Chapter 13: Red Hot Hostility

A chilly wind whistled through the cool, early morning air as the sun started to slowly peak through two jagged mountain peeks off in the distant horizon. Its kiss was more of a stinging bite rather than the gentle, relieving caress of a mid-summer's cool breeze. It rustled the leaves of the nearby forest trees, their swaying branches shaking in response, as if the trees themselves were shivering. It was dawn now, and as the sun made its slow ascent in the distant eastern horizon, the sky slowly changing from a dark palette of deep blues, purples and blacks, to a grayish white, with hints of orange, pink and red off in the distance, where the sun was just barely starting to illuminate the land.

Unlike the clear blue, comforting skies of the previous day, huge, ash-gray clouds filled the sky on this brisk morning, largely obscuring the view of the stars. They billowed like black smoke across the horizon, far off to the large mountain peeks the sun rested between, and gave off a foreboding, ominous feeling, as if the very sky itself was on fire. The clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, and gave little promise for the warm, bright, sunny serenity of the previous day.

A nasty storm was coming, and soon.

Making his way out of the dense forest maze that stretched for several miles from just outside of Rose Town, Geno felt a slight mist of rain start to fall as he pushed aside a tree branch. He was now in a large, open field that stretched for several hundred feet, leading into another large thicket of swamp land ahead of him. Geno had been there before, on his previous visit just ten years ago. The marsh was known to those around the area as, "Rose Way" and after leaving Gaz at the Rose Town inn, he had spent all night making his way through the forest maze to get here. He knew that to brave the forest maze at night was a fool's errand, but his situation was dire, and he had no time to lose.

Rain... He thought reflectively. I haven't felt rain in years. Such a simple, ordinary afterthought to the people of this world, but such a far off, almost unimaginable concept to my people.

Geno frowned at the thought of his home, and soon found his anger flaring up again. He stopped walking, dead in his tracks trying to regain his composure and took a few long, deep breaths. After a few moments, his anger subsided and he continued to make his way across the large field to the swamp lands. He could feel the rain start to pick up slightly, but did not pay any mind to getting wet.

This anger. He thought. I need to keep it at bay. Last time the Star Road was destroyed, I was able to keep a level head, but every time... Every time I even think about home, I go blind with rage. What's... happening to me?

Geno knew exactly what he needed to do. He knew, at this point, he may be the only thing that could stop Smithy's evil plans, and what he guessed was the ultimate domination of the entire universe, but he was starting to lose himself. If he lost himself, he would lose everything, and he was not about to let that happen. He would persevere through this emotional turmoil he was enduring, but at the same time, deep down, he feared what this red hot anger would do to him; what it was already doing to him.

I just need to stop thinking about it. He thought. Maybe if I just keep the Star Road off of my mind and focus on the task at hand, I can avoid the anger. Out of sight, out of mind.

Geno took another long, deep breath as he made his way down a small hill leading towards the entrance to the swamp land. As he entered, he spotted a worn, wooden sign with the words, "Rose Way" written in fading black ink. Before him, he could see a vast, green swamp, topped with lily pads and small island-like patches of land that spread atop the surface, as if floating delicately along the marshy waters. He spotted several creatures inhabiting the islands: Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Shy Guys, and many Cheep Cheep swimming below the water's surface. Several fat, green bullfrogs hopped from their lily pads, and insects of all kinds flew through the air, as if suspended above the murky waters.

Geno adjusted the long, blue hat on his head, and like a soldier preparing for battle, cocked his arm gun, containing his shooting star shot. The doll's wooden body had many advantages, and in this form, Geno could literally shoot bullets of stars from his fingers via an attachment to his arms. They were normally harmless projectiles to a child playing with the doll, but Geno found with a tiny boost of magic, the tiny star "bullets" could be deadly to a hostile foe.

"Time to get this show on the road," He declared aloud. "Just a few short jumps, and I'll be on my way."

Without a moment's hesitation, Geno hopped to the nearest patch of land to him. All of the spots of land above the water's surface were small, (barely a square foot) and a bit hard to see in the early dawn light, but he crossed quickly. After just a few short minutes, he was halfway across the swamp. The rain started to fall harder now, and Geno could feel the moisture start to soak through his long, blue cape, cap and his boots to his wooden skin. It was an odd feeling, as if the outside of his body was wet, but the inside was hot and dry. Possessing the doll's body never quite felt completely comfortable in the first place, like wearing an oversized suit that he could feel through. Walking on two legs again also proved difficult at first, but after a night wandering through the forest maze, he now jumped from each spot of land with ease.

As he continued to hop along through the swamp lands, another thought hit him as if out of nowhere. He wondered about Twink and the Star Rod. Both had fallen from a great distance, and Geno could only hope to the stars that they were both okay, and with a little luck, together. If Twink had survived the fall, Geno imagined that, by now, his friend would have already had chosen and possessed his own form. Geno had explained once to his friend how to possess another form, but never how to leave it. He hoped that if Twink had indeed chosen a new body, that the two would be able to find each other without much difficulty, but something in the back of his mind felt grim at the prospect of their reunion even becoming a reality.

Odds are, Twink is dead or severely hurt. He thought grimly. And the Star Rod lost. Regardless, I must prepare for the worst and find Mario. He may be the last sliver of hope in this universe. Even if the Star R... my home cannot be saved, perhaps, at the very least, less destruction will be had and Smithy can be stopped.

Geno's anger once again flared up at the thought of the wretched creature Smithy, and as he carelessly jumped to the next patch of land in front of him, he slipped on a large, slick stone at the top, and before he had time to react, found himself nose diving right into the murky water. Several nearby frogs hopped from their lily pads as he hit the water with a splash. The marshy water was slick and slimy to the touch, and Geno could smell the stench of seaweed as he tried to stand up. Fortunately, the water was very shallow, and as he got to his feet, the water's surface just barely managed to reach his waist.

"Well, so much for trying to stay somewhat dry," He said with a sigh as he picked large clumps of seaweed from his body, casually tossing them back into the water.

He could feel the cold, slimy water filling his boots, which were now sinking into the soft, muddy ground below the water's surface. As he continued to pick the seaweed off of himself, he suddenly heard a loud crash of thunder that made him jump, followed by a downpour of heavy rain. The rain quickly washed away the remnants of slime and seaweed from his body, and Geno shivered as the wind started to pick up.

By the bloody Star Spirits. He thought, feeling rather melancholy. I just can't catch a break.

Geno sloshed his way through the swamp, making his way back to the shore where he had come from, the rain falling harder by the minute. He heard several more loud crashes of thunder that sounded like they were directly above him, a few so loud that he nearly jumped right out of his boots. He had no choice but to seek shelter for a little while to ride the storm out. He couldn't help but feel that with his current luck, a bolt of lighting would strike him, or perhaps a nearby tree that would crush him, or he would quite simply be whisked away by the ever growing violent gusts of wind.

It feels like those storm clouds are right directly above my head. He thought despairingly. What a perfect metaphor.

As he reached the shoreline, he bolted back towards the forest as the relentless rain, wind and thunderstorms continued to ravage the land. As he ascended back up the hill towards the trees, he almost lost his footing again, his boots sloshing on the wet ground as he caught himself. He sighed with relief as he entered the forest maze again, the tall, thick canopy of trees acting almost like a giant roof that sheltered the forest from the storm. Unfortunately, they largely obscured the entire sky, and as Geno looked up through the trees, he could only see a few small openings in them that let in very little light. It was almost pitch dark in the forest, and he could barely see further than a few feet in front of him.

"Well, looks like I'm stuck here for a while." He said aloud, sighing. "Might as well attempt to dry off."

Walking over to a large tree a few feet away, Geno took off his hat, wringing out the water and hung it from a low branch. His curly, orange hair dripped with water, and he gave his head a quick shake, droplets flying in all directions around him. Likewise, he unlatched the golden chain around his neck that held his matching blue cape together, and after wringing it out, hung it next to his hat. Tiny drops of water dripped onto the soft ground below, and as Geno sat down against the tree, he took his boots off, emptying the large puddles of water that had accumulated inside of them. He placed them off to the side to dry out and leaned back against the large, thick tree trunk.

The forest was quiet, apart from the sound of rain pelting the leaves of the trees high above him, their branches swishing in the wind. He gazed towards the sky above him, frowning at the dark, cloudy sky that obscured the view of the stars. Geno couldn't help but to feel a deep sadness hit him. He wondered if he'd ever see his home again, if all was truly lost. He had never had a real family, his own parents disappearing shortly after he was born. He had spent most of his time with the Star Spirits, learning everything that they were willing to teach him. How to grant wishes, the history of the Star Road and the Star People who had come before him, duty, honor, it was all embedded into him. The Star Road was his life, his reason for living. He always felt an inborn need to protect and serve it, at any cost.

If the Star Road was gone, what purpose did he serve now?

Ten years ago had been different. The Star Road had been broken, but Geno knew, deep down, that it would be fixed. The people had fled, but were safe. He had seen, with his own eyes, the pieces of the Star Road fall to the Mushroom Kingdom. He had seen the kindness and the selflessness of his companions, his friends, Mario, Mallow, Princess Toadstool, and at times, even Bowser give everything they had to help him on his quest, he drove them, and in turn, they drove him forward. He had learned so much about himself and had grown so much on his journey, and had since never taken anything for granted again.

It's been obliterated now. He thought sadly. I saw it destroyed with my own eyes. Not a piece of it spared from the wrath of Smithy. The Star Rod was the only last shimmer of hope left, and now it's gone too. The only thing that can be done now is to warn Mario.

He knew, when Smithy screamed for revenge as he destroyed the Star Temple, that the Mushroom Kingdom would be next. Even if all hope was lost for the Star Road, even if no wish was ever granted again, Geno couldn't allow Smithy to take over, or even worse, destroy this world. He owed Mario a debt for his help, and although he may never see his home again, he couldn't let the Mushroom Kingdom, and all of the beautiful, surrounding lands fall to the same fate as the Star Road.

Another loud crash of thunder suddenly erupted, followed by a crack of lightning that, for a second, lit up the entire forest. As if in response, his anger suddenly flared up again. It was starting to become almost uncontrollable now, and once again Geno calmly took a few long, deep breaths. His blind rage was starting to scare him, and he worried that while trying to protect this world and helping Mario was his main priority, that underneath, deep down in the pit of his stomach, that what burned inside him was not the fires of duty, honor and loyalty, but an even hotter, more intense desire, one that he knew, if left unchecked, would ultimately burn him.

Revenge.

He hated Smithy. He would destroy him, he would obliterate every single wretched creature in his army, and he would taste the deadly sweet flavor of vindication. Anger, hate, revenge, it drove him mad with ecstasy. Smithy would die by his hand, and the thought filled him with pure elation. He wanted, and had never wanted anything more in his entire life than to end Smithy's. He started to breath heavily, and could feel sweat starting to drip down his face. A wave of anxiety hit him, and he fell to the ground, gasping for air as if for dear life. Inside the doll's body, his star form, his true body burned hotter than it ever had before. He fought to control himself, to control the doll whose form he possessed. He was absolutely mad with rage, and it both terrified and thrilled him equally. His ears rang, the sound growing louder and louder as he felt his body burning hotter and hotter.

After a few minutes, Geno got to his knees, gasping for air, the sweat now pouring down his face. Slowly, the feeling started to dissipate, and he leaned back against the tree. He stared blankly up at the sky as he tried once again to compose himself.

"Wh... what..." He gasped between breaths. "What is... happening to me?!"

He sat for a long time, just staring up into the heavens as the storm slowly started to relent. The rain started to calm, turning from a harsh downpour to a light sprinkling, and the wind into a soft, cool morning breeze. The clouds also started to dissipate slightly, the sun just barely starting to peak through the leaves of the thick trees. By the time he finally stood up, Geno didn't know how long he had been sitting there.

Without a word, he grabbed his blue hat and cape, and put them on. He was pleased to find that they were now only slightly damp, although his boots were still quite wet. A few feet away, underneath the open canopy of tree branches, he spotted a small puddle of water that had accumulated and he walked towards it. As he slowly approached, he gazed upon his own reflection, just barely visible in the glowing, morning sunlight. He saw the doll's wooden mouth, nose, ears, and those deep, crimson eyes. He stared for a while, as if seeing his face for the first time.

"Who are you?" He whispered softly.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crash that made him jump. He looked up into the sky, expecting to see lightning, but gasped as he saw a large object flying through the air. It made another loud crashing sound that he quickly recognized as the sound of a motor. It was a huge airship made of steel and bricks. Two long, steel chains hung from its sides, with large, guillotine-like blades hanging from them, the ship itself having an almost castle esque appearance. It flew through the air at a quickened pace, and Geno could see at its head an enormous blade with one large eye looking forward. As he gazed upon the giant airship, he knew, almost instantaneously what it was.

"Blade!" He exclaimed.

"Nya Ha Ha!" A voice snickered from behind. "Watch out for the Blade you must. For deeply it cuts!"

Geno quickly spun around at the sound of the voice, and immediately cocked his shooting star shot as he gazed upon its source. A tall creature stood before him. Its body was thin, striped in yellow and pink, and was shaped like a giant bow. A long string attached to its head ran down to its long tail. Long, spikey red hair topped its head, and it had large, crazy eyes that gazed in different directions, as if trying to run away from each other. It threw its head back as it laughed, revealing long, razor sharp teeth. Geno knew this creature all to well, and had fought him before. This was Bowyer, one of Smithy's many lackeys. Geno felt his rage once again start to build, but he took a deep breath.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He demanded angrily. "Didn't you learn once before what happens when you mess with the Star Road?!"

Bowyer threw his head back, laughing again in response.

"The blue doll likes to talk, remember this, I do." Bowyer replied. "Remember do I also that he's not just a doll. He had friends too, the mustachioed one, and the cloud with a face."

Bowyer took a step forward, and grinned a wide, toothy grin.

"Beat me they did, oh, the pain that I felt." Bowyer said. "Outnumbered I was, but not today."

Bowyer stepped to the side, and behind him, Geno could see a large group of arrow-shaped creatures. They had translucent skin, red eyes, and razor sharp teeth. They all laughed in unison in response to Bowyer. The laughter was a piercing, mechanical sound that made Geno cringe. He took a step back as Bowyer gestured towards him.

"Master Smithy has plans, spoil them you must not," He said darkly. "Follow you, we did on your way to this world. Defeated once were we, but no longer. Master Smithy grows more powerful by day, and own this world he soon will."

Geno felt his anger flaring up again at Bowyer's words, and took a step forward. He could feel his body, the star body, burning intensely as the rage started to once again take hold. He flashed his cape, and pointed his right arm at Bowyer.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He exclaimed. "You think you can destroy the Star Road a second time and get away with it? I won't let you, and I swear to the Star Spirits I will destroy Smithy, and every one of his damned minions who stand in my way, starting with YOU!"

Geno's mouth went dry then, his breathing heavy. He could feel sweat starting to pour down his face as he took aim at Bowyer. A faint ringing started to fill his ears as he glared at the creature. As if personally insulted, Bowyer's cocky laughter soon turned into anger.

"Three against one, last time it was!" He exclaimed angrily. "Now one against many, it is! Prepare for your doom! ATTACK!"

Geno immediately fired his shooting star shot. Out of both hands, two tiny, white hot stars shot out of the chambers in his arms at blinding speed. One arrow jumped in front of Bowyer, taking the shots and falling instantly to its death. Geno quickly turned and ran the other direction as the arrows all started after him at once. He ducked behind the trunk of the tree he had been resting on earlier, and once again started firing. The arrows shot towards him, but he took them out one by one. In the heat of the fighting, Geno felt his rage continue to build.

I hate them. They must die for what they did! He thought. They'll PAY! THEY'LL ALL PAY!

Suddenly, Geno jumped out from behind the tree, now in a blind rage. He charged down the arrows that were now flying towards him, firing his shooting star shot madly at them, taking down one after the other. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, a small part of him was begging, pleading himself to calm down, to not be so reckless, to not give in to the hatred, but it was quickly stifled by madness. One of the arrow creatures dodged one of his shots, flying through the air directly towards his torso. Geno quickly jumped then, twirling in the air, and shot two more white hot star shots back at it. They hit home, and the creature screeched in agony as it died.

Bowyer quickly grabbed a bunch of the arrow creatures, and one after the other, used his bow-like body to shoot them straight for Geno, who dodged almost lightning fast. His inner star was burning so hot, he was surprised that the doll's body had not caught fire. He had no idea how many of them there were, twenty, fifty, one-hundred, one-thousand, it didn't matter. He would kill them all, he would make them pay, and he would revel in their agony.

"GENO BEAM!" He roared.

Geno charged up a huge burst of magic inside of his star body, still shooting star shots at the creatures with his left hand. After a few seconds, he had stored up enough energy and screamed as he shot out a huge, intense blast of magic from his right arm. It glowed a hot blue color that was incredibly bright in the center. The incredible stream of magic blasted through a large group of the arrow creatures, completely incinerating them instantaneously. Geno didn't relent then, continuing to charge down the arrow creatures. He shot at them with his shooting star shot, and when they were close enough in range, he attacked them with kicks and punches, in turn dodging their attacks.

"Nya!" Bowyer exclaimed. "Tougher, that doll has become! But now it ends! STATIC E!"

Bowyer waved his hands, and suddenly a huge, electromagnetic pulse shot through Geno. He shouted, but did not feel pain. It knocked him backwards, but he managed to stay on his feet. Bowyer laughed as Geno quickly regained his footing, shooting two more of the arrow creatures down.

"Nya ha ha!" Bowyer taunted. "Shocking, isn't it?"

Bowyer quickly executed the attack again, and Geno fell to his knees. His rage only worsened then, and he screamed in pure anger. He would kill him for this, he would make him pay, pay for everything. Another shock hit him, and Geno once again screamed. He did not scream in pain, he could not feel pain. He could only feel anger. Anger that he was not killing, anger that he couldn't, at that moment, destroy Bowyer where he stood.

Geno knelt down then, trying to catch his breath as the arrow creatures all gathered around him, forming a circle. The ringing in his ears was overwhelming now, and he could barely hear the sound of Bowyer's insolent laughter as he entered the circle. With one large, gloved hand, he grabbed Geno by the neck, lifting him off of the ground, and he started to squeeze. The arrow creatures proceeded to hop up and down, laughing that shrieking, mechanical laugh of theirs as Bowyer lifted Geno up, meeting him face to face. Bowyer then smiled a wide, toothy smiled as he tightened his grip on Geno's throat.

"Ah, yes this day at last has come!" Bowyer exclaimed gleefully. "Defeated me once, you did. Nya! Now, little blue doll, your time... come it has! Any last words?"

Geno glared into Bowyer's eyes as he held him there. He was on fire with rage, the star inside of him burned hotter than it ever had before. He would not die, he would never die, not until Smithy was destroyed. This creature had tried once, and was now trying again to destroy his home, the people he loved, the dreams of the universe. He hated him, he would destroy him. The arrows were now all jumped up in down in pure bliss, laughing but Geno did not hear them. He burned hotter and hotter. He felt the power of the stars flow through him, he felt the rage erupting within him.

"GENO BLAST!" He boomed.

Suddenly, a huge blast of magic thundered down from the heavens, striking down upon the creatures. They screamed a horrified, mechanical screech as they died, many being completely obliterated upon impact. The magic beams, like an aurora, were all colors of the rainbow, and struck at blinding speed down on them. Geno laughed insanely as he watched them scream in agony as they died. One large beam struck Bowyer right through his arms, severing them off in an instant. Geno hit the hard, dirt ground as the beams of magic quickly dissipated, but quickly got to his feet.

About a minute later, all was silence, aside from Bowyer's screams of agony. As Geno slowly approached him, he could see that the Geno Blast attack not only severed the creature's arms off, but had torn right through its stomach. Geno felt his anger slowly starting to dissipate, his inner star finally cooling down. He wiped his brow with a wooden hand, and found that it was soaked in sweat.

"M... ma... mercy!" Bowyer cried, sobbing. "P... please... m... mercy!"

Geno looked up into the sky. The clouds had finally started to dissipate, the early morning sun now peaking through the trees. He looked around, and gasped at the sight before him. The bodies of the arrow creatures littered the ground twisted, charred and contorted. By Geno's guess, there had to be hundreds of them.

"What... did I... do?" Geno said softly, horrified.

"Pl... please...!" Bowyer gasped again suddenly, choking up blood. "M.. mercy!"

Geno hesitated for a moment and then, reluctantly, placed his hand on Bowyer's head as he charged up his Geno Beam. Bowyer nodded to him with an almost grateful expression as he fired, killing the creature instantly. Geno sighed as he once again looked at the devastation around him. Geno had used his Geno Blast attack before, many times on his adventure with Mario, but never had the attack been so intense, so powerful. He walked over to the tree he had been resting on earlier, and saw that it had been split right down the middle from his attack. Several other trees had fallen, and even a large rock looked like it had exploded into bits.

What have I done? He thought.

Geno turned to leave, when suddenly he tripped and fell flat on his face. As he got back to his feet, brushing himself off, he looked down at the object he had tripped on. Curious, he picked it up and examined it more closely. It was a small, red orb that glowed brightly in the sunlight. It felt warm to the touch, and Geno couldn't help but feel a certain sense of familiarity about the object.

"Curious," He said. "Did Bowyer have this?"

Geno took one last look at the devastation that had been done by his hand and turned to exit the forest. As he started to walk away, he once again spotted his reflection in the small puddle. He paused, for just a few seconds to look at his face again. He had a few small spots of black soot on his face, but otherwise had sustained very little damage during the battle. As he once again gazed into those deep, crimson eyes, he shook his head and proceeded to exit the forest.