The Draconian Star
An Original Concept of Laserai
Revised and Created By: Mistress Kasumi
Legal Notation: This Fanfiction makes use of story elements that belong to NINTENDO Co., SQUARE-ENIX Co., and other copyright holders and are being used for strictly creative means. We only lay claim to the original storyline itself.
Author Notes: This story borrows elements from all over the Mushroom World and its many games. This is in no way to be taken as canon. I have no idea or intent on debating what Nintendo's true designs are for many of its characters and is an artist's interpretation of events in the games or storyline. It is in no way to be taken as fact or regarded as such. If you disagree or think it all to be tripe then please move on and disregard the story completely. However, if you're willing to open your mind to a new idea then stay on for the ride.
Return to Subcon
Luigi and co took to the skies shortly after breakfast and glide through the air with hopes of finding a new secluded path to Subcon.
Their odds of finding this hidden route are slim however as they don't even know where this location is as any Mushroom World map reports the area as being undiscovered or uncharted.
Luigi has reason to believe his late brother and himself may have visited the place before but as there are no existing map he can't remember. They had been quite busy over the past year, well before his brother's demise. At least he can take solace he had some final adventures with him before recent events.
So they have a pretty slim lead to go off let alone mount such an expedition. However, with little else to go off of the troop of would be heroes soars on with hope driving them forward.
Fortunately, the weather is favorable with many white fluffy clouds and a crystal blue sky.
Kammy and Wendy zip around each other as she goes over flight techniques with her protégé especially after their recent encounter with the X-Nauts. Besides mending her favorite broom together after their last battle was not a fun experience Kammy cares to repeat again.
And it doesn't hurt to go over reminders for her own sake.
Next time she would be well prepared for another close encounter with the X-Nauts. Kammy will be the first to admit they caught her by surprise. Every koopa had read the reports about the X-Nauts from the Thousand Years War. It was clear however that the X-Nauts have clearly been increasing in strength and skill. As long as Kammy has lived, no one has ever managed to force her out of the sky while she was on her broom. But if Kammy has learned anything over the last few days it's that nothing is impossible.
Watching a Koopa Clan castle vaporize into nothingness with her King still inside and her son as well is an image still burned brightly into her mind. But that event also raises a number of questions in the back of her mind she has yet to address.
As they start getting closer to the destination, they soon realize their flying over dense jungle. In fact, the ground is completely obscured by the jungle canopy preventing a safe landing.
"Well . . . . . uhm I think were screwed." Toadette looks around in every direction while audibly sighing.
I really want to believe we were on to something here, Luigi-kun but I may have to side with Toadette on this one."
Everyone hears an audible sigh escape Geno's lips which draws there attention.
"The coordinates we acquired from the recon squad mates led us here. These operatives lost several of their comrades with the idea that whatever is here will lead back to Subcon. However, it should be safe to assume what we're looking for will not be transparent."
Luigi nods at this understanding immediately. "Were going to need to do some work to discover what we're looking for. Now based on where we are I would guess were at about 10 or so thousand feet in the air right now and usually we would be seeing any hidden cloud areas about now. Since that is not the case, I think it is safe to assume whatever were looking for isn't hidden in the clouds somewhere."
Geno and Kammy look over this observation approvingly with nods all around.
Peach scrunches her face as she looks at the large jungle under them before snapping her fingers in realization. "I think I know where we are?"
"Well, what is this place? It's clearly a large jungle of some sort." Wendy shrugs and looks about.
"This is the Soda Jungle. Luigi and . . . Mario had a few quests that took them through this area several years ago if I remember correctly." Peach places a finger on her chin thinking back while trying not to dwell on her past love.
"Yeah, you're absolutely right, Peach. It doesn't look like were going to be able to land directly at this point. The canopy is far too thick and would make for a very uncomfortable landing. We're going to need to find an opening nearby and approach by foot through the jungle itself."
"Oh yeah. I remember this place. . . . My brother Iggy and the others were here to. . ." Wendy starts but then remembers this was during a time when the Koopalings were following another one of Bowser's ambitious plans to defeat the Mario Brothers. Of course like all the others it failed. Still, it didn't make it any easier to think about.
Kammy remembers this as well then recalls the Koopalings role in Bower's ambitious plan which unsurprisingly failed. She can imagine how her pupil maybe feeling and only places a hand on her head like a mother her child. Wendy glances over at Kammy and smiles dispelling the negative thoughts.
The exchange lasts only a few moments but Luigi notes it but says nothing grateful Wendy is helped to get past it. It was a different time and one of the last missions where they encountered the Koopalings actively promoting another of Bower's plans. But they had finally put their bad history to rest so Luigi gave no more thought to such things.
The party continues to glide through the clear blue skies for a period of time scouring the landscape for a possible landing site. After a while, their search proves successful as they finally find an opening and start to head for it.
"Well, drat it sure looks like we have quite a bit of walking ahead of us. My guess is were about 10 klicks or a little over 6 miles from our target destination." Geno manages to rattle off as they begin their descent.
The party finally lands in the clearing in between the canopy and take in the sights and sounds Soda Jungle has to offer. Right away they can hear all manner of wildlife all around them and the common ambience one would expect in a jungle teaming with life. The occasional leering eyes of animals in the distance can be seen though fortunately it seems they are keeping their distance.
"That seems about right. Good thing I have my comfortable walking shoes on. Then again now I am starting to wish I brought hiking boots instead." Peach slides a hand across her face noting the temperature already beginning to rise since they landed. The worst of it seems to be offset by a warm breeze that is also apparently keeping the insects at bay.
"Your attire should be OK. If I remember correctly, there is a well beaten path here. As long as we stay on it, we should be fine and avoid the worst of what the jungle has to offer. Only problem is the path winds and turns with the land so we may have more distance to cover than expected." Luigi unbuttons his shirt and removes his cap to brush his hand through his hair before returning it to its place on his head.
Not wasting anytime, they deactivate their P power-ups to conserve the energy for the trip back and fall in step behind Luigi as he has been here before. Fortunately the giant inhabitants that provided interference during his first trip here are gone such as the giant piranha plants and koopa troopas. It's likely they were recalled after Bowser's plan failed and everyone returned to the Darklands.
"I got to say, it's a relief that I don't have to deal with those giant enemies that were here last time. What did you guys end up doing with them anyway?" Luigi looks over at Wendy and Kammy honestly curious.
Wendy looks over at Kammy who nods then back at Luigi. "Well, the giant piranha plants were simply moved by airship and replanted in the Darklands somewhere. As for the giant koopa troopas, they were likely re-assigned to one of the cities or bases in the Darklands. Its what we commonly do after an operation has ended in a particular area outside of the Darklands. All forces are recalled and reassigned elsewhere."
Toadette nods at this as do the others but then almost loses her footing when the ground suddenly ends.
A swift strong hand from Geno prevents her from tumbling into the first of many purple acid pits that are apparently common in Soda Jungle. "Oh my god, Geno! Thanks for the save! I almost died just now."
"Eh yeah, forgot to mention you will run into pits like this from time to time. We are going to have to use the vines to swing over them otherwise you have to detour off the beaten path into the thick of the jungle and I would not recommend that." Luigi shrugs then grabs a vine and proceeds to swing over the acid pit to the other side before releasing the vine so that it swings back over.
"Well, no sense putting it off." Peach grabs the vine Luigi just used and fearlessly swings over the acid pit to where Luigi is now. "Nothing to it."
"That's the spirit, Peach." Wendy grabs her own vine and swings on over as Toadette and Geno follows suit.
Kammy cheats a bit by simply flying over the pit with her broom but soon comes to a stop on the other side as its flight becomes sluggish.
"Well, guess it's time to walk." She soon puts it away in one of her magic bags when she realizes it needs to rest and recharge its mana reserves from the surrounding environment.
"Yea, looks like you're going to have to walk like the rest of us now, master." Wendy lightly laughs at Kammy as she grumbles a bit as everyone resumes walking.
Kammy smirks at Wendy a bit. "Well, I don't mind. I have a new youth to enjoy." Kammy and Wendy walk on ahead passing Geno so that he now takes up the rear. Unfortunately this has an unexpected bonus for the star warrior.
It all started after Geno had awoken this morning. For the first time he started experiencing emotions. So far he had done a good job keeping his face its usual emotionless appearance but now that look was only a mask and it's starting to show cracks. As the day drew on, he felt excitement and anticipation for the trip. On the way over, he experienced exhilaration for the first time as he flew through the clear skies on the power of the P-power up.
His eyes glance over the two girls walking in front of him and then seemingly on their own he takes note of the shapely bottom of one master sorceress recently young. Now Geno finds himself trying to deal with a new emotion he can't place. All he knows is his face is warming up and he is having a hard time turning his eyes away.
This could be a problem but then again their ages shouldn't be a problem.
After all, though Kammy appears to be a hot 20 something, she is actually 200+ years old and Geno figures he probably lived with the star spirits in the heavens probably just as long before being sent down here.
Wow, Kammy really does have a very nice . . .
Geno realizing his trail of thought is going wayward shakes his head trying to avert his gaze but failing to do so. It doesn't help Kammy is wearing a form fitting mini skirt that flatters in all the right places. Unfortunately for the star warrior, his glances towards Kammy's posterior do not go unnoticed as the now young sorceress picks up on his attention. Wendy glances at her master curiously then follows her subtle glances ever so slightly to see Geno blushing and clearly checking Kammy out then shifts her eyes forward trying her hardest not to laugh. Kammy deciding to make the poor star warrior sweat a bit adds some sass to her hips and it has the desired effect as Geno almost trips on the ground failing to take into account the terrain.
Wendy shakes her head snickering then walks ahead leaving Kammy to do what she wants and is soon walking beside Luigi who is leading the party up front.
Peach who had been talking with him earlier falls back behind them next to Toadette and starts chatting with her instead.
The green thunder and the koopa princess walk in step in silence for a few moments though Wendy occasionally glances over at him.
Finally, she decides to strike up some conversation. If she is going to start possibly investing herself emotionally in him, she needs to know more about him. "So, this Soda Jungle place is crazy right? Iggy used to love working outdoors when he was here."
I wonder why I brought that up . . . . oh well . . . at least its something.
"Oh yea, this is where I ended up facing off with Iggy. Though in all honesty, Wendy I was thinking back to the area before this place."
"Hmm? Before Soda Jungle?" Wendy scratches her head confused.
"I am talking about Frosted Glacier. It was the last time we had to face off together as enemies." Luigi looks up at the forest canopy then glances at Wendy who is looking down.
Thinking she maybe feeling down about herself he continues on.
"You know. . . . I should probably tell you that your one heck of a good ice skater. In fact, your one of the most graceful ones I have ever seen." Luigi glances over and smiles as he notes her cheeks blush.
"Really? Well I really do love to skate and swim. I have won a number of awards for my skill. I had to train a lot to get that good but I really enjoy them." Wendy smiles heartily as the two continue down the path.
A couple of vine swings over another acid pit and their finally almost to the coordinates.
Seems the absence of the giant creatures Bowser had brought over made their trip through the jungle far less eventful then the last time Luigi had to deal with this place. As they start coming up on the coordinates they soon discover a large set of ruins partially submerged in a vast lake of clear blue water free of acid. Unlike the previous area, Luigi is not completely familiar with this area as Mario was the one who traveled through here before.
The path abruptly ends at an immense and breathtaking cliff face though the lake's water surface can be seen though it appears to be quite a descent.
Luigi powers up his "P power up and sprouts wings taking to the air slightly and flies forward only a short distance until he is above the lake with no ground beneath him. The others do the same until their all hovering there with him. Luigi notes the water directly under them is fairly deep and the bottom is not visible making it safe for his next plan though he opts not to clue them in.
"Well, looks like we're going to need to swim soon. Shame as I didn't bring a swimsuit or anything. Eh this is going to do a number on my hair." Wendy looks around slightly displeased seeing the partially submerged ruins at the center of the pristine lake and noting there is little else above the water that can be seen. "Don't get me wrong. I love love love swimming but I will admit I am unprepared for it at the moment."
"Yes, it would appear the coordinates do take us under water probably to the lake bottom or at least into these ruins here. Still, Princess Wendy is right, I did not foresee the possibility of needing to tread water either." Toadette tilts her head back and forth trying to think of what they're going to do now.
Luigi at hearing this rolls his eyes but smiles at hearing their words. "No need to worry guys, I packed a contingency plan for this."
Wendy glances over at the thin but handsome plumber with an objective but confused eye. "What contingency, Luigi-kun? I am uncertain what you could have packed that could prepare us for this?"
Did she just call me . . . kun?
Luigi manages to remain composed with a smile despite the new very personal honorific Wendy is now using for him. "You will find out in just a moment. It is then he pulls out five pocket size question blocks with a green question mark on them. The next leg of our journey will require the use of these beauties."
"Interesting. I have never actually seen these power ups and now I have the opportunity to use one. I am glad I have lived long enough to enjoy this privilege and with my new youthful form I imagine this will be quite fun."
Wendy looks over at her sensei with a curious eye at her statement but the wise sorceress says nothing and her face remains poker neutral further driving the koopa princess crazy eliciting a low growl.
Luigi simply scratches his head at the interaction between the two and hands them each a green question block.
"I should warn you this suit change is not subtle and will occur immediately. No worries as our clothes will stay nice and dry with the power up in full effect. Also I should mention the power up is insulated using the power of the star so we don't need to worry about losing it because of an attack. That doesn't mean were invincible. Only the power up. On the plus side your hair will stay dry as well though the water will effect it much like the wind except slower. Don't ask me how because I don't know. Mushroom Magitech at its finest."
"What is the power up, already Luigi-kun?"
"Time to find out, princess. Everyone make sure all loose items are packed away right now and all bags are sealed. Once that is the case, place them all in this special bag I have brought."
After everyone has put their provisions in Luigi's special bag, Luigi taps his block looking up at the others. "Alright, now simply give your pocket question block a punch and hang on. It's about to get wet on this ride."
Geno and Kammy can only smirk at the joke while Toadette almost cracks as her snickering is becoming audible.
Wendy is completely lost not knowing what Luigi-kun is talking about.
It all becomes clear however when upon punching the block her P-powered wings instantly disappear and her entire outfit is instantly covered with a form fitting wet suit that is a dark emerald green with a cute Frog shaped head. What is also apparent is now they are falling straight down as there is nothing keeping them in the air. It also seems she grossly underestimated how far away from the lake water surface they are.
Oh, I am so going to beat on that plumber when I get through this. Still this is fun as hell! I have never tried free falling before.
Wendy looks over at the others in the team to see they have also donned the trademark frog suit power up.
So that's what sensei was talking about.
Toadette looks positively ecstatic as she free falls gracefully with a big smile on her face. Geno looks surprisingly somber but she can see traces of a smirk on his face. Kammy has on a Cheshire grin on her face as she plummets through the sky with the others. Wendy is able to get an idea now why her sensei mentioned something about her youthful form.
Damn. I am a girl and I am almost envious though I am sure my figure is still better but not by too much.
Kammy's youthful and hourglass form is being further accentuated by the frog wet suit which clings and hugs to every curve from the swell of her breasts to her hips and even the split indention of her butt. It is then Wendy becomes self-aware of how this frog wet suit looks on her as well. It seems somehow probably magic, despite the fact they were wearing clothes before activating the suit, its fitting on everyone's bodies are like that of a glove as though they were completely nude prior. Wendy is completely aware that her figure is shall we say more bounteous in certain areas but before that she takes a glance over at Peach out of curiosity and wow isn't she surprised.
Wendy had heard how Peach left her kingdom and spent six months or so in a grueling private training session under Princess Rosalina and Zelda's magic tutoring and came back with more pronounced curves then before. Wendy could kind of tell there was a difference noting her clothing earlier in their little jungle safari. Now the koopa princess can clearly see why Peach has been smiling even more broadly despite all that has happened as of late. Peach has clearly moved up a full cup size and her whole form is more fit from the grueling work out those two princesses put her through.
Grueling workouts and body transformations now that's something Wendy can definitely relate to. The koopa princess thought she was never going to get rid of that stubborn baby fat of hers and gain any inches in height until Kammy got a hold of her.
Now look at how much has changed.
With so much unexpected hang time in the air, Wendy has plenty of time to observe how irresistible the frog wet suit is making her body look. She decides to take a cue from Luigi though and focus on her water landing as sure enough the water is coming up fast. Nearly everyone knows how acclimated Wendy is to water as aside from ice it is one of her favorite elements to work around. She can only speculate how this improved Frog suit will improve her swimming abilities.
Oh how Wendy was wrong if she believed Luigi's focus was all on business at this point.
With the sudden H.A.L.O. drop they were in the middle of performing, most were preoccupied but Luigi was able to note how the improved frog suit looked on Wendy in particular. If it was hard not to stare at her amazing body before, now it was almost near evil at how good looking Wendy looks. Unfortunately Luigi is quite aware that the suit is form fitting on him as well so becoming unnecessarily enthused about the sexy koopa princess could have embarrassingly revealing consequences. It didn't help that his curious glances at Kammy's appearance caused his eyes to unconsciously rake over her vastly improved mature feminine body as well before inwardly cursing his lack of self-control also looking away.
So he would need to keep both of his heads calm.
Do I even need to elaborate further on that. . . . Yea I thought not...
Luigi would be lying if he said his eyes hadn't glanced over at Peach at least once and as expected she was as stunning as ever. All of her curves including the unexpected improvements due to her recent magic training work out sessions were all on display. Her arse was nothing like that of Wendy but it was still amazing as well as the rest of her figure. However, with his brother's recent death still fresh in his mind out of respect he could not dwell on her form but only appreciate respectfully how good the princess looked.
Luigi isn't the only one observing the scenery shall we say.
With Wendy being somewhat involved with someone else, the star warrior's eyes only glance at the princess's form approvingly before moving on. An apparent change in perception since taking a mortal form it seems as before he would have paid such things no mind. However, the same casual observation is lost on him as his eyes will not turn aside from Kammy's gorgeous curvy form.
What is this I am feeling?
It's the same feeling I had earlier in the jungle.
I think the star guardians said this was that emotion called lust.
Similar to love but usually reserved for a far more carnal purpose.
They never mentioned how distracting it can be.
How do living beings cope with this powerful emotion?
Each emotion upon interacting with them for the first time proves to be quite intense though Geno learns that he has an easier time dealing with them after the initial encounter. It doesn't make dealing with their distracting nature any easier. However, he manages to contain and dispel most of the emotions though his apparent allure to the mature sorceress female does cause certain parts of him to become unexpectedly slightly excited. Apparently the emotion of lust is getting the better of him. Geno at seeing this becomes slightly red in the face and focus intensely on the mission given to him by the star spirits and try to control his lewd and distracting thoughts of Kammy.
Kammy can only smirk at seeing the two males of the group feebly trying to resist nature's less than subtle urges as she resists the urge to laugh. The thrill of being a young woman again was hers and she was loving every minute of it. Then add on she still retained her wisdom of years past and she was feeling quite elated. Kammy looked stunning and felt the same. Also with her age being reversed so drastically her chances for finding love have improved dramatically whereas before she had given up all hope.
With all the serious events of the past days, it was nice to enjoy a light hearted moment with her friends and family.
At last the group makes splash down as they meet the water suddenly and abruptly.
The improved Frog suits shield them from any incorrect water entry but the disorientation of the transition from air to water is still apparent in some so Luigi and Wendy remain in place for a moment as the other acclimate to the underwater environment. Thanks to the powers of the frog suit power up, they are able to see clearly underwater and can breathe effortlessly even though their faces are uncovered and unhindered. Even Kammy can only scratch her head as to how this is possible though she imagines this is the result of interwoven magic in the fabrics of the suit.
"Is everyone's status OK?" Luigi looks to the others getting confirmations all around. "Alright then. Let's hit it."
Luigi takes the lead and starts swimming with a rapid decline as he keeps an eye on his digital watch which tracks his location in relation to the coordinates given to them and also relates their depth. The others are quick to follow him as they dive quickly. Eventually they arrive at the bottom of the lake unsure of what they can expect to find.
Toadette looks around with eyes in excited saucer shapes. "I wonder what we can expect to find so far underwater. I can only imagine what we can expect to find."
"This is incredible. I have always enjoyed swimming and training underwater but the use of these frog suits opens up so many other possibilities."
As they traverse the bottom of the lake, the group are finally able to find an actual entrance into the submerged ruins sitting level with the lake bottom. It was almost looking like they were going to have to consider forcing their way in through the stone walls so that is a relief at least but inside its clearly dark.
The group have thus far had a pleasant experience in their now underwater quest only occasionally running into a skittish blooper who swims away at seeing the group of heroes.
However, as they enter the submerged ruins through the large underwater entrance, Toadette manages to catch movement on her peripheral vision though it seems to be a large fleeting shadow. As she stops to observe whatever it is, she sees nothing which slightly unnerves her. She also can't help the feeling of her hair standing up on her neck like their being watched.
"Guys, keep your wits about you. I feel like were being stalked. We may have something hunting us."
Peach who was swimming behind her stops and looks around as well. "What do you mean Toadette? What's wrong?"
Toadette opting to stay in place looks around wearily still finding nothing to substantiate the feeling she is getting.
"Well Luigi, I saw an immense shadow being cast on the sea floor a few moments ago just as we entered this place. There is something big out there swimming in these waters. I could only see the shadow so I don't know what it is."
"We could be looking at the area guardian or it could be just nerves. Still, it's unlikely a hidden access point to Subcon is going to be completely unguarded so everyone keep your wits about you."
Peach nods at this and smirks looking over at Toadette as she swims by her motioning her to follow as their moving again. "Well, I wonder what challenge we can expect waiting for us down here in these mysterious depths."
Toadette can only smile lightly and follow her princess hoping its only her nerves and nothing more as they enter the darker interior of the submerged ruins.
Author Comments
If anyone was able to read this story in its original form before it was taken down, the party had simply did a free fall or High Altitude Low Orbit drop into the sea as the coordinates were originally some facility of sorts? I don't know what that was about. Anyway, I kept the free falling scene as that was fun editing a few pieces as well as adding Peach into it but ended up editing out the whole open sea bit as I wanted to add on a scene with Soda Jungle from the Nintendo game, Super Mario/Luigi U.
I think it turned out rather well.
We had a scene that took place in Soda Jungle in the level named Giant Swing Along where they had to traverse acid pits using vines that came up along the path. Most of us who know anything about traveling through a jungle are aware it's usually a perilous journey anyway as predators can often come at you from all around. Staying on an established path increases your chances of survival and getting off the beaten path is a sure fire way of getting yourself into trouble.
Our heroes have an easier time because the usual trouble came in the form of giant creatures brought in by Bowser and the koopalings during their occupation of the area. However, as I explained in the story once they vacated the area after their defeat I expect they recalled all of their forces from the area. Perhaps one day the typical dangerous predators and animals one can expect will be more visible in the jungles of Soda Jungle but for now they warily stand clear of outsiders which is why our heroes never have an encounter with say a panther or jaguar.
Finally, their trip takes them to the other featured level I used for this story in the game I mentioned earlier called Deepsea Ruins. Unlike the previous level which is played by Luigi in his version of the game, the Deepsea Ruins level was from Mario's version. I ended up using it as I want the next scene to take place within it so I went with it. Some of the obstacles of the game will be there as well as I do believe they are likely natural wildlife unlike the giant creatures that Bowser and co brought with them.
Thanks for stopping in and reading my work. I really appreciate your support.
Love and kisses, Mistress Kasumi.
See you next time in The Draconian Star - Chapter 14 – Phantos Zero