A/N: Thank you all for being patient, I know it's been a while, so I made this one extra long.
Chapter 10: Of Sparring and Stowaways
"Aw, don't worry Luigi; I'm sure Rougeport won't be as bad this time," Peach said as Toadsworth drove the five of them to the harbor.
"Yeah, besides, from what I've been hearing, your popularity totally obscures Mario's," Daisy said, trying to cheer him up. Luigi gave a small grunt as he leaned back in the seat, watching the dark countryside whip by outside of the car's windows.
"Still, it's not at the top of my list of places to visit," he told them. Gadd sighed as he stretched and put his arms behind his head. "I am curious though, why won't the ferryman take us to Isla Tortuga?"
Peach thought for a moment. "Well, it is outside of the kingdom's borders and… well, he didn't give me a direct answer. Don't worry Luigi; I'm sure you'll be able to get the answers out of him." The rest of the trip was silent. Luigi played with the thought of questioning Mario's sudden adventuring as they pulled into the parking lot at the wharf.
By now, the sun formed a blood-red disk in the early morning sky, bathing the scenery a crimson color. Luigi heaved his bags out of the trunk of the royal coach and placed them on a trolley along with the professor's. Walking alongside of the princesses, he patiently waited until Toadsworth was finished giving his speech of caution to him.
"Um, Peach… If you don't mind me asking… did you know about Mario running off?" Luigi asked quietly. Peach was silent for a moment before they got to the check-in. "Luigi…I-" she started.
Luigi cocked an eyebrow, "Well?" Peach sighed, and then nodded. "He said he needed some time alone, that's why he didn't want to tell you."
"What for?" Luigi said, slightly irritated. Peach sighed and shrugged. "I don't know…"
Daisy, who by now was looking slightly cross, broke the conversation up. "Alright, this is killing me, you two!" Luigi and Peach looked at her in a very confused way. "Stop dwelling on it! So what if Mario was a jerk?! Knowing Mario, whatever it is will work itself out in a few days. We can't afford losing sleep over something stupid like this. And Luigi, stop worrying about it," She said, her tone becoming softer. "You've got a big adventure for yourself starting right here. Don't worry about your stupid brother."
Luigi grinned, suddenly lighthearted. He was shocked at her sudden outburst, but she was right. He smiled warmly, receiving a forceful hug from his loveable girlfriend, "Thanks Dais," he said, squeezing her back. She pulled away, lightly punching him on the arm. "Kick some butt while you're out there!"
"I will."
"Hey Luigi! Get your arse up here, we're about to shove off!!" Gadd yelled from the deck of the Rougeport-bound steamboat.
"Well, this is it," He smiled as he walked up the gangplank. As the boat left the dock with a shudder, Luigi waved back at the three on the dock.
"You better write!" Daisy hollered. Luigi beamed a smile, "I will." He finished waving to them as the professor settled back against the side-rail.
"I certainly hope you won't be sappy on the trip," the professor said, attempting to rile Luigi up; succeeding masterfully. Luigi wheeled about with a scowl, "of course not!" he snapped.
"Heh, I'm just kidding, sonny." Gadd sighed as he stretched himself out. Luigi absently watched the waves spraying up from the bow for several long minutes before wandering off to find something to do.
"I suppose I could go talk to the captain, now that I have the chance," he mused, turning his gaze to the captain's deck.
The captain was a rather laid-back toad with orange spots on his cap. A Rougeport native, he had been the one who had ferried both the princess and Mario when they had gone to Rougeport to investigate the Thousand-year door.
"Ah, top o' the mornin' to ya' Luigi," he greeted in his heavily-accented voice as the young man approached the helm of the steamship. He returned the greeting before casually staring out over the passing waves.
"Captain," he finally said after a long silence, "Just out of curiosity, why is it that the ferry won't run directly out to Isla Tortuga and Isle Delfino?"
The aging toad smiled to himself, keeping his eyes glued to the sea in front of him. "Th' biggest issue be the distance, lad. I would gladly take you out there in a heartbeat, but, this ship couldn't go tha' far. Like me, it be no spring chicken, mind you." He paused for a moment. "The other reason… is that recently the island has had some… misfortunes befall it. Aye, the winds o' change brought something foul there, from what I've been hearing in the taverns. Don't you worry, though. I've already taken the liberty o' sending word of your arrival to Rougeport. I'm sure tha' you won't have any problem findin' some crazy sailor to take you out to that rock," He added with a grin.
Luigi, shaken by what he just heard, gave a weak laugh before heading back towards the deck. "Nice… I get to go on my own adventure and it ends up being a cursed island." He gave a shaky sigh. "By the way, is there anything I can do to help out around here?"
The toad captain scratched his chin. "No, not that I can think of, me boy. But don't worry, if I think of something I'll let you know."
Luigi nodded before making his way back out to the deck where Gadd was sunning him self and Maverick was taking a snooze.
"If you're bored, Luigi, I might know of something to do that would indeed be to your benefit," came Kalliel's voice from behind, startling him.
"Don't do that," Luigi said eyes wide as he whipped around. Kalliel gave a smirk. "I was merely asking you if you would like to spar, if we're going to find the sword, you might as well learn how to wield one," he said. Obviously he was back in his comfort zone, with his armor and surcoat back on.
Luigi smiled and nodded, "A capital proposal." He was about to head for his suitcase when he realized something, "Ah! Oh God, I left the key at the house!!"
"No, you didn't," Kalliel said, pulling it, scabbard and all from his belt. Luigi took a shaky breath and took it. It wasn't even noon yet and already there was too much excitement. "What are you going to fight with?" He asked the ghostly knight.
"I found this in the storeroom, it's dulled beyond practical use, but it will suffice for me." He pulled out an old cutlass that was slightly longer than the dagger in Luigi's hand and they squared off.
"Do you have any experience?" Kalliel asked casually.
Luigi shrugged, "Gadd and Shivers have been teaching me and I've been picking up pointers here and there, but I'm not an accomplished swordsman," he said, drawing the silver blade from its casing. It was about a foot and a half to two feet long, including the hilt, making it relatively easy to wield. "Remember, go easy on me, I'm not that good," Luigi added, taking his position.
"You won't have to worry, I haven't picked up a sword in 1500 years, I do believe that I will be a little rusty myself, don't you think?" Kalliel returned. Seeing that they were ready to begin, Kalliel raised his sword up. "On three… one, two, three!"
The pair threw themselves at each other with a loud CLANG that cut through the whir of the motors. Maverick woke up with a squeak, barreling into Gadd's lap as another metallic CLANG sounded. The professor watched the combatants in silent amusement as the little boo settled into his lap.
Luigi brought his blade up just as Kalliel made a downward sweep. The force of the blow jarred his arm, but he managed to block it. "Luigi!" Kalliel called as Luigi made a feign for his shoulder before jabbing towards his stomach, "Parry with the flat of the blade!"
"What?" Luigi asked, lowering his blade. "Gyaaah!" He yelled as he was sent rolling across the deck. Kalliel had performed a horizontal swipe across his chest, knocking the wind out of him. "Ugh…ow… Hey, what was that for?!"
"You let your guard down, thank the stars this cutlass was super dull."
Luigi looked up at him sourly before getting to his feet and charging at Kalliel. He lunged before whipping his arm back and slashing diagonally. The edge of the key connected with the flat of Kalliel's cutlass, sending several sparks flying. Kalliel grunted with the effort of blocking that swipe, "impressive."
Luigi smirked, anticipating what his opponent was going to do next. His anticipation paid off, Kalliel once more tried a horizontal swipe, missing by inches as Luigi performed a lofty back flip, nimbly landing on the railing ten feet away.
"Very good, you learned from your mistakes. It's good to know you catch on quickly," Kalliel wiped some sweat off of his brow. "And I seem to notice you have good observation skills. Have you mastered any kinds of Martial Arts?"
"Twelve kinds," Luigi replied.
"That's why you have excellent reflexes… now how good of a grasp do you have on your current situation? A good warrior must always be aware of his surroundings. Now, I'm going to present you with a situation and you show me how you react.
On the other side of the deck, Professor Gadd smiled, his glasses glinting in the strong sunlight as he watched the two combatants.
Be careful Kalliel, you cannot outsmart that boy.
We shall see, Kalliel telepathically replied.
Luigi perched perfectly on the railing, showing no signs of overbalancing; Kalliel standing with the worn cutlass at his side, eyeing Luigi's every movement.
"Notice your position; you are currently perched upon a thin rail with the sea at your back and me in front of you. Jumping into the air would be out of the question, I could easily get under you and over power you. Now… what do you do?" Kalliel said.
Luigi sat silent for a few moments; he knew attacking directly would be out of the question. He wiped the sweat off of his brow. He had his solution. Luigi carefully stood up and launched himself up into the air. Kalliel raised his sword across his face, expecting Luigi to indeed attack him with his weapon. Right before he got too close, though, Luigi twisted his body and threw himself to the side and out of the way, releasing a bright green fireball as he did so.
"Agh! Damn!" Kalliel exclaimed as he raised the blade in front of his face before the ball of flame connected. It glanced off of the steel and rocketed skyward. Luigi landed with his back turned and whipped around a second too late. "Too Late!!" Kalliel exclaimed as the flat of the blade hit Luigi in the face, flooring him.
"You're certainly giving me a run for my money," Kalliel panted. "You don't have a problem with defending and evading, but attacking still needs plenty of attention. You're too tense. It's probably spilling over from your personality, but something I notice about you." He paused, looking down at the young man. Luigi had a large red mark across his cheek plus small nicks and scrapes from everything else.
"I notice that you can only take a certain amount before you click. It's like transforming into another person."
"What do you mean by that?" Luigi asked curiously.
"You started out nervous and panicky, but after that first time I struck you in the stomach, you changed. I gave you the scenario to work out and you handled it without a problem. You are a strategic genius, you just need to assert yourself more," Kalliel said, giving reassurance.
"You're going easy on me aren't you?" Luigi asked flatly.
Kalliel nodded after several moments. "Yeah… If I were to go all out on you, you wouldn't be alive right now."
Luigi felt miffed at the fact that he was toying with him. His leg suddenly swung out, catching Kalliel off guard and knocking him to the ground. He rolled out of the way and stood up, laughing, "Looks like I let my guard down."
The next hour was spent rather painfully for Luigi. Each time he charged, he managed to parry several blows, but always ended up getting slashed, stabbed, or thrown to the ground. Finally, Kalliel took one final swipe at Luigi, who gave one mighty swing in a last-ditch effort to continue. A resounding SNAP sounded as the key-blade sliced through the old cutlass, rendering it in two. With his other arm, Kalliel slammed his elbow into Luigi, knocking him back against the railing. "Enough!!" he called, casting away the broken remains of his sword.
Luigi tried to raise himself back off of the ground. He could barely do that, so he settled for flipping himself onto his back.
He laid there panting steadily as Kalliel knelt beside him. "That was impressive for your first time with me," he smirked. "And I think I've found your problem. Well… the two major problems. One; you attack with accuracy, but you lack the fluidity and grace to link your attacks into a continuous chain. Two; you don't know a whole lot about counter-attacking. Do not worry, for really it is still too soon to worry about actually training. But experience and precision will come with time and practice."
Luigi nodded, closing his eyes as he tried fighting off the impending exhaustion. He wiped some blood from his split lip and coughed a few times. "I'm so tired."
"I think you went too hard on him," Gadd chuckled, approaching them from behind.
Maverick whizzed around in circles making "Psh, Psh, Clink," noises, trying to reenact the fight that had lasted for nearly three hours.
"Luigi, me boy!" called the captain from the upper deck, "Wanna help me scrub the decks?" He asked with a devilish grin.
Luigi scoffed, "Urggh…." He groaned, letting his head fall back onto the deck. The captain laughed heartily. "I'm just joking, lad. Hey, Why don't the lot o' you go on down to the galley and scrounge you up something to eat. That was quite an amusing fight there." He turned back to the helm.
"Wonderful idea," Gadd said, helping Luigi to his feet. His overalls and shirt were torn in numerous places and the skin beneath the rips was raw. At least his hat was in tact. Heading down the steps to the galley, Luigi turned to Kalliel, "You're rusty my ass."
"Okay, okay, so I lied," Kalliel chuckled.
After filling their stomachs with food, they headed to their sleeping quarters, which weren't any more than hammocks with a pillow and a few blankets apiece. Still, Luigi didn't care, nor did he bother to change out of his old clothes. He fell into the nearest one, hung his hat up, and wrapped himself into the blankets before falling asleep. Maverick nosed his way under his arm and quickly fell asleep as well.
"Well, I think it's time we hit the hay as well," Gadd said to Kalliel.
"Yes. We've got a long day tomorrow. We reach Rougeport shortly before lunch time. Good-night, professor."
Luigi woke up late the next morning. Kalliel and the professor, as well as Maverick had all gone on the upper deck. Luigi was sore, plain and simple. Every movement he made hurt. Clenching his teeth, he climbed out of his hammock and made his way over to his suitcase to change. Before he placed his hand upon the lock, a rustle inside made him freeze.
He quickly backtracked to his hammock and found the key lying next to his bed. He picked it up and drew it, keeping it poised while slowly undoing the first lock. The bag rustled again. He swallowed a yelp before he paused waiting for the movement to subside. He drew the blade back, ready to strike as he undid the final clasp.
"Aaagh!!" He yelled in somewhat of a panicky battle cry as the large case flipped open, sending three familiar figures tumbling out. Breaker and Hammer yelped and retreated into their shells. Marius, bound and gagged, flinched as he saw Luigi with the weapon in his hand.
"What the hell?!" Luigi exclaimed, dropping his arm in surprise.
"I told you he'd find us, numbskull!" Hammer scolded his brother, slowly emerging from his shell. Breaker did the same, ignoring the comment, "Hey Luigi!" Marius grew angry with his counterparts' antics and began struggling against the bindings that tied up his wrists and ankles, mumbling something incoherent through his gag.
Luigi knelt and sliced off the ropes and cloth gag. Marius coughed several times before standing, massaging his wrists. "So help me, Eldestar, if you ever do that to me again, I swear I will kill you both!" he snarled.
"What are you all doing here?" Luigi asked, his voice becoming level and dangerous.
"Pardon my French, but there was no way in Darkland that we were going to let you go on this alone!" Breaker scolded angrily, shaking his finger and glaring at Luigi. "Marius was being a butt, so we brought him by force."
"Breaker's actually right," Hammer said. "You're our Captain, and there's no way we're going to let you get killed."
Luigi sighed, his anger forgotten. "Fine… I'll let you come with me to Isla Tortuga. But you have to promise me you'll behave and not go looking for trouble, or there'll be trouble. Besides, I am still disappointed that you disobeyed me."
Marius stood with his arms akimbo and Breaker and Hammer swore upon their very lives to not cause any problems. After his speech, Luigi's face softened and he spoke with a calmer tone. "Well, how long have you guys been in there?"
"Since you left the house," Marius sighed, rubbing his head. Luigi sighed as he looked over to his suitcase before he realized something. "Where are all my clothes?"
"We threw a bunch of them out back in your room," Breaker said with a goofy grin, receiving rolled eyes from Luigi.
"Please, Dear God… tell me you didn't throw out the leather pouches in there…" Luigi added.
"Keep your shirt on… or, what's left of it," Breaker said calmly. "They're still there. We're not stupid enough to throw out the money bags." He then pulled something out of his shell. "Here. I kind of thought you might need these, so I didn't leave them at the house when we got in. That was a big suitcase." He handed Luigi a green shirt and a clean pair of overalls.
Luigi couldn't help but smile. Even Marius lightened up enough to walk behind the boys and put his hands on their shoulders. "To be honest, guys. I'm really happy that you're here. I've been kind of nervous. I… actually might be needing your help," Luigi said.
Breaker leapt up and hugged Luigi, "'Course! 'cuz we're loveable!"
Hammer added in to the conversation, "Yeah, we'll do our best to help you out."
Marius added one final comment, "I promise we won't let you down."
"Thanks guys," Luigi said. "Now go get something to eat. We should be at Rougeport in a couple minutes."
The three nodded, even bringing the same childish, eager spark to Marius's eyes. He was just as hungry as the other two and eagerly followed them to the galley. Luigi quickly changed into his clean clothes, throwing the others into a large waste-basket in the corner. He left his gloves off, but rolled up his sleeves and grabbed his hat before going up onto the deck.
"Hey, I saw the boys, what're they doing here?" Gadd asked curiously.
"I'll explain later."
"Rougeport, ho!!" The Captain of the steamship called. Luigi, Kalliel and Gadd all hung over the edge, getting a faint glimpse of a port-city in the distance.
"Alrighty, let's get our things together," Gadd said, ushering them below deck. He poked his head into the galley, "Hey boys, come on, we're here." After a few minutes, they pulled into the port and disembarked, waving goodbye to the captain after they set foot on the creosote-coated dock.
"Give Peach and Daisy my regards," Luigi called.
"Will do, laddy! He called as he headed back for the mushroom kingdom.
"Wow, so this is Rougeport…" Marius wondered, looking around at the piles of crates stacked high between docks and the shady-looking sailors of several different species running about. The air carried a dirty, salty smell. Several Sailors gave them looks before mulling about their own business amongst the brine covered port. Kalliel cast his eye over the shady residents before disappearing into thin air. Maverick stayed close to Luigi.
"Come on, I know a place where we can stay," Luigi said, making his way over to the large flight of stone steps leading up to the plaza.
"Keep a low profile while you are here, guys. You don't want to get mixed up in any trouble around here," Luigi muttered.
"I heard you're real popular in this region, Luigi," Gadd said, following him. Luigi nodded. "Yeah, I had an adventure in the Waffle kingdom. Not my best experience mind you, but still…"
Once they reached the plaza, they made their way past the gallows to the front of the inn and tavern, catching the eye of many villagers. Many gave them small smiles and some even shook Luigi's hand, but there were a few who were content to glare at them. "Nice people," Gadd said with a scoff, referring to the ones that had shot them icy glares.
Marius caught a green-coated bandit eyeing them from the shadows. He growled at him with a glaring sneer.
"Marius… Marius, just ignore him," Luigi said, trying to calm him down. The bandit disappeared amongst several crates into the east side. Marius frowned.
The small party wandered into the tavern over to the bar where the strange beanbean man, Podley, was trying to clean several grimy glasses. "Well, by the powers," Podley exclaimed upon seeing Luigi walk into the bar, "If it isn't the great Luigi, how have you been my boy?" He warmly shook Luigi's hand and adjusted his thick glasses.
"My God, what happened to you? Covered in bruises…"
"Sparring practice," Luigi muttered.
"Ah, I see. Well, what can I do for you all?" He asked, returning to cleaning the empty glasses.
"We need lodging, at least for a few days," Luigi replied, pulling several coins from one of the pouches. Podley shook his head, "Nah, I don't need it. You're the superstar around here. I'm honored that you would even grace my tavern with your presence."
"I insist. And if you won't accept it as pay, then accept it as thanks for helping out my brother."
Podley chuckled. "I've been hearing rumors amongst the patrons that you were looking for a boat to Isla Tortuga. Well, it's a shame you didn't come in here a few hours ago. The bar was packed with people I know who would give you a ride."
"Word travels that fast?" Marius questioned.
Podley adjusted his glasses again. "Aye, that it does." He looked up at them after putting away the last glass. "Well, since the bar's not getting any customers now, I'll go help you boys get settled in, wot?" He looked around at the one or two people that sat at the remote tables in the bar before taking the group upstairs. He led them to a large room lined with several beds. A young toad girl with orange spots and long brown pigtails was busy folding the last comforter.
"Alicia dear, you can go ahead and leave early if you'd like," Podley said to the girl.
"Oh, thank you, Mister Podley," she curtsied politely before heading for the exit.
"Tell your mother I said hello," he added, receiving a fain't "I will," from down stairs.
"Well, here you are, it's not much, but it's cozy," Podley said, handing the room key to Luigi. "Just holler if you need anything, I need to go get ready for the dinner rush." He headed back downstairs as the group chose beds. After watching Breaker and Hammer duke it out for the bed near the window, they all decided to head out and explore the town. "Say, Marius," Luigi started as he locked the room and headed down the stairs. "What was the deal back there with the bandit?"
Marius waited until they were outside. "…" He jammed his hands into his pockets. "It's nothing… I just… really, really don't like them. They give me the creeps."
Luigi looked at Breaker and Hammer who both shrugged. He decided to drop the conversation. Right now, he needed to worry about buying some new clothes for later.