We see a shadow; in dark alleyways, on street corners, in town squares and just about everywhere within the limits of NSider's domain. That shadow belongs to me, a six-foot tall rogue garbed in black robes, black gloves, tattered brown boots and a brown belt with holsters occupied by twin silver daggers. A true fighter always takes pride in his weapons and I am definitely no exception. These blades have been passed down in the family since ShadowMario14 and there isn't anything else like them in the known world. Forged from pure silver, the blades are very strong and slightly curved, incorporating the element of lethality in their design. The deep purple hilts allow me to utilize basic dark magic by simply thinking of the incantations, enhancing the elements of speed and stealth. This unique set of blades has become a part of me.
I am Shadow Mario, specifically Shadow Mario the 41st. I come from a long line of assassins with gifted talents and have been raised in the arts of swift yet subtle killing for my entire life. In NSider, it is common to have a long family history specializing in a certain field; there are some families known to be famed intellectuals while others are spammers by nature. I am an assassin. Contrary to initial impressions, I am not a user who is out for blood or kills for sport. I choose to fight for any cause dictated by myself.
I may seem completely devoid of any social contact, but there are a few who I have gotten to know very well. Deep within the confines of the Mario Board, there is a place known as ShadowMario41’s Trivia HQ. This is a contest that I host in hopes of gaining ultimate knowledge about the Mario series. Combining knowledge with battle prowess can be enough to outmatch a superior adversary. While it is open to the public, the high level of competition and fast-paced nature of the game will drive off most newbies, leaving the elite players to face off. Somehow, I've been able to keep these two lives of mine separate and not allow them to interfere with each other.
This trivia contest helps me keep active in the community whilst remaining relatively hidden (only interacting with the trivia masters). Because of this, I can easily acquire knowledge about the current activities and happenings around NSider. This helps me be a more effective and efficient killer - unlike many assassins before me - because I can use my knowledge of current events or prior knowledge about the target as a form of deception. Lightning-fast reflexes and swift skills are put to waste if the user doesn’t possess a sharp mind. That has been the mentality upon which I’ve lived these past nineteen years.
Also, similarly to many assailants, I have a very limited source of income, which in the currency known as "posts" in the NSider community. Users can make posts in any of the major boards, but a figure of my status isn’t generally accepted in a public setting. Therefore, I have to rely either on stealing, accepting privately contracted missions, or donations from loyal participants in my contest to make a living. Other than the HQ, which I usually only visit on trivia dates so I can remain undetected, I do not know of any other home. As far as family history is concerned, I was raised solely by my father; my mother died just weeks after I was born from a cause still unknown to me. When I was just a boy, a user named FenirKnight engaged in a deadly skirmish with my father, ShadowMario40. FenirKnight... that name will remain burned into my mind for all eternity.
It was the first time he took me on a mission with him; we were going to quickly raid a store near the General DS Discussion board and take about 500 posts along with basic food necessities. The food and money combined would have been enough to hold us over for a couple of weeks. My father was never one for treating me with love and compassion and hardly ever threw a compliment in my direction. Rather, he continuously pushed me to train harder and become better than he was, though it seemed impossible at the time. This is a scene that I will never forget but also one I rarely reveal, since anguishing emotions can often lead to an assassin’s downfall if properly exploited in the Cappy-eat-Cappy world that is NSider.
Once we exited the store with the goods, the store manager was furious, but his bulky stature rendered him helpless when faced with our vicious speed. As we were running like a blur out of the board with dark clouds swirling in the sky, my father looked at me, said he was impressed with my skill, and refocused on the mission. Those turned out to be his last words to me, as we soon encountered a highly skilled Smash Master vigilante named FenirKnight (as signified by the user name hovering above her head), or Celius as she called herself, in a dark alleyway. She was a tall, slender X-Naut in a red costume with goggles and a small but powerful laser pistol in her hand. She also had many other weapons at her disposal all stored in a high-tech convenient utility belt. Apparently she had quite the reputation, as my dad shoved me aside to safety behind some dilapidated crates to face off against this foe.
They initially stared down each other and exchanged some words, both of them with a hand on their weapons. Overcome with the weakness of fear, I was unable to decipher exactly what they were saying, but it seemed to be unrelated to the heist we just made. When they began fighting, they were both so fast that it was hard to tell what exactly was going on. Since I was only young and still relatively inexperienced, I had to really focus to track their movements. Celius was attempting to strike my father then retreat and shoot with her blaster. She was smart, knowing that fighting an assassin such as ShadowMario40 solely in close combat would have meant suicide. The gun could fire fast green blasts, but my dad was even faster. He evaded every shot, slowly but surely moving in for the kill. He eventually knocked the gun out of FenirKnight’s hand and I thought that meant certain victory. But something wasn’t right… Celius kept a smug look on her face and wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Then it happened…
At the very instant before ShadowMario40 would’ve put an end to Celius’ life, another blade cut through the air and my dad stopped in his tracks. A small yet menacing figure was looming over my father as he remained motionless. He wielded a jagged golden sword, bore a dark cape, and just had that strange eerie aura about him. He was quite small, but the darkness prevented me from seeing his actual stature. When he removed the blade from my father’s chest, ShadowMario40 fell to the ground motionless and the cloaked figure helped Celius to her feet. His user name was enshrouded in a spoiler box and I couldn’t get close enough to highlight it (doing so would’ve guaranteed my death). I was frozen by shock; I wanted to look away but I just couldn’t. When I came to my senses due to sudden rainfall, I heard some dialogue from the shadows.
"…it’s not here. I thought for sure that he was the one." I assumed that was Celius’ voice, since it was rather high pitched. The shaded figure then spoke, "Damn… this was our chance. Who knows where he could be now." "Shall I notify the others?" "No, no, no…. this day is already lost for the Syndicate. Order everyone back to base." "Sorry… boss…" The mysterious user turned around quickly, checking to see if anyone was listening. His piercing red eyes nearly met mine through his mysterious round mask and my heart skipped a beat when he paused for a second or two. Detecting no witnesses after scanning the area, he and Celius warped away in a dark purple haze, leaving nothing but my father's corpse and belongings scattered around the area.
Now, nine years after that horrifying event, I still hold a grudge against Celius and all X-Nauts as a promise to avenge my father’s death. With my father's weapons in my hand, the thought of finally avenging him fuels me to become faster and stronger. I am already one of the best in NSider and training at a minimum of three hours per day can only help my cause. I have not encountered the users since that night, but I know they’re still out there… somewhere...
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