Shellfino
By General Luigi
Author's Notes
A fair warning: If you do not want this story's ending to be spoiled, I would recommend not reading The Country Lady.
Foreword
It is the year 1885. Mario had been sent on a mission into the Koopa Kingdom a year earlier in an attempt to stop the satellite, Solar Shell 1, from being launched. The mission was kept secret from the public, but something unexpected happened—Mario died. That was something that could not be kept secret for long, so King Jacob of the Mushroom Kingdom leaked the lie that Mario had been ambushed and killed by assassins that Bowser had hired. Soon after, Koopa-phobia swept the Kingdom; anyone of Koopa Kingdom heritage was a potential enemy. Luigi, however, learned the truth about Mario's death from one of the three survivors of the mission, Marina Mushzek. When King Jacob received word of Luigi's attempts to expose the truth, which would indirectly be seditious and a threat to the Toadstool dynasty, he branded Luigi as a Koopa sympathizer. Now hated by his home country, Luigi fled from persecution across the Mushroom-Koopa border with a number of Koopa immigrants who also hoped to avoid Mushroom persecution.
When he learned that King Jacob was pushing for war, Luigi hatched a plan with King Bowser to prevent the Mushroom Kingdom from doing so: kidnap Princess Peach and threaten to kill her unless the Mushroom Kingdom backed off. The plan worked, and both Kingdoms are now safe, even though they despise each other. There is a downside, though—Luigi is unlikely to ever return to the Mushroom Kingdom thanks to his plan.
Now, Luigi has little choice but to live somewhere outside of the Mushroom Kingdom. At King Bowser's invitation, he intends to settle somewhere in the Koopa Kingdom.
Chapter 1—Resolution
A small town in the Shellratov district was more than suitable. Had he stayed in the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi would have certainly been either killed or tortured. Besides, after the death of his brother, Luigi despised King Jacob. His visit to Koopa City, the capital, proved to him just how immensely powerful the Koopa Kingdom was. The wall covering the border of the capital's district was proof of the Koopa Kingdom's military prowess. The Wall of Koopva was the largest structure in the world, surrounding the entire district. Fortunately, Shellfino was hardly a target, so such an immense wall was not required for the town's protection.
Luigi was being given a walking tour of the town. The town was so small that a vehicle was not even necessary unless one was going out of town. From one end to the other, it was just a forty-minute bicycle ride. It was a little odd seeing everyone drive on the left, but he figured he would get used to it. He had been a tad disappointed that the only lots available were so small, but he figured that it might have actually been for the better. One could not possibly be a snob in such a modest town.
The roads were quite narrow; there were only two that exceeded one lane on each side, one of which was a small highway. Luigi would be staying in a flat until he had chosen a house, which meant that much of his stuff would be stored for a long time. According to his guide, the landlord was a very kind old Koopa, although one who has strict policies. Oddly enough, he had been everywhere in town except his flat. The town had a very nice and simple layout, with a train depot in the middle of the commercial district (which was just three blocks by four), flats occupying the surrounding blocks, followed by the second ring which consisted of quaint little lots with yards about three times the area of the houses, a third ring, comprised of pastures for livestock, finishing with the crop fields on the outskirts. After those were just the steppes. The weather at the time was just the slightest bit hot and dry with a heat index around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Luigi would have to get used to the metric system, which meant using Celsius, kilometers, liters, and kilograms.
"Fis woold be fe market," Luigi's guide, Yakov, said. "Please make sure to remember its location." Yakov was a very shiny yellow Bob-Omb with a Koopsian accent, but he spoke excellent English. Luigi had been told many times that it would be wise for him to learn Koopsian. "Fe depot is right over fere," Yakov said, pointing with his fuse at a small black brick building. It was initially hard for Luigi to understand Yakov's accent, but when he was told that Koopsian had no "th" sound, he began to understand better. English was quite dependent on the "th" sound, so it soon no longer came as a surprise that most Koopas used a "f" sound instead, "f" being the closest to "th". "Now, if you will follow me, your flat is right over fere," Yakov said, pointing to a three-story building that looked to Luigi somewhat like a roadside motel in the Mushroom Kingdom. Yakov then handed Luigi a map of the town. "Just in case you need it," he said. "Unlyess fere is somefin else you would like to see, I believe fis is where we part."
"No, I'm fine," Luigi said. "Thank you for the tour, Yakov."
"You are welcahme, Luigi. I look forward to getting to know you better."
"Same here."
Luigi entered the building, where he was greeted by a Toadette, a Buzzy Beetle, and a very old Koopa who were all sitting at a wooden table. The Toadette got up and curtsied upon seeing Luigi.
"You Luigi, yes?" the Koopa said. "I Dimitry, she Yelizaveta, he Luka. Yelizaveta and Luka no talk English."
"Then I'll learn Koopsian as soon as possible," Luigi said.
Dimitry said something in Koopsian to Yelizaveta, then said to Luigi, "She show you place."
"Very well." Luigi looked around the lobby, which was hardly a lobby. Rather, it was a single room with a front desk, a bunch of dining tables, and a pair of doors—one to the kitchen, the other the main door. The place was far from ramshackle and was quite well-kept, but Luigi could tell the place was more so for those who needed a home rather than those who wanted a home. The so-called Kato Reforms had been a gift from the Stars in the opinion of the poor and the homeless. The complex was quite obviously the result of such reforms. Shellfino seemed like a poor town by Mushroom standards, but the people seemed quite satisfied—they did not want to be rich; they simply wanted to enjoy their lives.
Yelizaveta herself was somewhat skinny, but far from gaunt. She had a pair of moss-green squares on her cap, matching her hair, which was tied back in a tight bun. Her simple buttoned-shirt-and-knee-length-skirt work uniform added to the simplicity that seemed to be the standard for people in Shellfino. For someone who seemed only three feet tall, she was a rather fast walker, often having to stop so Luigi could catch up.
Luigi was led up three flights of stairs until Yelizaveta opened a door and led Luigi down a hallway to a door with the number "317" on it. She motioned for him to enter what Luigi took to be his flat. The flat caught him off-guard, to say the least. All he saw was a single bed in a corner, a telephone on the side table, a small wardrobe, a small kitchen at the next corner with a wooden table near it and four chairs, with the corner opposite the bed cut off by the walls of what Luigi concluded must have been the bathroom, and finally, a small couch with a coffee table faced a tiny television that stood on a second side table. The flat looked about the size of a portable classroom—in fact, Luigi felt that his old bedroom in his mansion in the Mushroom Kingdom was more than three times the size of his entire flat. With a sigh, Luigi entered and inspected the room more closely. Looking at the television, he noticed a very well-done painting of a black-haired Koopa in a robe hanging above it. Taking a look at the label, he noticed that it was in Koopsian.
Екатерина Великодушная
Иван Крамскуп
He would have to ask Dimitry about the painting at some point. The flat was not ugly, but the small size of it made Luigi wonder if he had a previously unnoticed case of claustrophobia. No matter; he was safe and was going to settle down.
The past month had been tedious, learning Koopsian and finding a permanent home at the same time. Luigi's Koopsian was more broken than the Royal Bell in Koopva, but he had learned enough to say, "I am bad at speaking Koopsian." In fact, that was the first thing he was taught. Usually, Luigi would bring Yakov along whenever he needed to do something requiring fluent Koopsian.
When Luigi asked about the picture in his flat, Dimitry said that it was of Yekaterina, Bowser's wife, who had died of tuberculosis when she was only thirty-nine. Yekaterina essentially ruled alongside Bowser as a joint ruler. She was much loved by the people, as the painting in Luigi's flat confirmed. According to Yakov, "Екатерина Великодушная" translated into "Yekaterina the Magnanimous". She was not technically the ruler, but Bowser himself was quoted as saying she was more fit for the throne than he was. Luigi would have to remember to ask Bowser about her at some point.
Luigi was doing something he had almost never found the time for earlier—studying Thunderhand. Because of his recent adventures (some with Mario, some without), Luigi had had little time to actually refine his Thunderhand skills. After reading just a tiny portion of one of the spellbooks he had, he noticed something. Having learned that Thunderhand was not the only type of magic, Luigi had purchased a number of magic theory books. In particular, the Introduction to Magic book gave him an increased interest in magic.
Magic consists of four different forms: Star Magic, Ztar Magic, Firebrand, and Thunderhand. More generally, though, the magic forms can be classified in two ways: Light and Dark, or Physical and Mental.
Light Magic comprises Firebrand and Star Magic, two styles that, while easy to control and far less tempting to abuse, suffer from a lower amount of unique possibilities than their Dark counterparts. Light Magic is a style that focuses on the basic abilities of magic. There are some abilities that can be misused, such as Firebrand's ability to command the air and Star Magic's ability to alter light, but Light Magic is more so an offensive tool. Light magic will strike in plain sight, not trying to sneak around the target's magic defense or manipulate it.
Dark Magic, which comprises Thunderhand and Ztar magic, is far more powerful in the hands of an expert and is far more tempting to misuse. Also, in specific surroundings, it becomes harder to control. Rather than strike in a basic way, Thunderhand and Ztar magic will depend on controlling the target. Control of a living thing is an extremely tempting power and must be handled as though it were an extremely dangerous machine that could easily kill the user. Thunderhand can use electricity to manipulate anything that conducts electricity (which, technically, is everything that is not composed of pure neutrons). As for Ztar magic, it directly attacks the enemy's mind, reading and altering emotions, thoughts, and essentially the very soul itself. For these reasons (as well as religious reasons), Ztar magic has been outlawed in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mental Magic depends on the mind for strength. Star Magic uses calmness of mind for its power while Ztar Magic uses emotions for power. Since emotions are infinite while calmness is not, Ztar Magic has that much more potential, even though its base power is the same as that of Star Magic. In the presence of other minds, the magic will respond in kind. Amid calm minds, Star Magic and Ztar Magic are both able to be used more easily and powerfully. As for a highly emotional setting, Star Magic becomes weaker while Ztar Magic becomes harder to control.
Physical Magic, on the other hand, depends on it s physical surroundings for power. Thunderhand draws power from every free electron and proton, enabling it to use the sheer existence of matter for power. Firebrand, though, relies on heat and the absence of heat for power. Thunderhand is much more powerful and harder to control amid other electric reactions, while Firebrand is stronger in two situations. In extreme cold, hot Firebrand is weaker while cold Firebrand (also referred to by some as Icebrand) is stronger. In extreme heat, the roles are reversed.
Contrary to popular belief, Star Magic and Ztar Magic are not opposites, as is also the case with Thunderhand and Firebrand. Rather, magic is arranged in the form of a three-by-three square, as is shown in the below diagram.
Luigi looked at the diagram, which had Star Magic in the top-middle square, neighbored by Mental Magic to the left and Light Magic to the right. Below Light Magic was Firebrand with Physical Magic below it. In the middle of the bottom row was Thunderhand, the opposite of Star Magic, which had Dark Magic to the left. Finally, on the left side of the middle row was Ztar Magic, the opposite of Firebrand.
Much of magic theory depends on the Magic Chart as a base, as will be established repeatedly throughout the text.
Author's Notes: For those of you who have read The Country Lady, some of the events in that story will also occur in here, but not for some time.