fifth in terms of power in Hell's hierarchy. We rule over certain parts of Hell, each commanding a domain of influence to which sinner demons submit. Their estate varies from minor to major, as does their reputation, with some being so infamous that lesser beings have been seen cowering at the mere sight of a prominent Overlord in the street. Even demons who have more power and strength than said Overlord, like Charlie, are fearful. Power struggles between Overlords give rise to both alliances and rivalries. We gain and increase their power by owning souls. A small group of overlords can collectively own millions of the souls that reside in Hell and exploit them to increase their own power and influence. Ownership can be direct, such as by having a victim sign away their soul through a contract or by striking a soul-binding deal."
Mario was very bombshelled with what the radio demon was sharing with him. An Overlord ruling certain parts of Hell, commanding sinner demons to do their bidding, and gaining absolute power by owning souls? What else does this kingdom have to offer?
"Wow, this is a lot to take. I can see why you told me I have to follow this kingdom's conditions." said Mario, feeling intrigued. "So, what does this have to do with me?"
"I'm glad you asked. You see, here in Hell, there are loads of sinners who purposely want to kill everything in their sight. When I listened to Angel and Cherri's chronicle of them and you annihilating the centurion demon and his goons, I never thought you would be capable of defeating a pack of sinners so easily. So then I thought, if you are gonna be here helping Charlie and making sure Hell doesn't suffer any cruel fate, then it's best for you to know more of the dangers that might come when the time happens."
Then Alastor turned around, looking at the red sky. "When I became an Overlord, I always had my intuition of not showing any mercy to sinners. Normally, they'll beg me to grant them some wish to be alive, but in the end, they just used me only for a lousy grudge against someone in their life. Because you are in Hell, you are expected to make dire decisions even if it hurts the victim's feelings. That is why I'm not always nice with everyone." Then he turned back again at Mario. "And now, the time has come for you to prove your worth to not only me but to the rest of the Overlords."
Mario started to think about everything Alastor had shared and then bore something in mind. "Wait, there are other Overlords as well?"
"That's right. I got a call from one of them saying that an important meeting is happening in our facility. They want to discuss with all the Overlords about a specific plan of actions that can enhance the whereabouts of Hell's population. I already told them if I could bring you to this meeting. They accepted my requisition, but first, I need to train you in tougher conditions related to Hell. Are you ready to show me your strength and agility with your great maneuvers?" Alastor enjoined him.
This was a moment Mario was curious about. The time where he shows an Overlord his brand skills and accepts his allegiance with him has begun. There was no turning back. If Mario wants to help Charlie and anyone who supports her, he'll have to put up his dukes to pass this test.
Mario made his response. "Okay Alastor, I'm ready to take the examination."
"A fine choice for a human soul. Then, prepare yourself for three mind-bending trials that'll shake your body and rattle your bones!" he howled with anticipation when turning into a full demon.
Back at Pentagram City, a portal of the same color Mario came down earlier had opened. In the sky came down Cappy. Even though he could gently float, the force of the portal only made him fall down. Once he landed, he looked around and saw the new structures and lights in front of him. However, he got confused as to where he was.
"Wow, this place feels bizarre. Did Celeste say she'll send me to the building Mario was a moment ago?" Then he turned around and saw the Hazbin Hotel building from the portal. "Oh, guess I need to look at my surroundings, hehehehehe…" he appalled.
Cappy started to fly to the building and see if Mario was inside, hoping he was fine.
Mario had faced many trials that involved platforming, quiz shows, and daredevil missions that could kill him in one-hit. Here in Hell, it was a totally different scenario. The radio demon has created an obstacle course full of jagged logs underground, teetering platforms, a zipline with flying bats, three sets of stairs with swinging maces, and finally, two wooden bridges with angler demons in the water below.
Alastor started to explain the instructions to Mario in demon form. "Greetings human flesh, and welcome to the first trial of the Overlord! Which is me." he introduced. "In this trial, you must make your way through this deadly obstacle course without any items at your disposal. You'll get three chances to make it all the way here. If you make it all the way here, then you will pass this trial. HOWEVER…if you get all three missed chances, then your soul will be MINE!"
"Wait, hold on. Didn't Charlie tell you not to make things lethal and you can't have my soul?" Mario reminded him.
"Yes, but this is an Overlord trial, not a princess's request." he retaliated. "NOW, let's get started, if you dare!" Alastor smiled viciously.
A loud pop was heard, and Mario began the first trial. The floor started to rumble and the jagged logs sprung up at a specific pattern. Mario took the time to take note of the logs until he got the pattern. Once he did, he quickly maneuvered them and successfully made it.
The next set was the teetering platforms. They moved widely as if it were to tumble down pretty soon. Mario did his best to move at an aligned spot toward the next one. Everything went great until Mario jumped on one and suddenly, it crumbled completely, leaving Mario to fall to the pit until Alastor picked him up with a glowing chain and brought him back up. Mario looked at him annoyed.
"Hey what gives. I thought this was supposed to be a fair obstacle course!?" he shouted.
"Fair, FAIR!? You think everything in Hell needs to be fair! A living being must understand the importance of survival! And now that you mention it, I seem to have forgotten to tell you by 'accident'." Alastor thought. During the obstacle course, you need to look carefully at any faulty objects that'll cause you to fall. For the teetering platforms, there are small cracks that are hard to see. That is why you fell, which makes you lose a try. Sorry, rules are rules. So, keep going, my fellow meatface!" He smirked and teleported back to the finish.
Mario gruffed his excuse, but he needed to do this. For the second time he managed to steer correctly toward the ones that didn't break apart. He made it through the second section and the next one was the zipline.
As Mario climbed up the steps, he took a gander at the zipline. On the other side were several flying bats. So Mario jumped up to the handlebars and began the ride. The bats saw him and started to swarm him in falling down. Some of them tried to peck his fingers, but his gloves helped him not to feel the pain. Mario was almost gonna make it when suddenly, the rope snapped and caused Mario to fall again.
Alastor came quickly and picked him up back to the start of the zipline. Mario was about to get serious, but he had to remember Vaggie's words and Alastor's description of an Overlord.
"Are you gonna complain Mr. Mario?" Alastor smiled as usual.
"No, I see what you're trying to do." he said, a little annoyed.
"Good answer. And by the way, you only have ONE LAST CHANCE. Use it wisely, mortal!" Then he teleported.
Nevertheless, Mario had to get on with the program. So he jumped up the zipline and ignored the threats of the bats. When the rope snapped again, he quickly jumped away toward the platform, barely hanging on for his dear life. He quickly climbed up and successfully passed the third section.
Onto the fourth stage were the sets of stairs with swinging maces. Now this proved to be fairly easy for Mario. The first mace swung very slowly, so he passed it. The second mace was swinging a little fast, but Mario maneuvered it. The third and final mace swung left and right quickly. However, Mario had a likely suspicion Alastor might pull his leg again, but he needed to concentrate on the big picture. He started counting on his head on the movement of the mace. By the time he found out the pattern, he made it barely as the mace almost caught him. Mario passed the fourth section and kept going.
Now it was time for the fifth and final stage, two wooden bridges with angler demons. The large aquatic beasts lurk inside the water, waiting for Mario to step through the wooden bridge. Mario proceeded to walk until he saw the angler demons dive underwater very fast. He waited for the right moment until he saw their heads and antenna up a little and went back down. It seemed Mario had to make it across really fast to prevent getting chomped. So he closed his eyes, said his famous catchphrase, and zoomed right through. The angler demon heard his steps and sprang out of the water and chomped the wooden bridge. It missed and that gave Mario the advantage to the next wooden bridge. When he passed it, the angler demon didn't jump out. Mario thought to himself if this was another of Alastor's tricks? He needed to be aware of his surroundings.
He finally reached the end of the obstacle course. Alastor appeared in front of him to congratulate on passing the first trial. Or did he?
"Ahh, you seem to have taken your time making it here." He replied. Despite rescuing him from the pits. "How did it go?"
"Well, the fact you decided to play games with me and didn't warn me about the other conditions, It wasn't that bad." Mario concluded.
"Wasn't that bad, you say, ey? Did you really think you passed this trial already?" Alastor questioned him sneakily.
"Ehh, what do you…" before Mario would notice, the angler demon that didn't sprung up from the waters now showed itself and chomped the heroic plumber completely. The angler demon smiled victoriously while Alastor just stood there with the same expression.
"Well, would you look at that? You thought the angler demon had forgotten about you? You were foolish to underestimate the large beast. And since this was your last try, your soul is mi-..."
A sudden gurgle was heard from the angler demon. The huge beast's stomach was feeling so much pain it couldn't take it anymore. The angler demon let out a roar of agony and fell face-flat to the floor, the mouth started to open, and there was Mario, who was not harmed and was hanging on the angler's uvula. Seems like he knew of a getaway plan inside the belly of the beast. He just needed to punch it several times in order to get out. And it worked.
Mario came out from the mouth and swayed the saliva of the angler and stood next to the radio demon, crossing his arms and glared at him.
"I don't suppose you planned this, to begin with." said Mario.
Alastor kept his smile, but he had to reveal his plan. "You are correct. I suppose any innocent victims would easily fall for my act of loyalty, but you, on the other hand, were exceptional. You didn't mess up on my trump card. But alas, we still have two more trials to work on. And I promise you, it'll be a blast!" he declared. "But first, get some rest. You really need it."
Alastor summoned a chair, spaghetti, and soda for Mario to restore his strength.
"Thanks, I really need it." Mario started to dig down on the food. Alastor was looking at him as if he was inspecting him.
'This kid has amazing skills when it comes to dangerous stunts I created. The last time someone else tried to do it only failed miserably, which was very entertaining. I guess I can give him some unique items he may find useful if the other Overlords examine him or apprehend them. But for now, we must continue with the next trial.' he thought in his mind.
There we go. We've reached the end of this chapter. Oh boy, this is the first chapter I managed to type over TEN pages! Originally I wanted to do all the trial scenes in one, but it would be too much. So I decided to separate it into three separate chapters.
Here are the highlights of today:
Guest: Mario could share his abilities with them in preparation for Adam's extermination, preferably his metal invulnerability.
Mario64: I really can't wait for Mario to meet the overloads. I wonder what would they think of him.
SAMURAI-77: It will be cool for Mario to introduce himself to every demon and I have been thinking can the Hazbin crew, I.M.P., the Overlords, and Lucifer and Lilith stop Bowsers plan?
Seth Eaton the Autobot: I wonder how Zestial and Carmilla will react to Mario.
Thank you all for reading this, and stay tuned. Leave your reviews for any open ideas for this fiction!