When I asked a while back about posting a fan fiction story I'd written, it was suggested that I post it here. This is a rewrite of a fan fic I wrote back in '09 and I'll post the first chapter here to see if anyone might actually be interested in reading it. All I'll say here is that this is a story about an original character of my own design involving Mushroom World. For those of you that might not know that's where most of the Mario Brothers games take place.
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The Dark Lands: Trail By Fire
Chapter 1
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At six-feet even Alexander's height was nothing to be impressed by, nor was his build which was solid but otherwise unremarkable. What drew so many looks was the head full of solid white hair. Only twenty-six years old many people would whisper and some even chanced to ask what he'd done to it. The answer was always the same, Alexander would tell people he was born this way. He even found it amusing how so many people overlooked his eyebrows which were white as well, it was even like that in a region much lower though he didn't make it a point of showing that off. The questions and occasional stares didn't bother Alexander as most people were polite, the others were just ignored. This was an aspect of his appearance that drew most of the attention away from the blue jeans and the simple black t-shirt the young man wore.
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and foot traffic in the mall was thick. Throngs of people moved about to and fro as the gentle murmur of indistinct conversations floated across the air. There were numerous signs with bright colors and large words trying to draw people in and part them from their money, but all were ignored as Alexander looked down at his new cell phone. Walking through the mall he programmed several numbers into it from memory, the last cell phone had met its demise as the hands of the toilet it was dropped into. Every so often Alexander would glance up to make sure he wasn't about to mow down any innocent passers-by and eventually exited through the main door into the parking lot.
Large crowds of people were never something he'd cared for but that particular electronics store in the mall had the best prices in town so it was briefly endured. Outside there were vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions and here Alexander gave his full attention to crossing the road. More than once in the past he'd almost been run down for not paying attention, so close was one of them that he was struck by a side view mirror. The sun beat down from a cloudless with such intensity that it heated the newly paved lot to the point of giving off an offensive chemical smell. On the way to his vehicle Alexander watched a small group of girls walk by lead by an older woman. They were attractive to look at but the first thought that came to mind was jail bait. Not a single one of them appeared to be over eighteen.
Near the middle of one aisle Alexander used his key chain to unlock the doors of an old but well aged blue sedan. The beige interior did nothing to make the vehicle stand out among others. Aside from the occasional missing knob or broken vent the Sedan was in good condition and with a single turn of the key it purred to life. As he backed out into the parking lot the cell phone made a simple ringing noise, it's default tone, only to be ignored. Texting or talking on the phone was something that Alexander refused to do while driving. The call was likely from his best and only friend Trevor. Already about ten minutes late he had promised to drop by today to hang out and shoot the breeze for a while.
Trevor would no doubt try to talk him into playing a video game, the recently purchased PlayStation 4 was something that was still talked about at length. Alexander on the other hand didn't even own a television which was rather ironic as he'd spent the last eight years working as a field technician for a cable company. Idiot boxes were a more accurate description in his mind, electronic screens that did nothing but waste a person's time with programming that wasn't even mildly interesting. Alexander often preferred to lose himself in a good book be it history, fiction, drama, or any other of a number of enjoyable genres. For a moment he mused over that thinking of how books had taught him more about life and the world than school ever did.
The drive to his friends apartment was uneventful and some twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of a white two story apartment complex set with dozens of windows. The pavement was cracked with weeds growing up through them in some places and a fresh coat of paint would help, but all in all Alexander had seen worse. Bringing the car to a stop in one of the assigned visitor spaces he shut the engine off and stepped out, locking the doors with the key chain. Trevor lived on the first floor near the front, walking up the path he knocked on door 4D. In short order a rather gangly looking young with a head full of brown hair answered the door. Four inches taller than Alexander he was also about twenty-five pounds lighter. With dull blue eyes and a large nose set top a slender mouth he could easy put someone to mind of a scarecrow. The black tank top and tacky orange shorts didn't help either, often leading Alexander to wonder if his friend was color blind.
“Wondered when you were gonna show up bro,” Trevor said. The two exchanged a fist bump as he walked in seeing his friend's apartment surprisingly clean. There was only a small scattering of electronics and dishware in the modest size room. While Alexander was looking around a slender young woman with long red hair and a pleasant face walked out of the hall leading to the bedroom wearing only a pair of blue jean shorts and halter top. Though he'd only seen her twice before Alexander knew the young woman as Angela. She'd dated Trevor some time ago but it never went anywhere and they eventually broke up, or so he thought.
“Hey Alex, what's going on?” Angela said, waving with a smile.
“Same stuff different day,” Alexander said. He took a seat on the old brown leather sofa that was facing the apartment window to watch Trevor go through some frantic button pressing while playing some sort of shooting game on his wide screen plasma television. The noise alone was bothersome but Trevor seemed quite intent on killing everything in sight.
“I thought you broke up with Angie,” Alexander said.
“Oh we're not together if that's what you mean,” Trevor said. “Her ex-boyfriend kicked her out and with nowhere to go I let her shack up here for a while.”
“She helping with the bills?” Alexander said.
“Yeah, she pays her share of the rent,” Trevor said, then looked over with a wink. “Just not in cash if you know what I mean.”
To that Alexander just shook his head and continued watching the game for a time. The two had first met a decade ago when Alexander was only sixteen. Trevor, only nineteen at the time, had received a service call for a local fast food restaurant Alexander was working at that was having problems with their internet connection. He was dispatched for repairs which was how they first met. After striking up a conversation the two became fast friends. When Alexander turned eighteen it was Trevor that helped him get a driver's license and from there a job at the cable company. The two rode together while he was still in training and they'd remained friends ever since.
In truth Alexander never much cared for being a field technician but it payed the bills and was something he was good at. There was also not having a boss over his shoulder all day, so long as the orders were taken care of no one said anything. That was something else that troubled Alexander, as of late life in general seemed to lose its flair. Nothing caught his interest anymore, not activities, or friends, or dating. Trying to recapture some sort of interest he even tried a few extreme sports like rock climbing and bungee jumping, but nothing seemed to have that wow factor anymore. In truth Alexander was slipping deeper and deeper into a serious depression that he didn't know how to climb out of.
“Alphabet,” Trevor said.
“What?” Alexander said.
“You know, that twenty-six letter thing you use to form words,” Trevor said.
“You mean like bite me?” Alexander said. At this Trevor paused his game and set the controller down on the glass top coffee table in from of them.
“Dude, what's with you lately,” Trevor said. “You've been a total buzz-kill, you alright?” While Trevor may have been a hardcore gamer that often tuned out the rest of the world, he always seemed to take notice of anything going on with Alexander. This was something that, at times, proved to be rather annoying. While they were friends Alexander still chose to keep much of his personal life, personal. Sharing thoughts and feelings on a level like that was something he rarely did even with Trevor.
“I'm fine,” Alexander said.
“Yeah right, what's eating at you, spill,” Trevor said.
“B-I-T-E M-E,” Alexander said. When Trevor leaned over sinking his teeth into a shoulder Alexander about jumped over the back of the couch.
“Boy, I almost cashed in your dental plan,” Alexander said.
“Then start talking, or do I have to turn the game off and straight up badger you into submission,” Trevor said. At this Alexander gave him something of a dirty look. In the past Trevor had badgered to that point before and would make good on the threat. As annoying as he could be at times Alexander knew it was only because he cared.
“I'm bored with life,” Alexander said.
“Bored with life, what the hell is that suppose to mean?” Trevor said.
“Just what it sounds like, I'm bored with everything. Reading books, going places, doing things, nothing peaks my interest anymore,” Alexander said. There was a lot of truth to those words in that very little seemed to keep his interest anymore. Even things that had once been interesting no longer held any enjoyment. There was something missing in Alexander's life but he didn't know what it was, or where to go looking.
“You're not thinking about doing anything stupid are you?” Trevor said.
“Hardly, I'm just... bored. I wish I could find something fun to do,” Alexander said.
“Like Angie?” Trevor said. Not a moment after saying that she walked over slapping Trevor on the shoulder.
That actually drew a small snicker from Alexander, “Anyone ever tell you, you have the class of a cactus?”
“Repeatedly,” Angie said, walking into the kitchen. After some more thought Alexander wondered if coming over here was a bad idea as he wasn't in a very social mood. In fact all he really wanted to do was be left alone to brood. Normally when something was eating at him this badly deep contemplation would eventually uncover the source of such feelings. This was a problem that had slowly built up over several years and until now Alexander hadn't told anyone about it. The loss of interest in life, everything turning to shades of gray in his mind, how nothing held interest anymore. It was strange for Alexander because he always seemed to be able to self-regulate problems and deal with emotions, yet no matter how hard this problem was struggled with it just wouldn't go away.
“I know, why don't we go grab a couple of cold ones at Joe's Place,” Trevor said.
“Sure, why not,” Alexander said. The two walked out with Trevor telling Angie that they would be back in a little while. Neither man approached their vehicles due to the run down red brick building across the street with a sign that read 'Joe's Place' over the front door. To the sound of a hinge that needed to be oiled the two walked in. Far from a high class establishment Joe's was the type of place you went to get away from the world in general. The smell of old beer clung to the gray haze of smoke gently obscured details. The dim lighting and sedated atmosphere gave the entire place the look of some mobster hangout from a low budget B-movie. Behind the bar was Joe, built like a barrel in a plaid green shirt and dark slacks the older man merely looked at the two new arrivals and grunted before going back to cleaning glasses.
“Two Budweisers, hold the lite my good barkeep,” Trevor said, taking a seat at the bar. Joe took two long neck beers out of the cooler setting them down in front of the two. Once paid for Alexander twisted the top off of his beer and proceeded to drink the entire thing. It was at that point he let out a loud belch and held up a finger for Joe to bring another.
“Boy you are down in the dumps, I haven't seen you drink like this since your twenty first birthday,” Trevor said.
“Yeah well my head's pretty screwed up right now. Maybe if I get wasted I'll figure out a way to unscrew it,” Alexander said. Not normally the type to drink he did know that intoxication did lead to some rather unorthodox thinking patterns and was starting to wonder if that might help to solve this bothersome riddle. Instead of chugging the second beer it was sipped as Alexander looked around the bar. With the bottle to held up to both lips he stopped at the sight of a woman at a table not too far away. It wasn't her figure, the black three-piece woman's suit, or even the attractive facial feature that drew Alexander's attention. It was the complete lack of hair, the woman was as bald as they came. What's more is that she was staring at him. When their eyes met she smiled and waved and the gesture was returned with a raised eyebrow instead.
Not sure how to react to such a sight Alexander turned around to face the bar. There were only about twenty people in the establishment which would change as evening began to set in. Joe's Place did have its weekend regulars. Another thing that Alexander appreciated was Joe's zero tolerance for bar fights. While the portly older man may not have appeared intimidating, both had witnessed him handling troublemakers much larger in times past. When drinking like this Alexander and Trevor didn't talk much. They usually just sat back sipping beers and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
This time it was different, almost like a laser drilling through the back of his skull Alexander felt as if he were being watched. Twice he looked back to see the same woman staring at him, only now with her head propped on a hand. It was one thing to be watched, but another altogether to know you're being watched. After a few minutes it was starting to irritate Alexander considerably. Being rude wasn't in his nature unless extremely angry, so a different approach was taken. Sliding off the bar stool Alexander walked over to the table where the woman was and helped himself to a seat.
“Hi there,” Alexander said. “Name's Alexander, couldn't help feeling the back of my head burst into flames.”
The woman chuckled lightly, “Hello, my name's Selina and I couldn't help noticing your aura.”
“Uh yeah, my aura,” Alexander said.
“You have no idea what I'm talking about do you,” Selina said.
“Aura, an energy field generated by living creatures that surrounds the body. I'm familiar with metaphysics, just never put much stock into it personally,” Alexander said. The woman seemed to have a subtle charm. Her deep brown eyes and broad smile were very inviting, yet something was also very different. While Alexander couldn't put his finger on what it was, it was more than just the lack of hair.
“So did you just get bored and decide to shave your head?” Alexander said.
At this Trevor about snorked his beer and looked back, “And you call me a cactus?”
“I'm just being blunt,” Alexander said. The question didn't seem to offend the woman, instead she looked him over without any attempt to hide it.
“I shaved my head because I wanted people to be interested in me for who I am, not the way I look. And what's you're story, bleach?” Selina said. That drew a small smirk from him. If anything Alexander appreciated people who were equally blunt so long as they weren't rude. While he'd never had any testing done to confirm the reason for being born with solid white hair, several doctors had stated the most likely cause was in lacking a gene for hair color. It was considered a genetic defect but was both minor and harmless.
“Born this way actually,” Alexander said.
“So, one different by choice, another by birth, how... fascinating,” Selina said. “So is all your hair white?” This caused Alexander to stop in mid-sip and lower his beer looking at the woman for a moment. It was rare to come across someone a woman so blatant in her questioning. Then there was the fact that it could also be taken as a personal advance. That sparked interest on his part because sex was one of the few things that Alexander still derived pleasure from, even if it was just purely physical. There were several ideas going through his mind at the moment including that aside from not having any hair, Selina was attractive. Her face was slender and oval shaped with gentle cheekbones, and a small nose set above wide, generous lips.
“That's one question you'll have to find out for yourself,” Alexander said.
“So should I drive?” Selina said.
Alexander looked over holding up the now empty beer, “I don't D&D.” As the two stood up to leave he smiled and waved to Trevor who gave him a thumbs up.
Roughly Two Hours Later...
In bed next to Selina he looked up at the ceiling letting out a satisfied sigh. While the drive to her apartment involved a lot of metaphysical discussion, once inside they about attacked one another and there wasn't much conversation involved. Despite having just met Alexander liked the woman laying next to him. Selina was rather straight forward in her approach and didn't bandy words.
“Enjoy yourself,” Selina said, tracing a finger over his chest.
“Definitely, you?” Alexander said.
“Mmmhmm, if I may ask though, how long has it been since you were with anyone?” Selina said. That drew something of an odd expression from Alexander as it wasn't a question he was normally asked.
“Only a few months, why? Does it show?” Alexander said.
Selina only chuckled, “No, you just seemed to have a lot of pent up energy.”
“Frustration more like,” Alexander said. At this Selina sat up in bed scooting closer. This again drew an odd look from Alexander because he didn't mind cuddling afterward, but it usually required knowing someone for more than two hours first. She settled in taking one of his hands and looking over the palm. At first she said nothing, instead tracing a finger slowly over it with considerable interest. This raised Alexander's curiosity as he had no idea what she was doing.
“Is my hand really that interesting,” Alexander said.
“You would be surprised how much of a person's life, both past and future, are written upon their body,” Selina said. Alexander finally realized what she was doing, reading his palm. It was little more than an amusing game to him as fortune telling and other such things were considered to be little more than superstitious hogwash. While Alexander had studied metaphysics in the past he was the type of person who put more stock into what could be perceived through the five sense than spiritual guesswork.
“And what does my palm say,” Alexander said.
“That you've known much pain and suffering in your life,” Selina said. That only drew a presumptuous chuckle from him at such a vague answer.
“You've spent much of your life struggling against the world but now you've lost your way. You seek something to fill the void in your heart yet you know not what,” Selina said.
That brought an almost shocked look to Alexander's face as she described the last few years of his life with considerable accuracy, and he'd never told her about any of this. In his late teens there was still a lot of desire to seek out new things and explore the world, but that desire eventually faded along with a lot of his emotions. Now everything was little more than a novelty that gave him no enjoyment. There was nothing to stir his passion or make him feel alive.
“What... what else do you see?” Alexander said.
“That your fight is not yet over, in fact it's just beginning. You are destined to walk a path in life that few others ever get the chance to. But, in doing so you will know pain and suffering unlike anything you have ever experienced,” Selina said.
“Okay, first of all I don't believe in destiny, I make my own path in life. Secondly that's not exactly a description that makes me want to run right out and find this path,” Alexander said.
Selina only smiled up at him, “You will know pain and suffering yes, but you will also know passion, desire, and your name will burn so brightly that in time this life will seem as little more than a dim faded memory... of what once was.”
There wasn't much Alexander could say in response to something like that. While he had no idea what could possibly change his future so radically, that Selina had so accurately described parts of his past it gave pause to wonder. Was there any truth to what was said, or was this just more mystic mumbo-jumbo? To have passion and desire was something that Alexander wanted desperately, yet there was also a part of his mind, the logical side, that kept him from fully believing in something like this. In order to keep from over thinking the matter he decided to change the subject and took Selina's hand in his.
“Well I've never been much of a palm reader, but even I can see your future here,” Alexander said.
“Oh, and what's that?” Selina said, smiling playfully.
“Round two,” Alexander said. Rolling over he bite Selina on the neck resulting in a surprised yelp.
The Next Morning...
Because Alexander left his vehicle at Trevor's the previous night, Selina allowed him to stay at her apartment. The next morning he picked the car up and drove straight home, after a quick breakfast followed by changing into a light blue jumpsuit he went to work. Sycamore Cable was a small local company with less than two-hundred employees. The single story red brick building was a familiar sight as he approached the fenced off rear parking lot. Here there were a number of identical white work vans all bearing the words Sycamore Cable Company in red over top an image tree of their namesake tree. At the gate Alexander removed a work identification card and slid it through the kiosk which housed a card reader. To the sound of a small buzz the automated gate opened.
At the very back of the lot he parked the car along side a number of other personal employee vehicles. It was easy to see that Trevor wasn't here yet which was no surprise, the man was constantly cutting it close when it came to arriving on time. With no windows around back the only entrance was an old metal door with another card reader next to it and Alexander repeated the same process from before. Inside he was greeted by a cacophony of ringing phones, talking people and whirring office machinery. Hearing this every morning for the past eight years it was little more than background noise. Most of the floor was divided into office cubicles with chest high walls that were screwed together. Those with positions of authority had offices and Alexander passed several of them on his way to one in particular after quickly swiping the card through the time clock on the wall.
The door stood open as a young Hispanic woman with long black hair sat behind an office desk wearing a headset. She was busily typing at a computer while talking to a field technician and smiled at Alexander's approach. This was a routine the two went through every morning for years. Without a word she reached into a desk drawer placing a small electronic pad on the desk with several work orders. Alexander took the pad with a small with a two finger salute and walked out while reading it over casually.
“Yo bro, what's going on?” Trevor said, passing Alexander in the hall.
“Another day another dollar,” Alexander said.
“So have fun with that bald babe?” Trevor said.
Never one to kiss and tell Alexander looked at his friend with a mildly annoyed expression and continued toward the parking lot. Trevor only laughed and slapped him on the shoulder knowing what sort of response he would get. Outside he walked to a van parked in the same spot that it always was and opened the door tossing the pad into the passenger seat. The van roared to life without a fight and Alexander pulled out of the parking lot with the address to the first job already dedicated to memory. Morning traffic in the city was the same as it always was, slow, loud and filled with angry drivers. Only two blocks later Alexander came to a stop as traffic quickly became congested. Knowing full well how long this could take he removed a large hardback book off the dashboard and turned to a page held by the bookmark.
As the other cars moved forward inch by inch he looked up every so often to keep pace. The book in hand was about the various monarchs and royal families of medieval England. History was one of Alexander's favorite subjects and something he avidly consumed. With the brutality of politics and how some monarchs were forced out of power not long after the crown settled on their head, he often wondered how the country ever achieved stability. For nearly an hour he inched through traffic until things picked up enough to allow actual driving. Even now things remained congested requiring another half hour just to reach the first address. In front of one of the city's school Alexander pulled to a stop shutting off the engine.
Another point of curiosity was how the company managed to secure business from one of the local schools. Things like this were often handled by much larger companies and it was only a year ago that Sycamore grew large enough to start offering internet services of their own. In retrospect Alexander didn't much care, it was just another service call to him. The large two story building was adorned by numerous windows along the front and neatly manicured lawns. Children were still moving about in large groups as they were between classes. From the back of the truck he removed a tool belt, strapped it around the waist and walked toward the front door. Just inside the main hall there were two security guards standing by a metal detector that stopped Alexander as he approached.
The photo identification from work was provided and one of the guards called the office to verify that he was on official business. Once everything came back clear he was given directions to the basement where the main service box was located, and allowed to side step the metal detector due to the tools being carried. The white linoleum halls were lined with lockers and a wide variety of posters as the children, seemingly oblivious to his presence, went about their day. Nearing his destination Alexander was about to reach for the door leading to the basement when a chubby boy with light skin, white shorts, and a matching t-shirt bumped into him.
“My bad,” the boy said.
Before getting more than two steps away Alexander grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled back. He took a screwdriver from the boy's hand and placed back in the tool belt from which it had been lifted. Heading down a set of cement stairs Alexander flipped the light switch on the wall but to no avail, their was either a short in the wiring or the bulb was blown. This posed little problem as he removed a large flashlight from the tool belt and with a small click, pierced the darkness with a bright cone of light. At the bottom of the stairs he noticed what appeared to be cement debris on the floor.
This was a curious turn of events and following the trail a few feet later he found the problem. The router box, which was normally mounted on the wall, was laying on the floor covered by more debris, the dozen odd wires leading out of the bottom were all severed. Kneeling down he picked the router up and looked it over. There didn't appear to be any sign of damage from tool marks or anything else of a suspicious nature. The wires had been torn rather than cut leading him to wonder exactly what happened. The answer to that question became apparent when the flashlight was shone against the far wall. Buried within it was a what appeared to be a large green pipe.
It was large enough for Alexander to walk inside without having to duck, though it raised many questions in his mind. First and foremost how did it get there, the debris alone spoke of it not being part of the original structure. Something this large would have required a lot of digging and machinery to move into place. This wasn't something that could have been achieved covertly. Naturally curious about where it lead Alexander walked inside shining the flashlight around, but oddly it was unable the penetrate the darkness. Several steps in the floor simply stopped and when he went to put a foot down it kept going. In a flail of arms and legs Alexander fell into the darkness briefly before slamming onto a hard stone floor with enough force to knock the wind out of him. A low groan escaped his mouth and in the process of trying to get up Alexander was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head from the falling flashlight.
An unknown amount of time later he slowly started to come around with a pounding headache being the first sensation experienced. Another groan issued forth as he sat up trying to collect what scattered thoughts remained. Falling into a sewer wasn't the highlight of Alexander's day and reaching for the flashlight he noticed something that was out of place, the surroundings. The large square room appeared to be made of stone and mortar but what was more interesting was the large pink canopy bed next to him. Further inspection revealed a nightstand with a mirror and a considerable amount of make-up and perfume. The walls were covered with posters of what looked like anthromorphic turtles and several dresses tossed in the floor.
Alexander suddenly had the sinking feeling he was in a woman's bedroom and wasn't eager to find out who would live in a sewer like this. The only visible exit aside from the door was a shuttered window. Curious to find out exactly where he was Alexander walked over opening it carefully and felt his heart drop. There was no sewer, no tunnel, or anything even remotely close to what he expected to see. Outside the window was the view of a massive castle protected by a curtain large curtain wall, a moat of molten lava and beyond that a major metropolitan city with bright lights and buildings of all shapes and sizes. The land beyond appeared to be a parched wasteland covered by a sky of impenetrable dark clouds through which loud rumbles of thunder issued from time to time.
“Alexander my boy, I do believe you are over the rainbow,” Alexander said.
To the sound of an opening door he looked back to see something walk in that was so far beyond what his mind could compute there simply was no reaction. It appeared to be a female reptile covered in fine orange scales with a tan section running down the chest. Possessed of a visibly female figure her head was bald save for a pink bow with white dots and adorned by a necklace of red gemstones and gold hoop bracelets. With her face buried in a magazine it took a moment to notice Alexander standing there.
“Hi, my name's Alexander, I have no idea where I am or how I got here,” Alexander said.
“Oh, my name's Wendy... WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BEDROOM?!” Wendy said.
When she reached back for something Alexander didn't even wait to see what it was. Like a bolt of greased lightning he ran out of the room knocking Wendy over in the process and quickly exited the long hallway. In the circular room beyond there were seven additional hallways with one exit which was guarded by two rather large and muscular hammer brothers. Now in fight or flight mode Alexander ran down another hallway only to come face to face with Ludwig who was coming to see what all the commotion was about. Doing a quick one-eighty he ran back out into the main room, now trapped as all eight Koopa children came out of their rooms. In a state or near panic that all changed when Wendy looked to the two guards and snapped her fingers, “Kill him.”
With flight no longer being an option and realizing his life was in very real danger Alexander reverted to fight. The two hammer brother guards drew hammers from their shells and charged in to carry out the princess' orders. When the first one raised his arm to strike Alexander slammed his fist into its beak snapping the head back and nearly breaking a knuckle in the process.
“Son of a...” Alexander said, waving his hand. The blow was enough to stop the turtle momentarily but little more. The second swung with a vertical attack and he leaned to one side out of the way. About to counter-attack the hammer brother drew his arm back slamming an elbow into Alexander’s chest knocking him to the floor. The hammer then came down spitting chunks of stone from the floor as he rolled to one side before rising. Again his attempt to attack was interrupted when the first hammer brother connected with a shoulder to the chest sending him to the floor once more.
“Okay, now you're just pissing me off,” Alexander said. When the first hammer brother grabbed a leg he used the other to plant boot to face. With an audible grunt the hammer brother let go and staggered back. Alexander evaded another hammer swing by kicking both legs up and rolling back into a kneeling position. As the second hammer brother was recovering from the attack he came up with a side kick to the head knocking the guard to the floor. The first came at him with a series of rapid swings which were evaded through ducking, dodging and weaving. Then as the arm came down for another attack Alexander kicked the bottom of its hand and struck the handle of the hammer causing it to fly up into the air.
The weapon was grabbed before hitting the floor and he caught the surprised hammer brother with a left, right blow to the head followed up and upward swing to the chin. The guard fell over backwards crashing to the floor in an unconscious heap and as the second began to rise it was struck down by a hammer throw directly to the face. Now with both unconscious Alexander looked to the Koopa children holding both arms out, “Next.”
To the sound of a door opening and closing behind him, all of them held a hand up pointing. Alexander turned around coming face to chest with a large set of pectoral muscles and following the figure up saw Bowser staring at him. Over a head taller, more than one-hundred pounds heavier and nearly all muscle, this was without a doubt the largest creature he'd ever seen.
“Intruder,” Wendy said.
The last thing Alexander remember after that was one of Bowser's arms moving and feeling as if he'd been struck by a tree trunk before colliding with a wall.