Guess which geek didn't know when maintenance was? This fool! Oh…I had this chapter ready and then the whole website shut down on me and I got errors for two days. Because even though it only lasted a day, I'm the lucky one that had extended issues.
But enough on that nonsense! Oh my word, we're finally getting back to Bowser and Mario! Hooray, at long last! (It's not like they're the main characters or anything, right?)
And guess what else is here? Staaaaarrrr Hiiiiilllllll! (I announce that like it's a really big or exciting location…or something.)
Apparently, my new standard for writing chapters is not shutting up until there's just a wall of text across the page and stretches really far down. This is the trouble of writing something, stopping, coming back, stopping, and then going again; you pick up so much more to write about, and you forget which parts to scale down.
Um, I mean, this is a long chapter again, so beware! Lots…LOOOTS of things happen in this chapter. Arriving in Star Hill is just the beginning, really.
But, that's more for you to determine than me to explain. Though, I must give a few more notes of caution: numerous original/fan characters pop up here, which they have before in the story, but are in bulk this time. Also, I use more material from the RPG/Paper Mario games than I have before, so there's that. And a tinge of questionable violence, though no mentions of blood.
Now! With all of that out of the way, set a good amount of time aside and read ahead! Also, enjoy!
...
It just happens: I'm standing in the gold and pink halls of Peach's Castle, which is abnormally deserted. Stepping through cautiously, I wait for someone to coming running out. A Toad has to be around here, somewhere, I'm sure.
Pausing at the fallen banner, I inspect it, and look for something out of it. But it just looks like someone did a shoddy work with hanging it up. With nothing in my way, I walk forward across the carpet and push open the large doors to her throne room.
My jaw drops open as I stare inside. The room is charred, and the pink and golden walls, what's left of them, are practically blackened. They're knocked in around the throne and along the sides, with shattered window glass and rubble across the floor. The sky is dark and cloudy, totally visible, but I'm not sure how early or late it actually is.
Stumbling forward on the shredded carpet, I spin around while I take it all in. Columns are cracked or outright broken. I stare out at the trees that flow in a distant gust of wind across a grassy field; nothing else looks quite as dismantled as here. There's some glass that I sidestep and continue forward, to the still standing throne. It's still golden and rose, in tact, but…mysteriously vacant.
That is, until he steps out. He still has his usual attire on, but it's torn up in a few spots: the blue overalls are ripped up, his shoes look scuffed, there's at least three holes between his two gloves, the cap is slightly tilted and his mustache looks just a bit…ruffled, I suppose. An odd addition is the long, dark cape that trails him, black on the back, and red on the inside.
"Mario?"
He smiles, but it's odd. It's more of a smirk, with his eyes lowered. The passion behind them is missing and I'm half-expecting some type of smart remark to follow it. But his lips part just a bit, and his teeth light up his grin…that, somehow, doesn't help put me at ease.
"Hello, Your Highness."
"Highness?" If the sight wasn't so devastating, I might have outright laughed. "Mario, you don't need to call me that."
"Why not?" He bows, and then walks forward, lifting grasping my hand. "You might as well enjoy the title, for all it's worth. After all…you've won."
"Won? Won what?"
"The war, of course." His eyes seem to glow up a bit now, but…not like the soft blue I'm familiar with. I don't understand how to explain it. "You've finally done it."
His voice is lowered, not in a whisper, but like it's between smug and…seductive? And, considering the environment, that's absolutely inappropriate for him. I shake my head and frown.
"When? How? And why are you—?"
"Yes, you. It was all thanks to your best efforts." His hands slide up my arm, and up my chest. "My Lord Bowser, we've won, all thanks to you. We're free."
The way he tells me this…doesn't make it rewarding, but I'm not exactly displeased to hear it. My hands slip around his waist, and I force a grin.
"Great, just…when did you agree to it?"
"Always, after we sorted things out with me."
"Wait, when we what—?"
"And I'm delighted that we've finally went through with it." His grin is a bit more, uh…wicked now. "They never stood a chance."
…They? No, he wouldn't have.
"Who?"
"Peach and her foolish friends, of course."
He…would?
"Um…remind me, what happened?"
"We conquered them. Resistance was met, but ultimately useless."
"And…" I glanced back around her ruined throne room. "…Where are they now?"
"Come now, Bowser." His eyebrows lift briefly, which made him a bit scarier. "You always keep your enemies close."
Looking past me with a smirk, I turn around and see Princess Peach chained up to the wall next to the throne. She…was she there before? She turns slightly and glares at me, yanks her chains, but goes limb right after.
Along the wall adjacent to her are the others, all unconscious…I think: Daisy, their Yoshi pal, some Toads, and…wait, and his brother? …Luigi?
"Mario, why?" I spin back around to him. "This is—"
"For you, of course."
"For me?"
"Absolutely."
"Your friends—your brother—they're in chains."
"It was worth it, for us to happen."
Ok, time out. What happened to before, when he was insisting on peace? In fact, what happened to Star Hill? I can't even remember…wait, did we ever get there?
"To be honest, I'm a little out of the loop here."
"Of course, my King." That's off coming from him. "After all, with what you've lost—"
"After I what?" Please be metaphorical.
"Relax, it's over."
"No, Mario, what did I lose?"
"…Enough." He tilts his head the other way and I'm almost afraid to follow it.
Curiosity drives me, and I wish it hadn't. Eight broken scepters are scattered around the floor, gems shattered. The broken spectacles and torn cap make my stomach churn and twist. Red sunglasses are abandoned and broken, next to a lone golden ring and another pair of broken glasses.
Forcing myself past them, I squint outside. Some Koopa shells are abandoned, with my banners standing near them, flapping, but torn. Cannons are overturned, and a Bullet Bill lies helpless on the ground. Piranha Plant stems are sticking from the ground, along with abandoned spiked balls, dug up holes, and a flopped over Goomba Shoe.
"Brave sacrifices." I spin back around to Mario, who drops his head a little. "They did what was necessary for you, my Lord."
"W-Wait. I've lost soldiers many times before, but…Kamek…? The Koopalings, they're not that easy to…they're not…" I shake my head and stare at Mario. "How much did I lose this time? Is there even a kingdom left to rule?"
"For us, there is." He nonchalantly glances at his friends, or former ones, and shrugs. "Once they're dealt with how we like, the three of us will reign."
My shoulders drop, at just a bit of relief. "Junior too. Good, where is he?"
"Oh, no, not Junior." My eyes widen as Mario turns back to me. "We had a deal, remember?"
"Deal? Mario, I love you, but I would never trade my son's life for yours."
"Haven't you already? Countless times, putting him into senseless danger—"
"That's nothing compared to what you've gone through," I argue. "What did you do with him?"
"I did nothing." He stares past me, expressionless. "That one, on the other hand…"
Whirling around, I turn to see a dark robed figure holding Junior in a headlock. A knife is in his other hand. Roaring and spewing fire, I'm charging at him when Mario leaps into my path.
"MOVE," I bellow.
"It's already done."
"PAPA!"
Shoving past Mario, I slow to a halt and drop my arms. They've vanished.
"Mario, why?!" My voice breaks, and I'm trembling with either fear or rage.
"Well, I already asked you that." He shrugs to me, frowning, but not entirely as broken as I am becoming. "You vowed that you would do whatever it takes."
"I have limits!"
"Perhaps that's why I'm still here." He shrugs. "At least, I like to think."
"You…Mario, please, we have to get my son back!"
"It's already done," he repeated.
"I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT!"
"Sir? Lord Bowser?"
Spinning around, the robed figure stood before me again. I ripped off the cloak, only to find…Junior under it?!
"J-Junior, what—?"
"Sir?" Junior's expression is vacant, even as I clutch him. "Sir, please."
"But you…you never call me…you're not suppose…"
The world around me fades away into darkness, and Junior disappears from my arms. Mario steps forward, back in his usual appearance, and he holds me. Just as I reach down to return the favor, he vanishes as well. Squeezing my eyes shut…I let everything disappear entirely.
[Bowser]
My eyes snap open and I push myself up. Unfortunately, that rouses Mario as I accidentally knock him over moving.
"S-Sir?"
Shaking my head, I adjust back to the cabin. It's dark, with no help from the black dresser and desk, but I can make out the glint of spikes from Goomphen's cap.
"Stammers, what…what are you doing here?"
"The-The others se-sent me to w-w-wake you, sir."
"Well, I'm awake, so what for?"
"W-We, uh, are all-almost there, s-sir."
"Where?"
"Star Hill," murmurs Mario, still half-asleep.
"Correct, sir." He pauses and shivers while I raise a brow at him. "I…I n-n-need to go, now, sire! Please h-hurry. B-Bye!"
The little Goomba rockets himself into a wall, yelps in alarm, and runs out a dark opening, disappearing into the ship. I blink, and scratched my jaw.
"…What was he freaking out about?"
"He called us both 'sir,'" mutters Mario as buries his head back into the pillow.
"Are we supposed to be called otherwise?" I ran my claw through my messy hair.
"It's what he's supposed to call you, not me," comes the muffled response.
"Are you not a 'sir,' Mario?" I snort. "Last time I checked—"
"He was trying to be more courteous to you. Or not trying to imply I was your equal. I don't know."
"Why would that even matter?"
"Bowser, I don't know; they're your subjects." He lets out a heavy sigh into the pillow. "Just…go with it."
"Sure." I push off the green covers and slide from the bed. Stretching, I listen to my body crack a bit and groan before turning back to Mario. Carefully, I tuck him back in, propping the covers around him. "Not as warm as me, but that should do."
"Do what?"
"You're staying here, right?"
"No, we're almost at Star Hill." Mario pushes himself up and shakes his head. He pulls the fallen covers off of his overalls and repositions himself. "I'm the reason we're here, and I'm going along for the trip."
"Great, but we…haven't landed yet."
He raises an eyebrow as he grabs his cap and puts it on. "So?"
"We're not getting a warm welcome." He stares blankly at me while I shrug. "Did you forget who you were traveling with?"
"Kamek told us that the Shamans are supposedly unaligned," counters Mario. "You and I have no sway or influence on them. I'd imagine that Peach has none either, since I don't recall her ever mentioning them."
"That's the problem altogether: they're not on anyone's side but their own." I grunt as I fold my arms. "If you were completely without a side in a raging war that's lasted decades within your land, what's the first reaction you'll have at someone from either party arriving in your territory?"
"Bowser, you're not going there to conquer them," he argued. "We're just looking for a cure for me, and then leaving."
Putting it so sweetly simple like that could probably fool the Shamans after all, were it just Mario coming. Not me though, as I shook my head. "We're coming with a large vessel, Mario. They're going to know there's more than one or two of us on here. Thirteen is an overwhelming and threatening number. Hell, even just seeing a boat is a threat to them."
Mario walks over to me and takes my hands into his. "Have a little faith in people, Bowser." Without another word, he guides me from the dark cabin and through the ship, as we pass through the lower decks and go topside.
On the main deck, my forces are all gathered and stare across the misty waters below the darkened blue sky, no stars in sight. Far in the distance, past the mist, I could barely make out the outline of a dark purple cliff.
"I…thought we rested less than a full day," I murmur.
"You did, sire," reported Tech Guy, as the blue hooded Shy…uh, Fly Guy floats over to Mario and I. "It's been just seven hours since you sent Mario under, and six hours and fifty three minutes since Kamek sent you after him."
"You could've just rounded up," I mutter. Clearing my throat and just a little louder, I ask, "If we've only slept a few hours, then why is it dark already? Kamek sent me down during the early morning hours, so it should be afternoon at the latest."
"That's the area, sir." Glaucus, the gray Spike Top, wanders over to us while gazing up past his shell. "Similar to your territory, Star Hill appears to be perpetually dark, allowing anyone to see the stars whenever possible."
"There's a 'but' coming up, isn't there?"
"Yes, sire. Though the area is typically dark, the mist is…atypical. It shouldn't be here."
"Which means that we either came during the perfect time, or—"
A cannon blast fires out, and a heavy splash near the ship follows it right after.
"We're uh-under attack!"
Jumping around, the Goomba runs across the ship, shouting it to anyone that somehow couldn't have heard him. Ruby cackles and floats down from the crow's nest, as Koopella marches beside me.
"Did you see anything?" The purple Koopatrol folds her arms as the Red Boo, who shrugs and giggles.
"Nothing of interest," he cackles. "Just the direction of the cannon blast. But if there's one, then there are bound to be—"
Three more shots ring out as we duck. Two cannonballs splash around us, while a third cracks off the starboard railing. Mario and I slowly rise, and I stare at the damage: minor, but they've got a read on us.
"Orders, Your Excellence?"
I turn as the Poison Blooper floats over to me, tapping her green tentacles together. Scanning the deck, I spot a few cannons locked and tied down. Olive follows my train of thought and nods, tugging Koopella to follow her. Mario catches on just a few seconds after, before I can turn my attention from them.
"Wait, Bowser, don't do this." He stares up at me with a pleading look in his eyes. "If they think we're hostiles now, they'll be even more likely to assume the worst if we retaliate. There must be another way."
Another cannonball whizzes through the air and slams into our boat. I fumble with my balance as Mario falls over and hard on his rear. Koopella runs over to the port side and slams her fist down.
"Tech, we're taking on water!" The purple clad Koopatrol whirls around to the blue robed Fly Guy, who nods. "You've got it?"
"A good Shy Guy always comes prepared." He buzzes forward a bit, but pauses. "Olive, just in case, I'd like you on standby with me."
"Of course."
Carefully, he flies down over the side of the ship, with the Blooper in tow. Koopella runs over to the stairs below deck next.
"Bombkin, Jasmine! Ready the lower cannons!"
"We're on it!"
Mario forces himself up as the xebec shifts around, now tilting and unbalancing us again. He grabs my arm and I pull him up. Again, he looks into my eyes, and I find a calm in his deep blue eyes.
"Orders, sire?" I shake my head and turn to Ruby, who lightly pats the cannon he stands before. Koopella glares over to him. "Aw, sorry. Did you want to use that line? I know how much you love fighting and all that—"
"Whenever you're ready sir," Koopella interrupts the Boo. "We're ready on your command."
"Bowser, don't." I turn back down to Mario. He's steady now, his hand tightly locked in mine. "We can find another way."
Another cannonball splashes down beside us and hits the water hard, knocking the ship around. Mario flinches and stumbles a bit. Steadying my legs, I keep us both standing as my brows sink over my eyes.
"Sorry. I can't take that risk." He's ready to argue, but I roar over his coming protests: "Fire all!"
Shots ring out as the cannonballs burst forth, sailing across the sky. Koopella, Ruby, and Stammers rush from one cannon to the next, firing in rapid succession as Bombkin and Jasmine do the same with the artillery below. Accuracy isn't a great factor; the number of shots we fired is greater than what they can launch back at us. Soft thuds and crashes in the distance confirm our scored shots against the enemy.
Several more attacks are fired against us as the last of ours slam down along the distant land, with most of theirs missing; one, however, manages to burst down on the deck beside us, crashing below the ship.
"Who the blasted hell…?!" Kamek shouts and quickly warps up to us, his clothes a little wrinkled, his glasses sliding off his face, and his cap tilted the wrong way. "What's going on?!"
"We were under attack." I watch the horizon, still clouded by the fog. "We responded in kind."
"What? Who would…?" Kamek adjusts his cap and spectacles back into place. "Of course. Shamans would. Truly, they live up to their overprotective reputation."
"Shall we continue our attack, sire?" Koopella waits beside a loaded cannon, while Ruby and Goomphen hurry back into place. "We're ready when you are."
"Hold fire." I sigh and rub my thumb over Mario's hand. We exchange expressions, and he's easily annoyed and frightened by quickness to a counterattack. More surprising must be the relief in my face. Listening to Tech's buzzing propeller return to us, I breathe easy. "We're safe at the moment. That's what matters."
"No returned fire yet, sire," Glaucus assesses and strolls beside us. "Should we proceed to the land?"
"…Cautiously." I scratch my chin and nod. "Koopella, Ruby. Be ready to return fire at a moment's notice. If you hear a shot against us, retaliate immediately."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." I glance at the helm, and then at Kamek. "Well?"
"Hm? Oh, yes." Quickly, the old coot waves his wand and the ship surges forward once again. As we move on, the fog begins to dissipate. "Odd."
"W-Would this be a w-wel-welcome?" Goomphen shudders under his spiked cap as I shake my head.
"More than likely, we've just angered them," explains Glaucus. "They want us over there quickly so they can change battle tactics."
"Uh…oh." The Goomba's lip quivers as we wait to reach the land. "S-So then…"
He trails off as Olive gently pats his cheek, with Tech Guy flying up to the crow's nest. The xebec advances and we continue to the purple land in the distance. Even as we draw closer, the area only becomes more expansive, with several mounds in the distance, and blue stones glowing on the craggy surface.
Upon reaching the area, we dock the ship by a plateau, with a trail leading up to the main land. Everyone from the main deck climbs off of the ship and down planks to reach it. We stop and wait for the others below deck, with only Bombkin and Jasmine appearing quickly.
"Aren't we missing people?"
"Nix, and…uh…huh." The yellow robed Snifit pats on her mask's nozzle. "Honestly, I forgot the Paratroopa's name completely."
"They were supposed to be right behind us!" The orange Tail Bob-omb sizzles in annoyance. "What's taking them? We'll fall behind schedule at this rate!"
"What schedule?"
"The one I planned out for hypothetical purposes." Bombkin nods. "It soothes me."
"Why don't you just listen to Glaucus instead?" Ruby cackles. "His monotone is so soft that it's easy to be calm around him."
"Oh, Ruby, please." Olive taps two of her tentacles together. "That's so rude."
"He has point," admits Glaucus. "I'm not terribly loud nor animated with my voice. On the bright side, it easy to promote calmness in myself, as well as others."
"Then maybe you should get to work on this cutie," called Nix. The black Rex with white wings steps out of the ship, pulling the bright, white-shelled Paratroopa after him. Feather Duster is clutching tightly to a mop as he finally comes out. "He would have cleaned the entire ship all over again if you let him."
"Is that what you two were doing the whole time?" Jasmine folds her stubby arms together. "Because I don't even recall seeing either of you."
"We were," defends Nix. "Well…ok, uh, he was. I…watched, mostly."
"Watched?" Koopella snorts. "Were you actually learning how to clean, or were you just blankly staring at the poor Paratroopa the whole time?"
"Guys, I've got a name—"
"Oh, I was watching, you can count on that!" Nix folds his arms and beams proudly. "Definitely observed all." He turns to Feather Duster, who tilts his head in confusion.
"Nix, you're a total pervert," deadpans Tech Guy.
"Well, if the smart guy states that, it must be true!" The Rex laughs and proudly places his hands on his waist. "I could think of worse things to be, so I'll take that as a compliment."
"Enough," commands Kamek. "Step away from the xebec."
Everyone backs up on his order and we watch as Kamek summons his broomstick. He twirls his wand about and casts a massive cloud of hex spells around the ship, surrounding it from top to bottom.
"There," Kamek proudly calls. "It should be safe from vandalism."
"V…Vandalism?" Goomphen shudders.
"Oh, come on." The Boo floats over and pokes the Goomba, causing him to rocket into the air before gravity has him crash back down. "We were just attacked by angry locals. Of course they would consider destroying our sole method of transportation."
"Speaking of," Bombkin gains our attention. "How shall we plan our approach against these spell casting experts?"
"Spell casting species," amends Kamek. "Not all of them are experts like yours truly."
Out of nowhere, his broom catches fire and quickly burns. With a yelp, Kamek jumps off, with Feather Duster flying forward to catch him. Mario and I spin around to find a pair of robed figures ahead, both fleeing into the distance upon sighting each of us.
"What was that about expertise?" I tease the old mage.
"Stow it, boy."
"Unless there's anything else for us to take care of," sounds Olive, "I propose we move forward."
"Agreed."
Gently pulling Mario after me, I lead the troops forward for a slight portion of the path before Nix and Koopella take the lead.
"Pardon me, milord Bowser sire, but we wouldn't want you to get hit with any surprises." Nix pauses and smirks. "Well, none of the potential unpleasant ones."
"Besides the crude part at the end, he is right, sire," concurs Koopella. "Take Mario and proceed after us."
Though I nod, something tells me that I wouldn't have had much of a choice in the matter. Just as the pair takes the lead, Tech Guy, Jasmine, and Olive take positions on our left. Ruby, Feather Duster, and Bombkin move to our right. Glancing back, Kamek walks behind Mario and I, with Goomphen and Glaucus barely steps behind him. The ten quietly continue to stroll forward with us, as if their defensive circle was completely commonplace.
Climbing forward along the path, we soon reach the main land. Gravelly ground beneath us, lavender leaves scattered from violet-blue trees to the sides, and large, dark blue stones to the sides, the location needs no introduction by this point. But, naturally, we move ahead to a shattered, yet glowing, star-shaped aqua stone.
"So, where's the Star Hill welcome wagon?"
Continuing ahead, we pass the stone and a wall, sighting craters further down the trail. As we approach those, I observe that they came from our cannonballs, having torn up the ground into the pits they formed. Further on, a tree is smashed open with another cannonball smashed into the stony wall.
"Nice aim, Koopella," mocks Nix. "One of these must have been you."
"At least I was actually fighting," the Koopatrol bitingly returns. "You were watching the floorboards dry, right?"
"Ah, something with stiff wood, yeah." The Rex laughs even as Koopella punches his shoulder. "You went there!"
"No, you did. Now shut up; we need to listen carefully."
Slowing our pace, Mario and I join the two as we gaze ahead, searching the area for anything or anyone that might pop out. Even though neither of us hear a sound, Koopella taps Nix, who turns back to stop us.
"Tech, you got a spear?"
"Yep."
Rummaging around in a pack that he had carried, Tech pulls out a blade and a silver staff. He pulls on pole arm to extend it, and then twists the blade on top. He tosses it over to Koopella, who catches it and spins around.
"Thanks."
She then creeps forward, readying the spear before her. Koopella's movements are near silent, without even the slightest skid over the ground beneath her. Waiting a moment, she quickly dives around a corner, and a yelp is heard. Goomphen audibly swallows hard.
"D-Did she…did she j-just…?"
Scuffling and dragging noises are heard before Koopella reappears, dragging a teal robed figure. Unlike Magikoopa or Shy Guy robes, these cloak the figure's entire body, with only two orange eyes and a tuft of red hair visible from behind the shadowed area of its hood. There's a slight tear where the hem dangles, where the spear caught him. Koopella throws the Shaman forward as his arms lift from his body; only gloved hands are visible, and briefly before the sleeves flow over them again. Pushing up, he backs away from us, but Koopella cuts off his escape routes.
"W-What do you monsters want with me?" His voice is almost ethereal, similar to a Boo's, but with less of a humored tone cackling behind it.
"Answers." I stepped forward, a bit in front of Mario. "Anything you can give us."
"Then prepare for disappointment, Koopa."
Quickly, the Shaman pointed his hand up to the sky, and a bright red flare suddenly launched from his finger. It burst in the sky and, within seconds, three more Shamans jump down from cliffs along the craggy walls. Two shorter ones are in carmine red and forest green robes, while the larger third Shaman wears a dark green. Each set their hands ablaze and aims at us. Koopella lifts her spear to the Shaman before us, ready to impale him.
"Release him, monster," commands the Shaman in red.
"Or what? You'll toss fireballs at us?" I snort. "I've played against Fire Flowers before. And I'm not exactly threatened by them."
"Fireballs are the weakest of tools to use," taunts the green robed Shaman. "Perhaps that will be all that is needed against the likes of you."
"If I so much as see a flame flutter from a finger," Koopella threatens, "I'll gut him."
"You make the mistake of thinking he's important," laughs the largest of the trio. "Any of us would rather die if we needed to keep our people safe."
"Um, yeah, sure, but…can we try avoiding my death?" The Teal Shaman shivers.
"Considering our options," the Red Shaman assesses, "that might be unavoidable."
"Hang on!" Mario pushes his way forward and steps in front of me. "You attack us, and you'll be participating in a war that you would rather avoid. The smart option would be to avoid this conflict."
"The reason that we're here," thunders the large Shaman, "is because you've brought the war to us!"
"Actually, no, we're here for something unrelated to it," explains Mario. "I'm cursed."
"So you would assume that it's our magic?" The shorter green one sounds offended.
"Well, we've already determined that it was not a Magikoopa's magic." Mario shrugs. "Maybe it's something else entirely and we don't know what that is. But until we rule out the magic works of a Shaman, we need to be here."
"You invade our homeland, attack us—"
"To be fair, you attacked our ship first," interrupted Tech Guy. "We were just sailing here and wouldn't have even mounted an attack on the, uh…mountains, until we were attacked first."
"Yet you fight fire with fire?" The red Shaman shakes his head. "Exactly what did you hope to gain from that? What kind of response do you expect of us?"
"First off, we were defending ourselves," I snap. "Second, if you attack us, what kind of response were you looking for? Besides the ship sinking, what did you want us to do?"
"Leave," mutters the captive Shaman. "But it appears that's no longer an option."
"Forget faults." Mario steps forward again. "Just lead us to whoever is in charge, allow us to seek counsel with them, and we'll leave sooner. No one needs to fight, no one needs to die."
"You practically killed our people with that assault!"
"And you nearly killed us!"
"Bowser," hisses Mario.
"What? They did!"
"Guys," the teal Shaman calls out again, "it may be that they've got a spear to my back, but can we try giving them a chance? Chieftain Vi will want to see them alive or dead anyway, so we might as well bring them—"
"To the hamlet that they've already helped destroy?! Absolutely not!"
"Seems like they don't value your life one bit," cackles Ruby.
"No matter how powerful your magic is, you're outnumbered," continues Mario. "And we have magic capabilities between our group. You may stop some of us, but you cannot defeat us all, and battling is pointless—"
"The goal isn't to defeat you, it's to weaken you," corrects the shorter green Shaman.
"Have you had any casualties yet?" None of the Shamans reply to Mario's inquiry. "Then does it make any sense to tally them up, instead of just taking us with you?"
"If it makes it easier for our people to dispatch you when you approach, then yes."
"Come off it," intervenes Glaucus. "If we were here for blood or conquest, your friend here would be dead, we would already be fighting you, and more than likely off to destroy whatever settlement you're safeguarding. We're not. We sailed here for the sole purpose of helping this gentleman that's carefully campaigning for a peaceful solution to what has been an otherwise hostile conflict." The Spike Top shakes his gray shell a bit and rests again. "It's up to you, but think carefully how you want this to play out. If you do care for your people's lives, you'll make the right choice."
"Which, in this scenario, also happens to be the smart one," adds the Fly Guy. "Though, that's based on my perspective."
For a moment, the Shamans glance and whisper to one another. They nod and shake their heads during their quiet discussion before ultimately lowering their hands, letting their embers die down. They wait for us, presumably to double cross and attack them, and jerk up in mild astonishment when we don't.
"Bah, all right then." The largest Shaman straightens up. "Lead them to the hamlet, and we'll let Vi speak with them." He beckons the other two to follow him and they walk back beyond the cliffs, out of sight.
"Why is the chief named after a letter?" Feather Duster questions.
"There's an "i" after the "v," but it's pronounced the same way," explains the teal robed Shaman.
"Ah."
"And your name?" Jasmine pipes in. "What's yours?"
"Me? I, uh…I'm Alistair." The teal robed Shaman shrugs. "Or, for now, at least. Once I'm assigned a new job…or, if, I suppose, I'll be given a new name."
"You're…named for your jobs?" I grunt. "That's…odd."
"Perhaps to you, but it's pretty normal for us." Alistair shrugs again. "It's important that we are always reminded of what our tribal role is."
"Oh, like Feather Duster."
"That's not my name!"
"Yeah, I already renamed him, 'Cutie Pie,'" jokes Nix.
"Aw, come on!" The Paratroopa folds his arms in annoyance. "It's not even that hard of a name to remember! It's not even special!"
"Then yes, I suppose our names would be similar to his."
"But that's not…oh, forget it."
"Is this hamlet much further?" Mario taps on the Shaman's shoulder.
"It's just a little further…there."
He points ahead and we see just a few clustered houses, or rather, some huts of wood and stone. There's not much to the place, though our assault added new features such as a cooking pit and the potential for swimming pools; all they need to do is figure out how to move the cannonballs from the craters. And the few huts that we managed to destroy.
Several Shamans are wandering around outside, but pause and observe us as we enter the hamlet. Though their colors are a varied palette, each robe is either toned down or shaded, giving off a muted or darker vibe as a whole; even yellows and oranges are dulled. Everyone wears a hood or veil over his or her faces, with only hair tufts, mustaches, or beards visible.
Alistair waves to a few shadowed faces that don't wave back, too concentrated on us, before guiding us to a hut in the middle, still in tact from the attack. He stops and turns to us.
"Wait just one moment, please," he instructs while opening the door.
"No chance," I interrupt. "He's seeing us immediately."
"Um…I don't know how well he can accommodate fifteen people."
"Fine." I turn and look over my subjects. "Kamek and Mario are obviously coming in with me. Olive, Bombkin, the two of you can come as well." The orange Bob-omb and the green Blooper come over to us. "The rest of you, out here. And don't start trouble unless someone else does."
My other soldiers nod and we turn back to Alistair. He looks me up and down before nodding and entering, with the five of us in tow. Well, the others get in without a problem; I need to hunch down and push through the small opening. It's a tighter squeeze for me, but I manage to get in.
"Chieftain Vi," announces Alistair, "I've brought to you the ones that attacked us." He pauses and scratches his head. "Um…that's meant to sound less foolish than it does."
"Ah, the outsiders, yes."
The Chieftain steps forward, in azure robes with a goldenrod pointed hat atop his hood. A black beard flows out from his darkened face, and I'm assuming there should be some additional facial hair with it. His eyes are a glowing sky blue.
"Thank you for accepting us into your humble abode," greets Olive for the rest of us.
"Welcome to Stardust Valley, I suppose." His tone, while tempered, has obvious hints of aggravation. "To what do my people owe this displeasure?"
"Listen, you attacked us," I snarl.
"And you retaliated, as anticipated." Vi shakes his head. "Just second nature for the Koopa King, of course."
"What?!"
"Easy, Bowser," soothes Mario. "Contrary to the attack, we mean no harm here."
"Clearly," quips the chief. "Just encroaching on our territory for whatever reason."
"We don't have time to keep bantering over this," snaps Kamek. "This man is cursed, by Shaman magic." He adjusts his spectacles before continuing. "I've tested it against other spells that Magikoopa are familiar with. It's most certainly not of our kingdom. We came here to cure him. Nothing more; we're not looking to disturb your people that ran away from the world."
"Shamans don't run from problems." Vi strokes his beard and studies Mario. "Cursed? Are you certain it's Shaman magic?"
"Yes," assures Kamek. "Advanced magic, too."
Silently, the Shaman Chieftain lifted his arms up toward Mario, with his hands glowing an aqua color.
"Hey now!" Bombkin rushes forward. "None of that, you hear? I'll blow this place sky high, if needed!"
"Your Magikoopa may have done a thorough inspection, but I need to ensure his theories for myself," clarifies Vi. "This isn't an offensive spell. Just one to inspect for traces of our magic."
"…Very well," Bombkin relents.
"Harm him, and it'll be the last move you make," I threaten.
"Yes, yes, Koopa threats and what not," the Shaman chief dismisses. "Your people have always been such a hardened, furious bunch." He begins to motion his hands across Mario's body. "Then again, I suppose those from the Mushroom Kingdom can be equally cantankerous, try as they might to bury it."
He pauses and tilts his head, eyeing Mario with newfound curiosity. The aura from the Shaman's hands extends across my boyfriend's body, and my heartbeat quickens just watching them. Olive floats over and strokes my arms, but it does nothing for me.
"Stretch out your arms and separate your legs, please," he asks Mario, who follows his instruction. "Now that I think about it," Vi continues, "what is a human doing with the Koopa King himself? And not just any human, but it's the famous hero, 'Super Mario' himself? From what my people have heard, you two should be enemies, correct?"
"It's a long story." Mario checks with me and I nod.
"Very well. Now, hold still a moment."
Vi scoops his hands together, and the aura shifts as he does so. His black-gloved hands shake as he forces them apart, with the blue aura shifting to a bright red. I raise a brow and turn to Alistair, whose eyes widen. Chieftain Vi brings his hands back together and the auras fade completely.
"Well then. That confirms your story." Duh. Chieftain Vi massages his hands together and sighs. "It's rather extraordinary, though; the Shaman magic is more powerful than I can get a fair reading on."
"Something about your tone suggests otherwise," catches Olive. "You're familiar with this magic?"
"Of course; it is Shaman magic."
"Yes, but you know more about it, don't you?"
"Perhaps." He shakes his head and tips his cap. "Though, what purpose do I have telling you all I know, after you've reigned hostility upon this hamlet since your arrival?"
"Hey!" I bark and stomp closer to him. "You want us gone? Then give us answers!"
"Still the menacing over manners," chuckles Chieftain Vi. "What will you do? Try to level this place? Shamans are more powerful than you take them for."
"No, we're fully aware of that," contends Kamek. "It's you that appears to be underestimating us. Odd, considering that you know the aggression that we're infamous for."
"I'm banking on that to help us from whatever conflict your planning to involve us in."
"Listen, you twisted little—"
"Bowser." I jerk my head up and glare at Mario, who frowns at me. He motions his hands down twice and I snort.
"Fine," I reluctantly grumble. "What would it take for you to give us this information that you're withholding?"
"Mm, interesting," analyzes the Shaman. "Mario can calm even the mighty Bowser? Just what happened between you two—?"
"You give us answers, and I'll tell you ours," I interject.
"Tempting," Vi chuckles again, before continuing, "but as you can imagine, Shamans have little interest in the affairs of the larger kingdoms."
"Also a lie," Olive pipes in again. "And, even without your tone, I know that."
"As do I," sounds Bombkin. "You know of both Bowser and Mario. And your people must need to keep tabs on ours to an extent, lest any of us come here and catch you lot off guard."
"Perceptive pair, these two," grunts Vi. "Very well, you are correct on that matter. However, that's not something I immediately desire from any of you."
"What if we helped you rebuild your hamlet," offers Mario. "It'll take less time if we pitch in, and it corrects the damage that we've caused."
"Mario, we're not," I begin to gripe, but he shoots me a glare and I fall silent.
"A nice offer, but we have wounded Shamans to attend to as well."
"If you're that determined to stall us, fine," cuts in Kamek. "Otherwise, I can help with healing your injured citizens."
"Hmm." Vi strokes his long dark beard and exhales again. "I suppose that's as good an offer as we can ask for. Very well; you help us rebuild what you've damaged, and I'll point you in the right direction." He looks over each of us and nods. "Are those terms acceptable?"
Glaring at Mario, he rolls his eyes and returns my annoyance. "…Sure, they're fine."
"Excellent. Alistair, let's head out and begin."
"Yes, sir."
The two Shamans exit. Kamek stares at me, glances at Mario, and turns back to the others.
"Ok, you two, with me, let's help out the Shamans."
Quickly, the three head out, leaving Mario and I alone. He folds his arms and sighs.
"Out with it."
"Do you really have to undermine me like that?" I grab my hair tightly. "Seriously, that was the last thing I needed, and I could have easily coerced him into—"
"Didn't you listen to him? They anticipate that kind of action from you." Mario shakes his head. "And really, Bowser, I thought you would be open to finding alternatives to dealing with your opposing forces. I've asked you about that already."
"For Peach, and I'm thinking about it," I argue. "But not these people. They're…not involved with our affairs, so I don't…need to…I don't know, show mercy?"
"You should, Bowser," contests Mario. "If they're not involved, that makes them a potential ally to your cause. Even still, you shouldn't be looking to make enemies or crush any form of opposition. Reasoning is viable too." He smiles to me, and I deflate. "See how well it works with me?"
"…Good point, but that doesn't change the fact of the matter."
"Which is?"
"These are the people that cursed you."
For a moment, we're both silent as we stare into one another's eyes. He understands my actions now. Still, he manages another smile and grabs my hand, squeezing it.
"Thank you. But that's all the more reason that we need to cooperate with them."
"What? Why?"
"Because the Shamans here have more to tell us." Mario nods as he lets go of my hand. "And right now, they hold all of the cards we need. We made a deal, so let's just follow through. It's already done."
Grunting, I nod and Mario steps outside. His last words stir a chill in me, reminding me of my dream earlier. Grumbling and shaking my head, I force my way back outside.
An hour or so passes as I shift my attention between watching my troops work at rebuilding huts, healing Shamans, and socializing, while I stare over the cliffs, gazing out to the dark horizon, the sky and sea retaining their dark blue colors throughout. I glance back and catch Mario laughing with Goomphen and a group of Shamans as they shift stones into place. Growling, I look to Kamek, who smiles as he waves his wand around, healing a few Shamans that Olive and Glaucus assist him to tending. Snarling, I turn around again and force myself to focus on the water's waves.
"Lord Bowser?"
Pivoting around, I find a yellow Snifit behind me.
"Jasmine," I sigh. "What is it?"
"I was going to ask you the same, sire." She tapped at her mask. "You seem rather upset at the moment."
"It's nothing."
"Very well." I wait for her to leave, but she doesn't immediately. "Would Your Majesty rather that I send Mario or Kamek over?"
"No, I'd rather you walk away and not speak to anyone about me." I turn back and kick a stone off the cliff.
"Sire, it's not my place, but I cannot leave you like this," persists Jasmine. "Please, allow me to send someone else over."
"Look, I don't want anyone else over here, ok?" I whirl back and glare at her. Sighing, my face drops and I shake my head. "It's just…I don't know. I don't trust these people, and yet, everyone else is helping them along just fine."
"Only in your best interests, milord. And Mario's."
"Sure, and that's fine, but I…" Trailing off, I sigh again. "That's just it though. Mario's good at doing this stuff, helping people. It's what he does, heroic and kind and all that."
"He is inspiring," she agrees.
"Right, but…I'm not." I spin away from her and stare out at the water again.
"Sir?"
"Honestly, it shouldn't be bothering me so much." I force a laugh, which weakly dies. "I just…love how good he is, with almost anyone. Even as exhausting as it can be for him to put up that front, that face, Mario slips into that helpful hero role so easily." I sigh.
"Ah…sire?"
"Meanwhile, I'm notorious for the same hot-blooded temper and bellowing that's run in my family for generations. And I've built my empire on so many failures that it's astounding to have anyone still loyal to me." A more genuine chuckle falls out, as lackluster as it sounds.
"Uh, sir?"
"Having dissenters makes perfect sense, and I should honestly have them in bulk. I've promised them that I would overturn Peach's reign, but I've delivered nothing. They want Mario's blood to atone for their fallen brethren, but I've fallen in love with him instead." I claw my hands through my hair and yank on my horns.
"Bowser, sir."
"Lately, I've screwed up so many times that I feel like helping out will always end blowing up in my face. Sure, I've gotten lucky a few times, but for the most part, I'm afraid. And I haven't even helped the Shamans here, not only because I distrust them, but also because I don't want to screw up everyone else's efforts." I chuckle and turn around. "Sorry Jasmine, I don't mean to ramble on over you, but I wanted to get that out, and I…"
My mouth hangs open as Mario folds his arms, a smirk right across his face. Jasmine drops her arms and hangs her head.
"I'm fired, aren't I, sir?"
"Not today," I grumble. "But you better walk away this time."
"As you wish, sire. My apologies."
Swiftly, the Snifit hurries away, leaving me with Mario. Breathing in through my nose, I hold the breath and cup a hand over my eyes, before slowing exhaling it.
"How long?"
"Pretty much the whole thing."
"Naturally." I drag my hand away and groan. "Well? I dumped out my insecurities. Got anything for that?"
"Just the typical pep talks that you've possibly heard before, telling you that you're not as much of a screw up, and that you're great with your son, the Koopalings, Kamek, more soldiers than you realize, and me." He pauses and I glance at him. As he opens his mouth, I look away. "That it's not easy to rule a kingdom, that everyone makes mistakes, that it's ok to mess up, and that you shouldn't be so discouraged to try things, especially if I'm around to help you."
"You done?"
"Nope, but I'll let it slide for now." Mario takes my hand and holds it, rubbing it. "You want to talk about anything else?"
"We're here for your problems, not all of mine."
"Bottling yours up doesn't make them go away, Bowser." I look down to see him smiling up at me. "And just because I've got a destructive curse that's eating away at me doesn't mean that you're allowed to just put me first and forget all of your own troubles, because that won't help either of us."
"…Fine." I grumble and kick at the ground again, watching a small cloud of purple dust float off. "I, uh…well, you're not the person I wanted to talk about this with, but I guess if I can't…look, I had a nightmare, earlier."
"Back on the ship?"
"Yeah, and it was…I don't know, strange."
"Elaborate."
"Well, apparently, you gave in, teamed up with me to take over Peach's Castle, which threw me off to begin with, because I know you would never."
"Sorry." He shrugs, at a loss of anything else to add.
"No, I understand." I scratch the back of neck, around my collar. "Honestly, I am trying to avoid doing anything like that, so that's another reason why it confused me." I shrugged and slightly smiled. "We already got into a fight with your friends, and I don't want you mad at me all over again."
"So far so good." He returns my smile and squeezed my hand a bit.
"Great! …Oh, right. Uh, after I walked into the throne room and you came out…oh, you showed me all of your friends all chained up, so that goes along with the first part." I tap my nails together and recall the dream's details. "Actually, you were really ok with it, and it was kind of sexy, but pretty creepy too. You had a cape, and you were all into it being for the two of us to rule together, essentially relentless against your friends. Um, you also kept calling me by royal titles, which I don't really like coming from you when we're not goofing around."
"Wait, wait," Mario waves his free hand to pause me. "I got held up by the part where you thought I was sexy and creepy. How does that work?"
"Um…well, I don't know how it works really." My face fires up and I'm positive it's flushed over now. "You were really into holding me while acting all seductive and smug, but you had this wicked grin on your face at some points, and, oh!" I snap my fingers. "The next part, you reported all of the casualties to me, which included Kamek, and the Koopalings, along with a good amount of my army, to the point where it might have just been the two of us left."
"Wow, uh, that went from fun ideas to horrid possibilities, and really fast too." I nod while Mario scratches his head under his cap. "But, what about Junior?"
Smiling, I'm delighted that he remembered my son, but I quickly frown over the next part. "Apparently, we made a deal to trade Junior's life for whatever we needed to secure victory. Some guy in a dark robed outfit had him with a knife, you tried to explain to me that I couldn't go back on it, then they vanished and I was having a meltdown over it. Then I started hearing Goomphen, but it played out in my dream, so the guy in the robes returned, and I ripped them off, but it was Junior who was there, and then everything except the two of us disappeared, but just before I could grab you, you vanished. And…that was it."
Shaking my head, I look down to Mario, whose mouth hangs open while he stares at me. With a snort, I shake my head and slip my hand away from him.
"See? I knew I didn't want to tell you."
"No, I'm glad you did, it's just…that's a lot of…awful, terrible scenarios."
"You're telling me." I fold my arms and nod. "And I thought you would have topped me with nightmares. Not that it's a contest." My frown droops lower while I drop my head and arms again. "But now I'm remembering yours, and I feel bad about dumping mine out."
"At least you didn't watch anyone die," soothes Mario. "That was definitely more horrid than mine, but I actually watched you die right in front of me. And before you, Peach fell to her death, and after, I…wait." Mario pauses and stares down at the ground.
"What is it?"
"There was a dark robed figure in my dream too," he recalls. "And it stabbed me at the end of mine too."
"Hooray! Infectious dreams!" I laugh a bit and pat Mario's back. "I must have had yours sitting in the back of my mind and thought it up myself."
"Bowser, I never described the assailant to you."
We both freeze as my eyes widen. After a minute, Mario grabs my hands and shakes me a bit.
"It's fine, we'll figure it out later." He turns back to the Shamans, all of which I immediately feel less comfortable around. "Let's finish up here and get moving."
"Mario, they're all wearing really dark robes," I panic as I analyze. "What if the Shaman that cursed you is here, and he's also a killer? Or she, for all we know!"
"They're…not that dark," Mario reasons. "Besides, we don't know if anyone here is capable of that, so…um, we could just see where Vi points us."
"And if he's lying?"
"That's a bridge we'll have to cross later." He sways my hands as he rubs them. "We don't have any means to prove who could have done it, and we can't interrogate the entire hamlet."
"Why not?"
"Because it's over the top," dismisses Mario. "Now, we'll see what Vi tells us once we're done cleaning up." He turns and gazes back to the Shamans rebuilding. "Actually, I think that we're almost done, save for a cannonball to move in that crater right there."
He points and I march off from the cliffs, waving for him to follow me. Storming up to the cannonball in a crater, I grab onto it. Sucking in air and heaving, I tug on it and pull to lift it.
"Easy, Bowser, we had everyone pitch in with the others—"
Roaring, I lift the cannonball from the ground, spin, and launch it off the mountainside, off into the sea in the distance. Panting, I turn to Mario, whose mouth has fallen open again.
"Impressed, right?" I flex my muscles for him. "You forget how strong I am, after all that cuddling, huh?"
"Um…I suppose so, but…why would you throw it into the sea?"
Opening my mouth and raising a finger, I try to answer him, but nothing comes to mind. Pinching my lower lip, I shrug.
"It had to go somewhere, right?"
"They were planning on putting them aside to reuse for their own cannons."
"Well, that's no help for us. And we can't transport them back, so…" I shrug. "It works out in the end. Sort of."
Silent for a moment, Mario and I burst out laughing. Someone interrupts us by clearing his throat, and we stop, turning to find Kamek and Chieftain Vi before us.
"Uh…are we done?"
"We do still need to figure out how to fill in this crater," points out Vi, "but for the most part, yes, that should be all the help we need from you."
"Good, then…hold on a second." I clear my throat and turn. "Olive!" I shout out. "Get over here!"
Within seconds, the Poison Blooper floats over to us. "At Your Gracious Sire's service."
"Right." I turn back to the chief. "Now, what weren't you telling us?"
"Well, it's true that Mario is cursed, and that a Shaman was behind it." He turns and surveys the other Shamans as they finish the repairs. "But I have no idea who could be behind it, nor am I capable of determining which among my people would have the means of doing so." Vi pivots back to us. "You see, that curse you're under has been there for some time, but I can't determine the methods that were utilized for it. If someone cast it from a distance, they would have needed an array of supplies, along with a piece of you to use in conjunction with the spell."
"A…piece of me?"
"Yes, though not necessarily flesh," notes Vi, putting no one at ease. "It could be hair, a nail, a tooth, and other manner of, uh…um. Fluids…?" He coughs as we exchange disgusted expressions with one another. "Anyway, you get the idea. It's more complicated from afar, though still possible. Up close, you need to have the entire spell ready to be cast, and even then, you must be directly on top of the target." Vi shrugs. "To my knowledge, none of the Shamans that are here have visited either the Mushroom Kingdom or the Koopa Kingdom. And we're a small settlement, so anyone's absence is noticed."
"That has to be crap," I disrupt. "It has to be someone here."
Glancing at Olive, she shrugs. "He…doesn't sound like he's lying about anything."
"There's nothing to lie about, honestly," confesses Vi, though I'm wary of him. "The last thing that the people here would want is to join your war; we steer clear of your territories for that reason alone." He sighs. "However…we're not the only settlement of Shamans, nor are we the most powerful."
Everyone utters it out at once: "What?"
"There are several peaks to Star Hill, with the tallest housing the Star Shrine," describes Vi. "The third highest, however, has a family of Shamans living there, high away from the rest of us. They're prophetic, capable of reading future events, and hold more power than those of us down here can manage."
"So," I start, "it was one of them?"
"Not necessarily, and I can't point out an accusing finger to save my people," admits Vi. "After all, there are numerous people here who have not been assigned their jobs, in which they have a name change and have their potentials determined. So, it is possible that someone here has kept their powers concealed, or they could be dormant until the opportune moment." Vi shakes his head and tugs on his cap. "Sorry, that only expands the possibilities."
"We need to start somewhere," cuts in Kamek. "Who are you sending us to?"
"Merlon. That's what they call him now."
"Wait, Merlon?" Mario picks at his mustache and wrinkles his nose. "That name sounds familiar…"
"That's the part I was getting to," explains Vi. "There are multiple Shamans by that name, as well as the names of his family members. They are also travelers, for their role of fortune telling can guide them to various lands, regardless of the Shaman populous there. Perhaps you've run into fortune tellers of the same name, and thus, similar roles."
"Then it could have been any of them," I criticize. "This is only expanding our pool of suspects."
"True, but this is why I must send you to the Merlon of Star Hill," explains Vi. "The peak they live on is known as 'Shooting Star Summit.' Go there, and you can find Merlon. Even if you are suspicious of him, he is your only hope at narrowing the potential Shaman that cursed you. Even more importantly, Merlon can most definitely remove the curse." Vi strokes his beard and tips his cap. "This is everything that I know, and all I can offer to help you with."
"Well…it's a step forward," decides Mario. "Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome. I'll take you and your troops to the way for the crossroads to the different mountains. Once you reach it, there should be signs, but if they've been vandalized recently, you'll want to take the path nearest to the middle trail, but going toward the left."
"Ok, point us to it, and we'll be off."
He nods and guides us through the hamlet, with Kamek and Olive rounding up the rest of our crew. The local Shamans stop and watch Mario and I as we pass, while I try to read them, looking for a potential match to the Shaman that cursed Mario, and possibly the one in our dreams.
Naturally, I can't really decide which one rubs me the wrong way, or any more than they usually do, and we're left moving forward as everyone meets up with us by a lighter, smoother pathway. Chieftain Vi stops, glances down it, and nods to us.
"Your best bet is traveling this way," he points out. "Be on guard; there are threats around Star Hill, as well as savage Shamans that may attack you."
"Swell," I grumble.
"We can handle it," assures Mario. "Thank you again, Chieftain Vi."
"And again, you're welcome." He tips his cap to us. "I do hope you find the answers you're looking for, as well as how to be rid of this curse."
My troops form a circle around us again, as we march onward, leaving the hamlet of Stardust Valley behind us. Mario waves to Vi until we're too far from his sight.
"What an peculiar tribe of magicians," snickers Ruby. "They're oh so very cryptic, and more so secretive."
"It could have been worse," gently disputes Jasmine. "They could have kept fighting us, not told us any information at all, and only cause more quarrels with us."
"Ohohoho…if only that were the worst they could have done!"
"How much worse were you expecting, Ruby?" Even I was curious at this point.
"Muuuch." The Red Boo's usual wicked grin dropped to a frown. "Magic is and has always been a double-edged sword."
"Obviously, and we've all heard that one before," I grumble. "Mind explaining your point further?"
"Certain magical arts are quite enjoyable to dabble in; Boos are not as strong of practitioners, but we enjoy its benefits," expanded Ruby. More darkly, he continued, "However, magic is also quite destructive against even a ghost such as me. Though we fool around with it, several types of magic can harm us, as well as dispel us entirely. Clearly, if it's so effective against us, it's equally, if not more powerful, against the rest of you." He…shivered, of all reactions. "Even if we need them, being around the Shamans was not pleasant, as much for me as anyone else."
"Uh…sorry," I manage, scratching behind my head. "But…you're usually fine around the Magikoopa."
"They're always around us and have practiced spells that we are familiar with," clarifies Ruby. "Even if they find us annoying, a Magikoopa we know is less likely to try erasing us than others capable of magic."
"True, as tempting as it sometimes would be to mess with Boos that drive us insane," jokes Kamek.
"Imagine that same feeling, with less restraint, around another mage. Perhaps they might enjoy getting rid of a Boo, perhaps they cast another horrible fate. Consider a Shaman might make me into a puppet of their own use, or perhaps distort me in some terrible and twisted form." He curls into his body and morphs around, but returns to his usual form, small hands over his eyes. "Having control over this shifting form is such fun; I don't like to imagine it being used against me."
"Sorry again." I didn't quite know how to console the Boo, especially over fears of the Shamans. "If you want to leave, I, uh, guess that's fine."
"Leave? And miss the fun that everyone else is going through with you, sire?" Ruby grins again and cheerfully cackles. "Now what kind of a loyal servant would do such a cowardly act? This Boo may be afraid, but that only makes the adventure that much more thrilling!"
"Then…you have a twisted sense of fun," I chuckle.
Ruby maintains his toothy smile and agrees: "Boos tend to."
Further along the craggy pass, we pass numerous violet trees and blue stones, with leaves scratching along our trail. After reaching another star shaped stone, we come up to broken signs and a crossroads for the different peaks. There are seven roads ahead of us, and we stare at them.
"Figures that the signs are broken," nitpicks Kamek. "Now, which way was it?"
"He told us that it should be the…third from the left, I think," explains Mario. "That one near the middle. Though, he did mean the left we were coming from, right?"
"Why didn't he specify the cardinal directions?" Tech Guy folds his short arms and his propeller buzzes as he flies in front of us. "Well, judging from the comment, I would imagine that he did mean this direction, so let's take it."
"Looooossssst, are we?"
Whirling around, my troops and I find a Shaman behind us. Unlike the ones from the hamlet, this one has a torn, dark blue cloak, with a red robe beneath it. An aqua orb pins its hood together, concealing all but dark, leering ruby eyes. Its voice, while still ethereal, is raspier, as it hisses out its words.
"Travellersssss unsssuurrre of where to go…?"
Koopella steps forward and tightens her grip on her spear. "Relax. We don't want any trouble."
"Trouble?" "Wwwwhyyyy would you find annyyy…trouble with mmmeeee?"
He taps at his orb with one hand, while a scepter slides from the other. Koopella lifts the spear and waits.
However, another Shaman tumbles down a hill beside the first one. With a similar appearance, the big difference is that this second Shaman wears a cracked bucket on its head instead of a hood, with a hole ripped open for its eyes. A third Shaman strolls out from behind a rock, similar to the first Shaman as well, but with patches over his cloak. Both of the new Shamans also have different orbs: one saffron yellow, and the other crimson.
"We can take them," murmurs Bombkin, twirling his raccoon tail.
Behind the trio, a few shards spin around, glimmering at they shift closer together. More fly over and pile in together as the light shimmers before fading to a dark veil. The Shamans turn and watch as a shadowy figure is formed before us. The spectral shape opens two glowing slits for eyes, and a larger, fanged one for its mouth. The remaining shards form a cloud that floats around the shadowy form.
"Ooh…a Monstar," cackles the bucket-wearing Shaman.
"Want to play with the rest of us?" The patchwork Shaman offers as the trio turns back to our group.
"Yeah," gargles the deep voice of the creature behind them.
"That…might be more problematic," admits Jasmine, twisting her nozzle.
"Regardless, we can take them all down," I growl. "Spread out and attack!"
Each of my soldiers runs before me as the Shamans race forward. Koopella, Nix, and Feather Duster reach the first Shaman, with Koopella swiping her spear down.
She shreds part of the Shaman's robe, but it pulls hard and escapes. Feather Duster flies forward next, targeting the Shaman before retreating into his shell and shooting down at it. The creature jumps away, evading him as well.
Ruby, Tech, and Olive fly over to the second Shaman, who charges an orb of lightning. They freeze and fly back as the lightning orb darts across the sky at them.
Pulling out a tribal shield, Tech Guy spins around and blocks the orb, with the lightning fizzling out against his defense.
Floating out past him, Olive flies over and squirts a dark ink at the Shaman, burning at its bucket and cloak. However, it shakes off some ink and readies another orb.
Bombkin, Jasmine, and Goomphen approach the third Shaman, who merely stares at them. It then lifts its hand, but nothing happens.
"Um-uh…sh-should we—?"
"Don't question it!" Bombkin dashes forward as he shouts. "Just fight!"
Swiftly, he whips his tail at the patch-cloaked Shaman, striking it in the face, but it refuses to lower its hand.
Jasmine capitalizes on Bombkin's attack, firing a bullet from her snout and hitting the Shaman. It flinches and hunches over, but keeps its hand up.
"What's it…uh oh."
Looking up too late, the trio jumps away as a giant, flaming meteor crashes down where they stood.
Shifting my attention around, I watch the first Shaman launch ice crystals at Nix before the shadowy creature floats before us.
"Slowest gets the big fellow, I suppose," notes Glaucus. "Well…I'm the slowest. Not sure what the rest of you three were doing."
"Waiting for it," snaps Kamek as he whips out his wand.
Twirling it, Kamek launches a series of hex shapes at the Monstar. It groans as the spell pelts it, but after shaking itself, several shard bits fly over to where the creature took damage.
"What the…?"
The creature roars as the shards fill back in its body, and it raises its hands. Additional shards fly up and form star shaped stones over its head, spinning around in place.
"Not good," is all I hear from Mario.
Quickly, I scoop up Glaucus as the monster thrusts its hands forward. The whirling star stones launch at us, buzzing as they approach.
Mario jumps aside from one stone, while Kamek blocks the other with a barrier spell. The third flies at me as I duck, with it bouncing off of my spiked shell and slamming into the ground just a few feet away.
"Great defense, Your Majesty," compliments Glaucus.
"Ah…thanks."
"Let me at him, if you will, sire."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Placing Glaucus down, the Beetle slides into his shell. It rapidly spins around in place before launching forward. Glaucus bounces off of the ground and flips, lobbing his spike at the creature.
It wails out as he impales it, flailing its arms. However, more shards buzz around the Beetle and the spectral shadow, knocking Glaucus away and refilling its open wounds.
Gazing over as Kamek launches another spell, I watch Nix roll away from more ice bits while Koopella twirls her spear around, shattering each bit as they come.
Spewing fire from his mouth, Nix spits a fireball at the Shaman, melting the next series of crystals. He spits another further up into the sky.
It passes by Feather Duster, who tucks into his shell again and catches the light from the fire. Redirecting it, his shell shines and blinds the Shaman, who hisses.
Koopella runs forward and stabs at Shaman, slicing its body as it backs away. The Shaman hisses as it builds ice around its body, and casts a blizzard of ice shards at the opposing three, knocking them back.
Turning back to the monster, it lobs out another three whirling stars. Dodging them again, I roll over and slide beside Mario.
"Fun stuff, huh?"
"Not really." Mario watches as Glaucus ducks into his shell and deflects the third stone. "What now?"
"Well, we're paired up now," I remind him. "How about we try a team attack?"
"Sure, let's."
Cupping my hands together, I crouch as Mario steps up onto them. Rapidly, I launch him into the air and charge forward.
Hopping up, I spew a series of flames at the shadow monster, lighting it up. It flails again as the shards take their places over his wounds, decreasing the cloud around it as they smother the flames.
Sailing down from the sky, Mario stomps down on the Monstar's head, slamming it to the ground. He kicks off and flies back, as I backpedal and catch him.
"Wow, that worked nicely!"
"Right?" I grin at his smile, and then place him down.
Unfortunately, the monster floats over and tackles us into the ground. I chomp at it, crunching a few stony bits as it yelps and flies away again.
Spitting out shard bits, I watch Goomphen jump up and spin around. He thrusts his head forward and bonks the Shaman on its head.
The third Shaman staggers back, but keeps its hand raised once again. Jasmine twists her nozzle and launches a fireball out at her foe.
However, the fireball floats up and is absorbed into the second flaming meteor. Again, the attack crashes down over them, but the soldiers manage to escape the attack for the second time.
"Hold ssstiillll," hisses the Shaman as it raises its hand again.
Pushing myself up, I check on Mario as Kamek leaps in front of us, blocking another star-stone barrage. Helping him up, he adjusts his hat and coughs, but is fine otherwise.
Past him and Kamek's shield, I spot Tech Guy block another orb of lightning. Ruby floats in front of him, morphing his shape.
Transforming into a Balloon Boo, Ruby rolls forward and launches himself at the Shaman, spiking his enlarged body off of its bucket.
The Shaman grunts and falters backward, as air spews out of Ruby's mouth and sends him flying back over to his allies. Olive catches him and holds him in place as the last of the air squeaks out from his mouth.
"Ha! Always wanted to try that," cackles Ruby.
"Yeah, but you should have hit him harder," calls Tech Guy, pointing ahead as the Shaman rises up from the ground again.
It lobs another ball of lightning at the three, which Tech Guy blocks again. With a sharp crack, however, his shield breaks apart as the bolts deal their damage.
"Ok, this…is pretty problematic," I admit to Mario.
"They are more resilient than I expected," he affirms. "What now?"
Before I can suggest anything, a massive stone hurls through the air and breaks through the Monstar. I blink and turn to Kamek, who shrugs as Glaucus steps beside him.
Hearing the creature gurgle and yell out, Mario and I whirl around to watch it as a bolt of lightning strikes down and electrocutes it, zapping down to the stone beneath its body.
"Who…?"
Turning back, we watch as a Shaman with a long ivory mustache, in sapphire blue robes, lift his dark gloved hands.
Bursting from the land around us, petals blaze out and slice at the three Shamans and the Monstar.
Thrusting one fist forward and opening his hand, a burst of water flows from the Shaman's hand, blasting the patchwork Shaman through a nearby craggy wall.
Forcing his other fist forward, the Shaman slowly opens it before waving his hand upward. A pained yell sounds as we watch the Shaman in tattered robes burst into flames before rolling off and away from the battle.
Our apparent ally Shaman then slowly closes both hands as a purple aura glows between them. We turn to watch the bucket Shaman flaps his arms around as shadows swallow him into the ground before vanishing.
Glancing back, I watch the Shaman force his hands apart and outstretched as a white aura shines in the space they flew from. Hearing the strangled gurgle, I turn back as the monster is engulfed in a ray of light, fizzling under it.
Sending forth another burst of water, the Shaman whips the last of the Monstar's shards away, preventing it from reforming as the water clears the trail.
Slowly, my troops regroup around me and reform a defensive position as the Shaman leisurely walks to us.
"As cliché as I imagine it sounds, I have been expecting you," he greets as his arms disappear into his robe. "Allow me to welcome you again to Star Hill."
Most of us remain silent, as we exchange awed and bewildered expressions with one another. Then, Mario steps forward. "You're…are you—?"
"Merlon." The new, elderly Shaman nods. "Yes. I am."
"We've got a lot to talk about, then," I interject.
"Indeed, but not here. Come, we have a bit of a climb ahead of us." He turns and begins to walk away from us, but halts before looking over his shoulder. "Ah, yes, you were correct about the path you had selected."
Nodding as he strokes his long mustache, Merlon continues onward, while the rest of us gape at him. With many questions remaining, we march after him, up the trail to Shooting Star Summit.
...
Gracious, did you manage to survive that? Great work! Who's up for more reading with author's notes to explain all of the little bits and such? Anyone? Huh? You're not all running off already, are you? (I forget how many people read this extra stuff below.)
Now, where do I even begin with all of this? Well, I suppose from the top, since that seems like a good place as any. Yes, Bowser had a nightmare that was eerily similar to the usually terrible ones that Mario has had. But was Bowser right about Mario's dreams/curse being infectious? Perhaps we'll find out, all in good time. (Hopefully, haha.)
Next up, the Loyalists! (Ew, is there a history reference in there?) So far, they've pretty underdeveloped by comparison, though honestly, they still do have more to do. However, I was trying to expand on each one and give them a small moment in a bit of the spotlight. Maybe they're a little more interesting, but considering that they're less important than…well, most canon Mario characters, I suppose that is to be expected. Oh well, nothing much to worry about with this bunch. For now. (Also, I believe that Nix is the fan favorite, but I'm wondering if anyone else stood out or not. Just curious.)
Ah, well it was tossed around by a few characters in this chapter, but to you as well, readers, welcome to Star Hill! It might not have been that big of a deal, but I've been waiting to get here for a while now. (I got really excited about it way back when Mario went to Kamek's study, and before that when I decided…oh, wait, that'll come up later.) Anyway, the tricky part about Star Hill is that it has appeared in three games, all of which are Mario RPG games: Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. In each game, the location has a different appearance, as well as having a different name in Paper Mario, so making a possible canon depiction of it difficult to decide on. Instead, I just took each of the three and mashed them into one combination of the trio! The mostly mountainous feel and blue stones are from Super Mario RPG. The purple color choice, plants, and general idea in terms of layout were inspired by Paper Mario's take on it, with its name used for the peak that the group will be traveling to (Shooting Star Summit). And the bright blue, glowing star-stones hail from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Fusions are fun!
Oh, but I made up the little settlement and area known as Stardust Valley; I ran short on ideas and just threw it together. The name serves as the specified location in Star Hill; the hamlet can be referred to as "Hamlet of Stardust Valley." Simple, I know. (For anyone that doesn't know, a hamlet is a place that's smaller than a village, typically containing less than one hundred people within it. They also tend to be rural locations, though not always.)
Let's see…ah, the Shamans, a species that appears in several Mario RPG games. First, the greetings; rude as possible! "Oh hey guys, I spy with my little eye a ship approaching our land. Know what we should do? SINK IT." So, what's up with that? As stated, Shamans are very isolated; they're also very protective of such privacy. As such, they will attack anything they deem hostile, and the typical route to Star Hill does not involve boats. Also, if you see Bowser on board, you can imagine that trouble's headed your way. As for three Shamans that nearly barbecued Bowser's team and started a secondary war? Tribe guards! …Sorry, I tried; there was even a red and green one with a bigger green one.
But, let's get into the settlement Shamans! Um…the rest, anyway. Alistair was the real meet-and-greet fellow of the group, oddly. Weird way to roll out the wagon, what with getting his robes speared and then alerting the hamlet guards about trespassers. Yep, he's a great guy. (Actually, after that incident, he turned out to not be so bad; all they had to do was threaten his life.) The other important fellow was Chieftain Vi, my poor attempt at referencing a certain mage user from another video game series…just consider the colors and headgear, this is an easy one. It was just…so fantastic. *cough* Anyway, he was a bit rude as well, though to be fair, his people were attacked. And no, Bowser's not right for attacking back, silly! Why would Bowser ever be right on the offensive? In the end, he also turned out as not being so bad. As far as we know, anyway. As for the other crowd of folks, they helped fill the place in, quietly creeping out and staring at the people that attacked their home. Oh, but they did fix it, so yay.
Now, completely separate from those Shamans were the savage Shamans, the trio that attacks at the end. If you played Super Mario RPG, then surprise! Their attacks were based on the ones used in that game. Their appearances were also meant to be based on the enemy Shamans shown in that game, but with some extra creative details, because I'm crazy. Oh, real quick, the shadowy monster that appears with them, called Monstar? It appeared in Paper Mario; the creature in that game is a bunch of Star Kids, but I made it a creature of its own here, because it looks cool.
Lastly, Merlon shows up! If you've played any Paper Mario game, then yes! He is that old, fortune teller dude, who becomes more important as the series progresses. Now, it's never outright stated that each Merlon is a Shaman in any of the Paper Mario games, but considering the appearance, and because I checked that wiki, that's what he'll be here! (Also, the whole "tribe members named for their jobs" bit comes from one of the Paper Mario games, again while referencing Merlon, so that.) Anyway, he's an ultra powerful Shaman, taking down the foes that Mario, Bowser, and pals faced off against. Hopefully that fight sequence played out well, as short as it was. So, Merlon! More on him…next time!
Fluff end of it? There was some cuteness; I didn't want to be too distracting with it, since there was lots of information flying around in this chapter, but Bowsario had some strong, quiet moments together. And Mario now has additional inspiration on how to get Bowser's attention even more. Yaaay, nightmares!
Writing style as present perspective, continued from the last chapter? Well, it was the introduction to Star Hill; I wanted surprises to be in play, at least for a little while. Hopefully it was consistent, because I caught myself making mistakes while writing it. Whoops.
Ok, ok, that's enough out of me already! Geez, that was way too much additional information to add in. But I wanted people not in the know to get my clever little ideas and references, because again, I'm totally crazy. But it's also good, because this chapter will help the story clear 200k words! Woo! Lots of reading and text for everyone! That's always enjoyable, right? …To be honest, if you're this far in, you probably should enjoy reading. But I digress.
Feedback is really good, and I've been depraved of it for a while over the summer, though people seemed to come back recently, which is good. Still, reviews or messages would be really helpful, if you can! Comments or criticisms are welcome, and I will answer any additional questions, if you have any more. Other than that, congrats again, this chapter has ended! And no worries, the next chapter will continue along with Mario and Bowser's adventures on Star Hill. What will their encounter with Merlon bring about? And will he be able to help Mario? We'll find out, next time! Thank you again for reading and following this story!