03-19-2016, 09:09 AM
The pair arrived at the base of the fortress after what felt like an entire day of walking their way across a landscape ravaged by sputtering geysers, lava floes, and unstable soil. After the long march, the sight of the grandiose fortress—nestled as it was in a mountain range that made it hard to see the building until you were nearly upon it—was a welcomed one.
“Isn’t it awesome?” Joe asked with a grin as the machine-hybrid scoped out the enormous stone building.
“That Bowser?” Seventeen inquired as he looked at one of the many stone visages that decorated the outside of the building. The largest one was just above the main doorway and seemed to be bleeding black smog from its nostrils. Gargoyles at various corners of the structure had the same general appearance as the central decoration. When Joe nodded his head, the cyborg nodded his head. “Gotta respect a guy who likes himself enough to put his face on his castles.”
“He is a very handsome and terrifying individual,” Joe said without the slightest hint of humor or sarcasm.
Looking at the giant castle made Seventeen recall the mansion where he’d spent nearly four years of his life. Unlike the stone monstrosity that loomed before him, the home where he’d live with his friends had been a rustic structure tucked away in the western forests of the planet where he’d been born. Home to a slew of criminals before it wound up reposed by a bank and sold to Capsule Corp, the mansion had been as good a home as anything else the cyborg had known. He’d had the closest thing to a normal existence within those walls, before the Avatars and then the Construct sullied any chance he may have had at retiring young.
“You all right?” Joe remarked before poking a limb into Seventeen’s side. When the cyborg let out a grunt and swatted away the koopa, the wizard snickered. “You zoned out again.”
“Memories,” Seventeen shot back as he gestured toward the fortress. “So you gonna show me the foyer or what?”
The Magikoopa nodded his head and started toward the giant front doors of the stone monstrosity. As they drew closer, the large red doors—studded around their periphery with shinny steel bolts—groaned and started to swing outward. By the time Joe and Seventeen where a few paces from the entrance of the fortress, a small group of heavily armed Koopa Troopers had marched out to greet them. The red-shelled soldiers’ steps were perfectly synchronized as they formed a neat little semi-circle and allowed for a taller koopa to step forward.
“Welcome back, Joe,” the taller koopa replied. Even if this new individual hadn’t been taller and stronger-looking than his peers, anyone would be able to tell he was some sort of bigwig. Instead of sneakers, the koopa wore very shiny leather boots, and the top of his head was adorned by a very well-maintained beret. To complete the look, the koopa had a large mustache that made him seem much more dignified than his rank-and-file peers. After exchanging a nod with Joe, this important-looking koopa turned to look at the wiry human. “We’ve seen a lot of outsiders recently.”
“Name’s Seventeen.”
The koopa nodded his head. “I’m Von Koopa.” At that, he stepped forward and offered his hand to the machine-hybrid, who was more than happy to exchange a short, firm shake with the reptilian military officer. “What brings you back here to ‘Main’, Joe?”
“My friend here would like to help out.”
At that, Von Koopa once more simply nodded his head. “He’ll have to compete with some of the others who want into the Troopers.” The officer turned to look at Seventeen. “You’ll have to prove yourself more worthy than some other outsiders… is that something you believe you are capable of?”
“Well, d’uh,” the machine-hybrid replied, eliciting a grin from Von Koopa.
“Follow me,” the dignified turtle remarked as he spun on his heels and marched back into the fortress. With the common soldiers forming tight lines around their superior, Seventeen and Joe followed a few paces behind as they were led inside. Once through the massive front doors, the cyborg glanced behind his back to see them start to swing shut.
Seventeen got a few moments to glance at the massive foyer—lined with giant flags, Bowser statues, and ornate chandeliers—before he was led into an adjoining chamber by the marching column of koopas. Inside the side room, the cyborg found a variety of other non-koopas either seated on wooden chairs or standing and talking near what seemed to be the turtles’ version of a water cooler.
“You’re dismissed,” Von Koopa informed his posse of Koopa Troopers. All six of the soldiers snapped off firm salutes before spinning perfectly and making their way back into the central chamber. Once the last of them was gone, Von Koopa cleared his throat and addressed the room of outsiders. “You’re all here because of the same reason, but for a moment, I need to be frank with you. We koopas are not intolerant of outsiders, but we don’t have need for all of you. Our king only wants to accept the best that the outside world has to offer, and to prove that, only the best in this room is going to join our ranks.”
From the back of the room, a rugged-looking man with an eye patch made his precense known. “What must we do?”
Von Koopa grinned as he pointed through the wall of the castle. “There’s a mountain out there, and if you want to join the Koopa Troopers, you’re going to need to get to the top of it.”
A different person—a woman with a mohawk—let out a derisive snort. “Climb a mountain? I could do that shit in my sleep.”
With a small laugh, the koopa lieutenant brushed his mustache and stared over at the woman. “You won’t be climbing the mountain. It’s far too dangerous to go up there on foot, as you’d be killed almost instantly.”
“Then how?” The third speaker was a weird little animal with bat wings and a stupid-looking pompom bobbing above its head.
“We have transporation for you,” Von Koopa answered as he produced what seemed to be a small model car of some sort. “You’ll all be provided with koopa karts.”
Seventeen snickered. “A race?”
Von Koopa grinned once more. “A race.”
“Isn’t it awesome?” Joe asked with a grin as the machine-hybrid scoped out the enormous stone building.
“That Bowser?” Seventeen inquired as he looked at one of the many stone visages that decorated the outside of the building. The largest one was just above the main doorway and seemed to be bleeding black smog from its nostrils. Gargoyles at various corners of the structure had the same general appearance as the central decoration. When Joe nodded his head, the cyborg nodded his head. “Gotta respect a guy who likes himself enough to put his face on his castles.”
“He is a very handsome and terrifying individual,” Joe said without the slightest hint of humor or sarcasm.
Looking at the giant castle made Seventeen recall the mansion where he’d spent nearly four years of his life. Unlike the stone monstrosity that loomed before him, the home where he’d live with his friends had been a rustic structure tucked away in the western forests of the planet where he’d been born. Home to a slew of criminals before it wound up reposed by a bank and sold to Capsule Corp, the mansion had been as good a home as anything else the cyborg had known. He’d had the closest thing to a normal existence within those walls, before the Avatars and then the Construct sullied any chance he may have had at retiring young.
“You all right?” Joe remarked before poking a limb into Seventeen’s side. When the cyborg let out a grunt and swatted away the koopa, the wizard snickered. “You zoned out again.”
“Memories,” Seventeen shot back as he gestured toward the fortress. “So you gonna show me the foyer or what?”
The Magikoopa nodded his head and started toward the giant front doors of the stone monstrosity. As they drew closer, the large red doors—studded around their periphery with shinny steel bolts—groaned and started to swing outward. By the time Joe and Seventeen where a few paces from the entrance of the fortress, a small group of heavily armed Koopa Troopers had marched out to greet them. The red-shelled soldiers’ steps were perfectly synchronized as they formed a neat little semi-circle and allowed for a taller koopa to step forward.
“Welcome back, Joe,” the taller koopa replied. Even if this new individual hadn’t been taller and stronger-looking than his peers, anyone would be able to tell he was some sort of bigwig. Instead of sneakers, the koopa wore very shiny leather boots, and the top of his head was adorned by a very well-maintained beret. To complete the look, the koopa had a large mustache that made him seem much more dignified than his rank-and-file peers. After exchanging a nod with Joe, this important-looking koopa turned to look at the wiry human. “We’ve seen a lot of outsiders recently.”
“Name’s Seventeen.”
The koopa nodded his head. “I’m Von Koopa.” At that, he stepped forward and offered his hand to the machine-hybrid, who was more than happy to exchange a short, firm shake with the reptilian military officer. “What brings you back here to ‘Main’, Joe?”
“My friend here would like to help out.”
At that, Von Koopa once more simply nodded his head. “He’ll have to compete with some of the others who want into the Troopers.” The officer turned to look at Seventeen. “You’ll have to prove yourself more worthy than some other outsiders… is that something you believe you are capable of?”
“Well, d’uh,” the machine-hybrid replied, eliciting a grin from Von Koopa.
“Follow me,” the dignified turtle remarked as he spun on his heels and marched back into the fortress. With the common soldiers forming tight lines around their superior, Seventeen and Joe followed a few paces behind as they were led inside. Once through the massive front doors, the cyborg glanced behind his back to see them start to swing shut.
Seventeen got a few moments to glance at the massive foyer—lined with giant flags, Bowser statues, and ornate chandeliers—before he was led into an adjoining chamber by the marching column of koopas. Inside the side room, the cyborg found a variety of other non-koopas either seated on wooden chairs or standing and talking near what seemed to be the turtles’ version of a water cooler.
“You’re dismissed,” Von Koopa informed his posse of Koopa Troopers. All six of the soldiers snapped off firm salutes before spinning perfectly and making their way back into the central chamber. Once the last of them was gone, Von Koopa cleared his throat and addressed the room of outsiders. “You’re all here because of the same reason, but for a moment, I need to be frank with you. We koopas are not intolerant of outsiders, but we don’t have need for all of you. Our king only wants to accept the best that the outside world has to offer, and to prove that, only the best in this room is going to join our ranks.”
From the back of the room, a rugged-looking man with an eye patch made his precense known. “What must we do?”
Von Koopa grinned as he pointed through the wall of the castle. “There’s a mountain out there, and if you want to join the Koopa Troopers, you’re going to need to get to the top of it.”
A different person—a woman with a mohawk—let out a derisive snort. “Climb a mountain? I could do that shit in my sleep.”
With a small laugh, the koopa lieutenant brushed his mustache and stared over at the woman. “You won’t be climbing the mountain. It’s far too dangerous to go up there on foot, as you’d be killed almost instantly.”
“Then how?” The third speaker was a weird little animal with bat wings and a stupid-looking pompom bobbing above its head.
“We have transporation for you,” Von Koopa answered as he produced what seemed to be a small model car of some sort. “You’ll all be provided with koopa karts.”
Seventeen snickered. “A race?”
Von Koopa grinned once more. “A race.”
![[Image: 17.jpg]](http://omniverse-rpg.com/images/17.jpg)