Super Luigi Bros.
and
The Shaman of Shadows
World 1 - The Forest of the Druids
1-1: The Sleeping Village of Druids
The ferryman gave Luigi a little more insight into Mage Land, "Mage Land was the land that magic was first used in this world's history. There was only one place that was around before us. That place was Dinosaur Land. I sense you've been there before, hmm? Anyway, while Mage Land was the land of magic we deemed it necessary to stay secluded. The folks of the Mushroom World were not yet ready to learn of such power. So we kept to ourselves and used otherworldly forces to command our island into the skies! At the time, one would need magic or at least a magical item to reach Mage Land after we took to the sky. However, most creatures then could not even use magical items such as the Cape Feather or Super Leaf effectively. We enjoyed our peace when we had it and also suffered hardship when it came. The point was we kept our problems to ourselves so no one would be burdened by us."
Luigi felt a tad melancholic from the story, "That sounds more lonesome than productive. Didn't you want any friends?" he asked curiously.
"Friendship was hard to come by in those days, nevertheless, that did not stop a small group of wizard's from venturing out into the outside world to barter and trade with others on routine occasions," the ferryman explained. "To most people we were a people of mystery and myth with unknown origin," he finished with a sense of pride. Luigi continued to soak in the info as a decrepit wooden dock came into view among the willows. "Ah, here we are, The Living Thicket! Your first stop will be at the Village of the Druids!"
"What's a druid?" Luigi asked as the boat came to a dock.
"You will find out soon enough. I shall ask these three guide you!" the ferryman said as he snapped his fingers.
Appearing from thin air, the Three Musty Fears appeared before Luigi, freaking him out a little. "Greetings! It looks like we formally meet you this time!" said the Greaper.
"Yeah, we'll help guide you through Mage Land! Kinda like, oh what do they call..., oh yes, like tour guides!" Boo said stretching his face.
"This is more than a tour Boo, we got a job to do!" Dry Bones said seriously.
"Well then, shall we begin?" Greaper asked as pleasantly as a ghost could.
"Remember Luigi...," the ferryman started. "You can always return to me at anytime if you want to move around Mage Land! Good luck!"
With that, The Three Musty Fears hid within Luigi's shadow. He then nodded and walked up to the bamboo portcullis and opened it with caution. "We'll stay within your shadow, so just call if you need our advice!" echoed Greaper's voice.
Luigi dismissed them as he walked into town, "Hello...?" he said nervously.
Luigi took a moment to take in the scenery. The place was cursed just as he expected. The grass was dead and nearly absent altogether, tree houses filled the village but had no leaves, instead what replaced them filled Luigi with worry. "Fuzzies, better be careful not to touch those, I'll end up three sheets to the wind if I do!" he thought. Any other plant had been drained of life and the village was filled with poisonous mushrooms as well as the white puffy dandelion like 'Fuzzies'.
Greaper emerged from Luigi's shadow, eager to explain something. "Ah, you asked earlier what a Druid was? A Druid is a class of wizard that, for the most part centers their style of magic around nature. Plants and animals are the tools of their trade. Their highest level spells however, draw power from the phases of the sun and moon and even the alignment of stars and planets!" he explained.
"Oh, that's much clearer!" Luigi responded.
Greaper then returned and Luigi entered into a three way intersection. "Everything in this town is too quiet! Its freaking me out!" Luigi thought. The intersection had a closed bamboo gate with a lock on front of him and two road's that went left or right. They seemed to lead into the town on both sides and circle it. The gate however seemed to bar his path into the town square.
As Luigi was busy lost in his thoughts he was spooked by a call from Gadd. "Hello? Luigi? I said I would explain a few things about the Poltergust when I gave it to you. Well, this is as good a time as any I suppose. First off this Poltergust is the same one you used last time you fought with King Boo. It's the Poltergust 5000 but with an upgrade! For now I'm just going to call it the Poltergust 5500! I kept the Dark-Light Device as I thought you might need it but after I learned of your Thunderhand skill it wasn't necessary to keep the Strobulb so I removed it. I still kept the Flashlight so you can look around dark areas for clues. Don't worry about the loss of the Strobulb though, I have something new in store for a replacement! You'll have to wait until I finish it though, of course... Anyway, that's all I needed to tell you..., oh, wait I nearly forgot! Since many of the ghoulies over their will have physical bodies the Poltergust won't work. For instance, those cultist wizards we fought back in the Mushroom Kingdom? I did some study and it turns out they are in fact undead. So feel free to smack'em around and soften them up with those rock hard fists of yours and then finish'em off when they flee their physical form with the Poltergust! Okay, that concludes that. If you need anymore tips, I included a guide in your Dual Scream 3DS!"
Luigi placed his Dual Scream away and after taking a calming breath he heard the sound of something in the distance. "Do I hear music?" Luigi thought curiously. He looked every which way but could not pinpoint the location of the noise. He began to check around the village as he took a left and went down a dirt path that took him to what seemed to be the trade district of the town. Then suddenly, a door opened in a house not to far from where Luigi was walking. A little Druid girl walked out in a strange state. Luigi sighed in relief, "Oh, its just a little girl," he said out loud. "Hello, little bambina!" he said as he approached the green robed girl.
"Tee hee!" the girl laughed strangely as she moved erratically with her eyes seemingly closed.
Luigi outstretched his hand in a friendly manner, "Hello, I'm a visitor from...!" he said as he was cut off, due to the little girl biting down on his hand. "Yeeow! SUFFERIN' SPAGHETTI! Why did you do that? Didn't your parent's teach you any manners?!" he said as he recoiled, rubbing his hand.
"Tee hee!" giggled the little girl as her eyes were still completely closed.
Boo appeared and pointed to a cloth overhang to Luigi's left, "Get away from her Mr. Green, she's bewitched!"
"Uh oh!" Luigi replied as he jumped up to some nearby stumps and onto a rooftop.
Then suddenly, following the little girl, came a whole crowd a villagers under the same spell as they filled the village. "Wow, certainly is a lot of them!" Boo said looking around as if something else had his attention. "Do you hear something weird cause I do and I find it annoying! Anyway, let's get to higher ground so these druids don't sink their teeth into you again!"
"Okey dokey!" Luigi replied as Boo vanished back into his shadow. Luigi continued forth as he jumped across the street to a wooden platform that encircled a tree. These platforms were connected via vine and plank bridges. As Luigi stepped on these bridges he noticed they were weak and had some steps that fell if he stayed on one for too long.
Luigi stopped his fast paced jog as he came to the first form of resistance Mage Land had to offer. A cultist from before had appeared before him. "I'm ready for you this time you pest!" Luigi said as he charged the cultist with his Thunderhand. Luigi landed a combo consisting of a right and left hook followed with a kick. The cultists body vanished in smoke and a ghost took its place. It was stunned by Luigi's Thunderhand so he finished it with his Poltergust. "Yeah, I did it!" he cheer with a twirl of his nozzle.
As Luigi progressed he was met with all sorts of critters. He mostly punched and stomped out other cultists and sucked up ghosts he was familiar with such as Peepas, Gold Ghosts and Ghoul Guys.
"I got to figure out what's making the druids act so strange!" Luigi said as a Golden Ghost appeared before him with a powerful screech. Luigi screamed and lost his footing. He fell from the tree tops but still managed to save himself. As soon as Luigi landed the druids noticed and dashed towards him to attack him. "Wah!" Luigi screamed as the druids made a dog pile on him and were biting and scratching him. Luigi gathered enough strength to throw them off and run through the village hoping to find a way back up.
Luigi managed to find some breathing room and use his High Jump to get back to the treetops. Greaper came forth irately, "Okay, that noise is getting ridiculous, WHAT IS THAT?!" he complained angrily.
Luigi placed his hand to his ear and listened for a few moments, "It sounds like a Music Box!" he deduced.
"Ah, of course a Music Box!" Greaper realized. "That explains the druid's sleepwalking!"
"Sleepwalking?" Luigi asked with a few blinks of his eyelids.
"Yes, Music Box's were invented by humans," Greaper told. "You see Music Box's were created to soothe your kind with lullaby's but they had un unexpected effect on wizards. And sometimes Koopas..."
"Why is that?" Luigi asked curiously.
"Well you see, wizards are spiritual creatures and their tongues are as important to them as a runner's feet are as important to them!" Greaper began. "Wizards use vocal incantations that connect their spirits to the spirit world allowing them to use their spells. Music uses vocalization as well but its much more effective as it uses notes as well as words. It creates a more complex harmony in spirit. Let me explain further; a Music Box can play a song that travels through the air and disrupt spells. Depending on what kind of song is played a different effect will take place. Now not all music can do this to a wizard, but this type of Music Box is made as an Anti-Magic device. The notes can drown out a wizard's incantation or place a special effect on them."
"And these druids are the target!" Luigi followed. "By the sound of it, it sounds like a type of lullaby."
"Hmm, now that we know that, where do we look for it?" Greaper asked puzzled.
Luigi scanned the village for a 'good' place to store something where everyone could hear it. Then something caught his eye, "Hey, that tall tree at the center of town looks like a good place to look!"
"Good thinking, let's get a move on!" Greaper said as he vanished.
Luigi continued on the trail he was already on until he came to a dead end. At this dead end stood a giant pillar of stone that was surrounded by a strange ring of larger stones. The pillar in the center had a small hole in it. Luigi noticed a few druids around and decided to jump down to the shrine as soon as it was clear. Once it was Luigi jumped down to investigate and found a small stone no larger than a lump of charcoal. It had a primitive 'Sun' engraving on it. The druids noticed what Luigi had done and began heading towards him. "Wah!" Luigi screamed as he performed a High Jump to get back to the tree tops. Only this time he whacked his head on a Hidden Block that spewed out copious amounts of Coins, Bills, a Gold Bar and a Ruby. Luigi rubbed his head as he regained his senses. Using his vacuum, he eagerly sucked up all the treasure while trying to avoid the grabs of the druids. Satisfied, Luigi High Jumped again and made his way back to the large bamboo gate near the entrance to the village.
The Three Musty Fears reappeared as Luigi came to the gate. He turned to them, "Hey, that's a nice trinket you got there!" Greaper noticed.
"Do you know what that is?" Boo asked.
Luigi shrugged, "Not really, but I think its important!" he replied.
"It's a Rune Stone!" Dry Bones rattled.
"Rune Stones are ordinary stones that have magical sigils carved into them!" Greaper explained. "Look, that lock on the bamboo gate... It has two indentations in it that are shaped like that stone. Since there's two I don't think I have to tell you, you need another stone to open that gate, so hop to it Mister Green your destiny awaits!"
Luigi took the right path this time and he noticed this area had some platforms that were tied to vines that acted like scales when stepped on. Luigi easily scaled the treacherous jumps until he came to a Hint Block that resembled a blue speaker box. "Hey, I remember these from Dinosaur Land!" he said as he hit the Hint Block. What came from it quickly gave Luigi chills. It was nothing but strange growling and a lot of whispering and static. It sent chills down his spine. Then suddenly, the Dual Scream went off in his pocket.
It was Gadd with a call, "Luigi, what was that just now? The Dual Scream picked up something strange!"
"I hit a Hint Block but it gave me a lot of strange noises instead of directions!" Luigi said nervously.
"Oh, well it seems even the Hint Blocks have a secret!" Gadd started with eagerness. "Have you ever heard of EVP? It stands for 'Electronic Voice Phenomenon'! That Hint Block has a recording on it the spirits are trying to tell you Luigi! I believe we'll learn more about this land and our enemy if you hit more of those Hint Blocks and let the Dual Scream pick up their messages. I'll try to decipher them here! When you return I'll have this message decoded!" he said as he ended the call. Luigi shivered at having to hit those cursed Hint Blocks, but figured it was for the best.
Similar to last time, Luigi made his way to a dead end and another shrine was located. Luigi waited for the druids to spread out and he made his move. Luigi quickly grabbed the rune stone in the hole and High Jumped back to higher ground. He noticed this stone had a carving of the moon on it. Luigi fought his way back as expected and finally returned with the stone.
Luigi then placed the stone in the lock next to its counterpart and it fell off with an audible 'thud'. The gate then began to open to him. Luigi swallowed hard as he made his way past the gate.
He trekked down a slowly elevating trail fighting off the resistance and avoiding fuzzies. Until finally, he made it to the center of the village and looked skyward at the large thick tree and the large stone pillar shrine around it. Another Hint Block greeted him before all else though. He hit it and let the Dual Scream record its eerie message.
Now it was time to find that pesky Music Box. Luigi dispatched the light resistance in the area so he could find some peace while he searched for it. The music it played made it hard to track it down as it somehow made itself hard to pinpoint. He then noticed that he could climb the large tree as there was a small platform located up top. It was snugly fit in between two large branches. He then scaled the large tree with every bit of his jumping skill. Once at the top he noticed a telescope was all that was up there. "That's disappointing, where could it possibly be?" Luigi asked himself out loud. Then he got an idea, he decided to shine his Dark-Light Device around and sure enough a hidden object next to the telescope began to manifest back into the physical world. Now its music could clearly be heard. Luigi then smashed it with his brother's hammer and the music stopped.
As Luigi climbed back down, the druids approached and began crowding around him. This time though, they were fully awake and in control of themselves. "Oh thank goodness!" Luigi sighed with relief.
He was then approached by what appeared to be their chief. "Thank you stranger, our curse has been lifted! We can't thank you enough!" he said gratefully.
"Who placed that music box up there?" Luigi asked hoping for a clue.
The druid leader seemed shaken, "It was a wicked druid that was corrupted by the Shaman of Shadows," he started shivering. "We call her... 'The Rag Hag'. She hides deep within the Living Thicket in the abandoned greenhouse! She sits deep inside sewing her seeds of corruption that now curse this land!"
Luigi gulped, "Well, I guess I have to go to the greenhouse then...," he said reluctantly.
The chief then realized something as he got a good look at Luigi, "You're going after her? Then that means you're the Green Thunder! The one from the prophecy! Even though we know you can defeat her, we still urge you to be careful around her! She grows many poisonous mushrooms and cursed plants in there!"
"Thank you for the advice!" Luigi said trying to abate his fear.
The friendly druids pointed Luigi to the exit behind the large tree. This exit took him directly into the Living Thicket itself. Needless to say it was dark, gloomy and cursed. Luigi received much thanks and praise before he left and then left the village to continue his journey.
The Three Musty Fears appeared before Luigi outside town just before he entered the forest. "Nice job Mister Green," Greaper congratulated.
"Yeah, but we're just getting started!" Boo followed.
"Let's find out more about this, 'Rag Hag' as we make our way to her. She may have some secrets we can exploit!" Dry Bones chattered.
"Let's go!" Luigi said as he entered the forest.
*End of Chapter*
