Well, I certainly hope that you're yearning for a new chapter to appear, because that's what I've come to deliver! Enjoy more Star Hill adventures!
...
[Luigi]
If you ever thought that flying through the air without a vehicle would be exciting, you're probably right, it's thrilling for a bit, and more so if you have equipment, skill, and insurance that you'll be ok.
Having a friend of yours decide to blast you and the rest of your friends through the air and off to dim mountains on a whim, with no landing plans whatsoever?
Well, if you're anything like me, that's not what we'd define as "thrilling," per se.
"WHY DID WE HAVE TO DO THIS, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, HONESTLY WHEN DID THIS BECOME AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF TRAVEL—?!"
"Luigi, this is one of the most efficient ways to maneuver through the galaxy," insisted Rosalina then. "You and Mario did it all of the time back in space."
"WHERE THERE WAS LESS GRAVITY HALF OF THE TIME AND STILL SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH DOING IT ANYWAY!"
"Goodness, I didn't think you would mind."
"WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?!" Toadette wailed in my arms. "WHY DIDN'T WE ALL GET A FAIR VOTE IN THIS?!"
"My Lumas and I do this all of the time." Rosalina twirled around as she flew. "I really don't think it's quite much to fuss about."
My heart raced as we hurdled off for the first leg of our travel. Stardust trailed down from behind us as we flew across the sky, shifting from a brighter blue as the sun filled the land behind us, to the darker color that covered the territories onward.
Yoshi and Birdo flew below me, each spinning around to take turns gazing at the others. Several times, Yoshi smiled and waved, while Birdo narrowed her eyes to glower at me.
From what I heard, Peach and Daisy were living it up, laughing as they soared through the air. Perhaps neither cared about the potential consequences, given their abilities.
Strangely, I had no idea how Pauline was reacting, and she was further behind me, perhaps behind Rosalina, just a bit further from me.
The only one that seemed to have the valid reaction was Toadette, just as terrified from this journey as I was.
Though Star Hill was supposed to be a great distance from Peach's Castle, it certainly didn't feel that way after we traveled from the Launch Star; it couldn't have been more than a hour, if that, before we soared closer to the dark purple and blue mountains. It was difficult to see very well, given the clouds that rolled in, and continued to as we neared.
"Why are there so many clouds?" Daisy's voice came from my right. "Was there supposed to be some kind of storm rolling in?"
"Not that I'm aware of," mentioned Peach. "Though, I suppose I should've consulted someone on the weather before we left."
There was a slight pause before both burst out laughing together again. I couldn't tell if that was how they were handling their own nerves, or if they genuinely were enjoying everything from this flight.
"It seems like more keep rolling in," noted Rosalina. "Perhaps this is a storm…?"
"Um, what if…what if it's not?" Toadette whimpered to my left. "Could it be something else more terrifying than flying like this?"
"Truly, 'terrifying?' It's not nearly that bad," persisted Rosalina.
"We're missing the point of this being a potential threat," I reiterated.
As if on cue, something twinkled from the land below, and a white beam blasted from the purple lands below, firing up at us.
Before I could shout a warning, a blue barrier formed before my eyes and blocked the beam. It burst against the bubble, which sparkled from the disintegrating light.
"Huh. I guess we do have hostiles to worry about," admitted Daisy. "Nice save, Rosalina."
"Thankfully, they have yet to identify my type of magic." Rosalina giggled. "They simply will not have the time to mount a counterattack."
Another flicker of light came from below, and another beam, this one a sparkling blue and shaped like an arrow, rocketed forth and into Rosalina's barrier.
It collided and burst like the beam before it, but this time, the barrier crackled and shattered from the impact.
"Ah." Rosalina cleared her throat. "Is this what you might call, 'tempting fate,' or is there a more fitting expression for after the fact? Perhaps something about—"
"Look, you may have cosmic superpowers or whatever," snapped Birdo, "but can you take this a little more seriously?! If not for your sake, then ours!"
"Right, of course."
Whipping her star-tipped wand around, Rosalina cast a current for the stardust around us to trail downward, and we descended along the starry path.
Several sparkles winked from down below, as a barrage of light arrows launched from below to strike at us.
"That's more than enough of that!"
A pink wave rippled and flowed before us, as Peach sent her spell against those from below. Each arrow ripped through her magic, tearing past it with nearly no resistance. Rosalina barely formed a shield as they crashed into it, breaking it apart.
"Wait, what?"
"They're countering whatever kind of magic we use against them," realized Rosalina. "Hold on!"
Our descending speed increased as flickers of light shined from the nearing land below. As they fired upon us again, Rosalina grunted with a heavy pulse firing past us, dissipating the opposing magic.
"This will be bumpy," cautioned Rosalina.
A scream was lodged in my throat, one that Toadette wailed out for me. The indigo ground came upon us, but a bubble formed just before we connected.
It popped as we bounced off of it, breaking from our combined weight. Twisting in the air a moment, I crashed back down. Dust flew up around me, and I coughed, rolling aside from it and pushing myself up.
Toadette tumbled and jumped up before me. Glancing up, I spotted Yoshi and Birdo kicking their feet, struggling to balance their landing with flutter jumps. Peach and Daisy floated momentarily before dropping to the ground.
Rosalina glided down, holding Pauline in her arms. Groaning, Pauline stirred and shook her head, as she gazed out at the land before us.
"Oh hey, we're here." She blinked and tilted her head at me. "What's up, Luigi?"
"You."
"Huh?" She tilted her head and glanced back at Rosalina. Her face lit right up. "Oh my goodness!" Pauline squirmed and hopped from Rosalina's arms. "I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to inconvenience you or anything!"
"Please, you are fine," insisted Rosalina. She giggled. "Sometimes the Lumas fall asleep during travel as well. I'm used to it."
"Sleeping…right, yeah!" Pauline laughed nervously. "Yeah, I, uh, I guess I knock out during flight travels, aha…ha…" She rubbed her arm and deflated a bit. "…Was I really that light to lift?"
"I can alter how gravity affects those around me," explained Rosalina. "Though you're not heavy to begin with, I can briefly make you even lighter."
"Oh, ok." Turning and slinking away, Pauline let her hair dip over her face. "Great to know, thanks."
"Am I the only one wondering what that assault was for?" Daisy placed her fists on her hips. "I know that we went over Shamans not being the friendliest and that they're a neutral party, but with that kind of a welcome wagon, who needs Bowser?"
"They're not at all keen on visitors," Peach murmured. "A couple using the lower areas of the mountains connected to the main land, that's not a problem for them." She gazed up at the sky we flew from. "But we came in a larger group and unconventional means, so, they must have viewed us as a potential threat."
"But, now that we're on the ground, we should be good to proceed, right?"
"It's not that simple, Daisy." Peach adjusted the glove on her hand. "They blasted us from the sky, but didn't take us out. We're considered an active threat for them."
"Super, we're fighting a new enemy," deadpanned Birdo. She shook her head and adjusted her ribbon. "Honestly, dears, can't we just avoid battles for a little while?"
"To be fair," piped up Yoshi, "we didn't exactly choose this one."
"Whether we did or we didn't, we need to prepare ourselves for this," maintained Peach. "They're countering whatever magic we use, which means they know how to fend us off." She twirled her Royal Scepter around. "But we all know that magic must defeat magic."
"Couldn't you just eliminate the spell caster, and then that stops the magic threat regardless?" Pauline brushed her hair back. "Anything could get the job done, so long as you incapacitate the magician." Everyone quietly stared at her. "…What?"
"She makes a valid point," agreed Rosalina.
"Whatever." Peach pivoted around and pointed her rod forward. "Let's get started."
"Peach, wait a second," I interjected. "Are we really planning on battling it out with them? That's exactly how they're going to expect us to react!"
"Luigi, I understand that you might want to find a peaceful solution," she reasoned. "But they're on the offensive. If we don't at least fight back, they'll crush us." Peach rubbed her thumb on her rod. "It doesn't matter who we are or what we want. To them, we're a threat to their way of life."
"But Peach…"
"He's right, Princess," chimed in Toadette. "If we treat them like we've done Bowser's forces, they'll only come at us harder."
"What do you all propose that we do then?" Peach dropped her shoulders. "If we just try walking over there and peacefully protesting, they'll only attack us anyway."
"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Yoshi shrugged. "Let's just see what we can do." He glanced to me and pointed. "If Luigi goes first, maybe they'll be a little less rash to attack."
"Right, because…?"
"His patience outclasses yours?"
"Remind me, Yoshi, who is supposed to be helping your people?"
"Hey," snapped Birdo. "Don't threaten him because he's making valid points."
"If we keep arguing over this, we're not going to get anywhere," reminded Pauline. "We should probably do something to quell the Shamans, right?"
"Uh, look, maybe I'm not the best, given that I'll be viewed as a fighter or soldier to them," I pointed out. "I've fought Bowser's army before, and that's public knowledge, so we're going to want someone who's less known and involved with these conflicts."
"Excuse me?"
Peach jolted as I jerked back, and we all whirled around to Rosalina, who had drifted away from our group. She gazed up past star stones to a cliff further along from us.
"Perfect, actually."
"Is anyone there?" Rosalina tilted her head. "I can sense that there's some kind of magic energy emanating from up there. My friends and I are only here to—"
"Whatever you and your friends want is of no concern to us!"
Five Shamans appeared from the top of the cliff. One in a violet-blue cloak stood in front of the others, and stepped further forward to tower over Rosalina.
"You're invaders, and our people do not take kindly to such threats." Her voice was a mix between fiery and ethereal, presumably quite dangerous.
"We are not looking to cause conflicts," insisted Rosalina. "We simply seek to find land that is suited for practice."
"For what?!" The Shaman's gloved hand flew from her cloak and she forced her palm forward. "You've come here to grow stronger?!"
"Well, it's more like we are attempting to hone abilities, a type of temperance," reasoned Rosalina. "It is to better—"
"To better serve in that wicked war you mainlanders constantly throw yourselves into!" She swept her arm out. "Forget it! Once you're finished battling one another, it won't be long before you set your sights to Star Hill, and we won't allow that!"
"Hostilities are unnecessary."
"They are if you have no plans of leaving this instant!"
"Please." Rosalina lifted her wand and hand. "I am not capable of properly aiding my friends, and it's not for tools of conquest or destruction." She glanced back to Peach, and then to me, before turning back. "We simply wish to gain the proper guidance or assistance with controlling—"
"You will have no such thing." The Shaman cast her hand over Rosalina. "If you have a wand, why won't you rely on what you can teach? Your power is…vast."
"Can you tell?"
"Yes."
"My apologies." Rosalina lowered her arms. "I am afraid that I may not be under the correct state of control myself." She brushed her hair back from the side of her head. "I believe that this planet alters how my powers work."
"…This…planet…?"
"Oh, yes." Rosalina turned a bit and gazed out at the dark sky. "I am from space, normally." She lowered her head and scratched at her cheek. "Well, I suppose I am not from there originally, but—"
"Then you belong here even less than the rest," pointed out the Shaman leader. "You're invading not just our land, but the entire planet!"
"No, that's not quite right—"
"Enough of your nonsense!" A dark ball of energy crackled in the Shaman's hand. "Unless you're of the Stars, you do not belong here!"
"In a sense, I suppose I am—"
"Silence!"
Whipping her hand out, the spell launched from the Shaman's hand and fired down at Rosalina, who pivoted away from the blast.
"Hey!" Daisy ran forward. "She didn't even do anything, back off!"
"All of you violated our homeland simply by coming here," snapped the Shaman. "That's more than enough to warrant this!"
She spiraled both hands out now, and spun them clockwise. Stopping halfway, she opened her hands wider and they shuddered as she slowly shifted them back counterclockwise.
In the space between her arms, dark blue energy crackled, with green lights sparking up between the swirls. The waves glistened under the dancing sparks.
Pulling her arms apart, the Shaman forced them forward, as did the other four Shamans behind her, mimicking the technique.
Rosalina rushed back to us and waved her arms around in a smooth, swift motion, as the spells fired out at us.
"They're using cosmic spells, brace yourselves."
"How does cosmic magic even work?!"
A barrier rose before us, and I watched as white lights flickered between the light blue wall.
Each spell, however, slammed around us, hitting in a star shape as they blasted into the ground itself. I jumped back, but nothing happened to the earth, with no signs of damage from their attack.
Some dust lifted, along with some pebbles, and then I felt myself losing balance and falling back.
Slipping, I ended up dropping back into the air, and spiraled around, as I floated. Blinking, I surveyed my friends, all in the same position.
"The gravity…!" Peach pointed her scepter at the ground. "Hold on, I'll create a tether to anchor us!"
"Uh, Peach?"
Daisy's warning wasn't much help, as we turned to face the Shamans, each motioning their arms around to cast more spells. A burst of fire, a stream of water, and a rush of wind flew out from the first three Shamans, while vines and stones ripped down from the cliff and through the earth.
Rosalina's barrier wasn't enough to block everything, as the fire blazed against it, breaking it open for the water and wind.
The combined blast from the two flushed us from the sky and back down to the earth. Before I could regain my bearings, the ground quaked beneath me, launching me up again. Vines lashed out, whipping at me, and slapping me down.
A groan escaped me, as I rolled back to push myself up. Yoshi slammed down in front of me, and gripped his body. I started to drag myself to him, as the Birdo crashed nearby, followed by Toadette and then the others.
Resting my hand on Yoshi, I glanced up as the lead Shaman shuffled about. She brought her hands close together, almost like a prayer, and then raised them up skyward. A slight sparkle flew up from her.
From beyond the clouds, ghost white flickers shimmered through, and flashed to a variety of colors.
Massive shooting stars, or maybe meteorites, ripped from the skies above, and came soaring down below to us.
"Ok, new plan," managed Peach, forcing herself up. "Run!"
"Perhaps I can—"
"Rosalina, save your strength, and come on!"
Collecting ourselves, we struggled up from the ground and sped away from the falling stars. Lifting her Royal Scepter, Peach summoned stone pillars to form a wall, and we ducked behind the boulders they led to.
Stones crumbled and shattered from the impact of the barrage, but even as they crashed down, we remained out of range. I slipped down and grabbed at my chest as I panted, heart hammering away.
"Ok, that was absolutely crazy." Daisy huffed and sighed. "How were we supposed to start working with Shamans without them thinking that we'll threaten them?"
"You know what?" Peach shot up from the ground. "Now I'm angry."
"Wait, you weren't already?" Birdo adjusted her bow. "Then what was…? Ah, forget it."
Working her way behind the broken stones, Peach paused for a moment, glancing at us. I made a slashing motion across my throat, hoping to get her to stop.
"That's only going to encourage her," mumbled Yoshi.
True to his words, Peach fired up and lobbed a spell from her wand. She ducked back down and hurried back across to us as rumbling and shouting rang out from the distance behind us.
"Was that really necessary?"
"Yes, it was." Peach folded her arms. "They're going to get on our level, whether they like it or not."
"But won't that make them angry? Or angrier?"
"Look, Rosalina tried for the diplomatic route, and that failed," contested Daisy. "Peach has the point here, we need to stop them."
"If they make it back to the other Shamans, they'll just gather all of them against us." Peach tightened her grip on the scepter. "If we stop this bunch here, we can at least make an attempt to negotiate more peaceful terms with the others."
"Or we'll get them attacking us next, if they haven't already," argued Birdo.
"We need to try something that doesn't involve us getting blown to bits," shot back Peach. "If anyone has a peaceful solution where the Shamans won't try killing us, I'm open to suggestions." She shrugged. "Contrary to what you might believe right now, I'm looking to not cause more damage, but our survival supersedes that."
Yoshi nudged at me, but I fixed my hat and shook my head. He deflated as I frowned to him, no ideas coming from either of us. Mario would know how to talk them down easily, but I didn't have a clue how to temper their tantrums, especially if Rosalina's peaceful pleas were ignored.
It must be easier than this, but I can't think clearly for it.
"Then let's try it my way."
Hand clamped on her scepter, Peach navigated her way behind the broken boulders. Daisy adjusted her rings, and chased after her. Rosalina quietly stared at her wand, resting it on her palm, but shook her head and followed.
Birdo spat an egg out, and rolled it around in her hand. She looked to Yoshi, who waited a moment, lingering near me. With a sigh, he stepped away from me, and plucked an egg out as well. Both nodded and followed after the princesses.
Though I started after them, I paused and glanced back to Toadette and Pauline, as the pair watched the others as they hurried along. Inching over to them, I smiled as both jumped at my approach.
"If you two like, you can stick by me," I offered. "I can't do much, but I'll try to make sure you two are safe."
"Thank you, Luigi." Pauline returned my grin. "This kind of stuff goes just a bit beyond what I was expecting."
"Yes, thank you! Now let's go carefully," advised Toadette. "We don't want to get in the way."
As we scaled past the rocks, I lifted my arms to stop them. Jumping up together, Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina rushed from hiding, each aglow with spells charged. Yoshi and Birdo paused, and hesitated as they peeked out to see the others take off.
Lowering my arms, I hurried across the stones and behind Yoshi. I rested my hand on his shoulder for a moment, and then scooted past him and Birdo, heading to the end of the stones.
Leaning out, I spotted Peach blasting back two Shamans along one side, while Daisy slammed at the ground and pounded rocks to barrage a third. Rosalina lifted the fourth Shaman, and tossed her into the fifth.
All three centered themselves and came back together, keeping their backs to one another as they kept their attention on the Shamans.
The one in the violet-blue robes pushed herself back up, as another Shaman in dark magenta helped her up.
"Astra, what do we do?!"
"We stop these intruders here and now," thundered the lead Shaman, Astra, as her hands lit up.
"Not this time, honey."
Twisting her scepter around, Peach cast vines from the earth to grasp at Astra's arms. Two more wrapped tightly around her companion, and dragged her down to the ground. Astra thrashed against her restraints, as Peach approached her.
"Please do me a favor and wait here, ok?" Peach smirked. "It's for your safety."
"Like hell!"
"Not quite."
The vines dragged Astra down and smacked her into the ground. She groaned as her body stilled. I shook my head as the others gathered behind me, and we emerged.
"That was resolved quickly," murmured Pauline.
"When we work together, things get done," proclaimed Daisy, and she lifted her arms up to flex. "The three of us together have power to spare!"
"Great, yeah, whoo," muttered Birdo. She folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Tell me, what do we do now, since we're going to where they came from?"
"Huh?"
"Wherever these five came from, we need to go there to get answers," reiterated Birdo. She then gestured at the scattered Shamans. "And since they won't be jumping up too soon, the other folks they're with will probably be wondering where they are."
"Ah, we'll figure something out," Daisy dismissed. "If we don't have these spitfires to deal with hampering us showing up, we'll be golden!"
"It's really unlikely that they were our only problem," contested Yoshi. "But I guess we're out of options now, since waiting here will just get us attacked again."
"See, now you're getting it," insisted Peach. "So, we'll have to handle the other Shamans in a manner that distracts them from their missing companions." She tapped at her cheek and strode forward. "Which means we'll have to head over now and come up with something quick."
"Exactly what are we coming up with?" I hurried after Peach. "We're not exactly going to be welcomed regardless."
"No, but, perhaps we can get them to join our cause," pondered Peach. "Perhaps they simply need a little persuasion of sorts."
"Uh…what do you mean?"
"Don't worry, Luigi." Peach winked to me. "You'll see soon enough. In fact, you might catch on quick."
"Am I going to like where this is going?"
"Probably not."
"Oh no."
"Don't worry, it definitely won't involve more battling," persisted Peach. "This time, since they're not going to be attacking us, we can just talk it out."
"That sounds like a great plan, Princess!" Toadette bustled up beside us, and scooted closer to Peach. "I'm sure you'll get them to cooperate in no time!"
"Perhaps we'd best prepare for combat, just in case," suggested Rosalina.
"As we are now should honestly be fine," assured Peach. "Daisy, you, and I make a formidable combination, as she pointed out."
"Oh yeah!"
"So we should be fine, come what may."
"This certainly does sound like tempting fate," Rosalina mused. "But, we shall see."
Past the cliffs that the Shamans stood atop, and the ruins of the one that Peach blasted apart, we ventured forward. I lagged behind a bit, taking in what little surroundings I could focus on. Star stones glistened with sparkles within them, and I couldn't help getting fixated on them as we passed several more.
"Looking beautiful, huh?"
Whirling around, I faltered as Yoshi walked beside me. He innocently smiled as I steadied myself.
"Um, yeah, definitely."
"Words just never seem to do this place justice," he wistfully continued. "It's best when you can actually visit Star Hill."
"Yeah." I shrugged and faced ahead. "Too bad we can't really enjoy the sightseeing end of it."
"Not surprising," he mumbled.
"Isn't Birdo the one that holds the grudge?"
"What of it?" I jumped as Birdo strode up beside us. "Wasn't Peach the one who was supposed to have changed, like she hinted way back at the Mountains?"
"Relax," I urged. "She's just a little thrown from the resistance."
"Right, yeah, we'll blame that."
"We have to keep positive," I reminded them. "Unity keeps us strong."
Birdo and Yoshi glanced at one another, but offered nothing more, as they quietly surveyed the land around us. Even I wasn't entirely confident on our actions, but I had to give Peach the benefit of the doubt; we're in less explored territory out here, and to her credit, she hasn't outright maimed the Shamans.
"Get ready, you guys," notified Pauline, who had dropped back by us. "Peach spotted the village up ahead." She rubbed behind her neck. "Though, maybe it's smaller than that. I think it's called…"
"A hamlet?"
"Yep, that!"
True to her word, we did approach the small settlement after another minute. Houses were left in the dark, and no one stirred around the little place as we neared. In fact, I couldn't find anyone out, which was…strange.
"We need to speak with someone," assessed Peach. "Hopefully we can redirect their attention once we get started." She spun back to the rest of us. "Just leave most of the talking to me, everyone."
"Splendid," deadpanned Birdo. "I can only imagine this going swimmingly well."
We strolled past an unlit house and…what I imagine was supposed to be a bakery, given the food on the signs. Stepping into the town center, though, not a single Shaman appeared before us.
Peach ambled to a statue in the center, of what I'd imagine was some kind of Shaman hero of old. She tapped her rod against its pedestal, as her eyes scanned below it, reading a plaque for it. She shook her head and away from it.
"Perhaps we need to lure someone out."
Hoisting her scepter into the air, Peach let a small ball of light launch from her wand, and into the air. It flew up before it released a pulse and a flash of light.
As she lowered her arm, she spun around, studying the hamlet as we waited for someone to appear. No one emerged from any of the buildings.
"Hm." Peach rested her cheek into her free hand. "I thought that would've garnered as least passing interest."
"Look, Peach, maybe we could—"
"Princess Peach?"
Everyone spun around to see a Shaman in dark magenta robes emerge from behind what I think was a market shop for items. She stepped forward, her cloak coating her completely, save for a pair of glowing ruby red eyes, and strands of black hair that came from within her hood.
"Is that not your name?" Her otherworldly voice had a gentle touch to it.
"Goodness, do you recognize me?" Peach giggled and gently stepped forward, handing the scepter to Toadette. I stifled a laugh as I glanced away. "I'm glad that you do!"
"Stars of the heavens, what is the Mushroom Kingdom's ruler doing here?"
"Would you mind terribly if I related my troubles to you?" Looking back, I watched as Peach clasped her hands together. "The whole thing is a bit of a tale, but my friends and I are seeking some knowledge out here that could benefit the kingdom greatly." She sighed and lifted her hands higher to her head. "Please, I beg of you, may we have your assistance?"
"As you've already helped yourself to coming this way," determined the Shaman, "of course I should." She nodded. "We'll have to get the Shaman Chieftain to speak with you."
"Will we?" Peach exhaled in relief. "Oh, thank you so much! Truly, you're very kind."
"You give me too much credit, my child."
The Shaman strode away from the statue, as Peach followed, Daisy in tow and followed by Rosalina. My fit of laughter was hard to suppress, but I forced it down, while Toadette rolled her eyes at me. I turned as Birdo and Pauline gawked at Peach. Shaking her head, Birdo stepped forward, still staring at Peach.
"Wh…what the hell is she doing?"
"Oh, that's how Peach acts with her public image before the masses," pointed out Toadette. "She acts incredibly sweet and all-loving, to help boost morale and efforts for her kingdom."
"So she's deceiving that Shaman," muttered Yoshi. "That's just swell."
"This was part of her plan, right?" Pauline shrugged. "We should probably go along with it, and just be her blissful subjects."
"Let's just be quiet and let Princess Peach shine how she's presumed to," insisted Toadette. "She'll have them captivated in no time."
We trailed along behind the Shaman and Peach, falling in step behind Rosalina and Daisy. Our Shaman guide led us past a few homes, and still wandered as we walked past some star stones. We passed a mound and came upon a tall cliff.
"My goodness," managed Peach. "Does the Shaman elder live outside of the hamlet itself? That seems so lonely."
"I assure you, child, we do have a very connected community."
Spinning around, the Shaman backed to the cliff's wall. She closed her eyes and leaned against it, tapping twice and then knocking twice after.
Bursting from the wall on either side of her, Shamans leapt from within, and hurried along either side of us. Four of them boxed around our group, and quickly lifted a wall of stones.
Another four jumped atop them, and shot ice between the stones, connecting them and trapping us. Each glared down over us, as we huddled together, twisting around to spot each one over us.
Though her hand reached for Toadette, Peach pulled back and clasped her hands together, gasping out as the Shamans further outside murmured and cast a spell for some kind of lightning barrier.
"Oh! Please, what's going on?" Peach covered her mouth with one hand, and shifted her attention from one Shaman to the next. "Have we done something to offend—?"
"Of course you have," snapped a Shaman on one of the rocks, as he let his blue-violet cloak drape back over his arms. "Being here was bad enough, but attacking our people is infinitely worse."
"Attacking? Us?" Peach shook her head. "Dear me, no! We have done no such thing."
"As if!" The Shaman gestured to the other side of the hamlet, back from where we came. "You battled with Astra and the others, and probably hurt them too!"
"What? Oh no, please, we haven't," attempted Peach. "Allow me to explain—"
"Did you really think you could fool us that easily, Princess?" The Shaman that led us here snorted, as she climbed next to the one who shouted at us. Her voice sounded a lot firmer now. "Your people may be gullible enough to fall for that, but we Shaman will not."
"Act? This isn't any kind of—"
"Don't you ever get tired from that terrible charade?" She scoffed and shook her head. "Be honest, now that we're transparent with you."
My heart pounded a bit harder, and I glanced to the others. Yoshi gazed at me, but winced and returned his attention to the Shamans above. Pauline clutched her fist near her chest, shrinking behind Rosalina and Birdo, who glowered outward to the surrounding Shamans.
"…As you wish, village chief." Peach flipped her hair back, as Toadette handed over her Royal Scepter. "Can I at least get your name, to properly address you? Or do you prefer to be the nameless chief anyway?"
"How dare you speak with such insolence!"
"Peace, Croma." The chief shook her head. "I am Chieftain Lu."
"Lu, how nice to meet you."
"Your sarcasm isn't welcomed anymore than you are."
"Neither is your hostility, but since you're giving that freely, I may as well return with some backlash of my own," quipped Peach. "You do realize that threatening the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom is treason, right? Even for neutral parties."
"As I recall the specifics behind your people's territory acquisition," fired back Chief Lu, "you don't hold rights nor reign over the darkest lands of the Koopa Kingdom, which they swiped for themselves so long ago, nor did either party lay claim to the mountains of Star Hill."
"They were lesser and less favorable for interest compared to the Mountains portion of the greater kingdom," relayed Peach. "However, given that the Mushroom Kingdom has a greater control over the land—"
"No matter how many times you try to break this down, the end is that we need never bow nor submit to your rule," interjected Chieftain Lu. "Neither you nor the Koopas can intimidate my people to such hostile tactics and bids for control."
"Touchy, and needlessly so." Peach shook her head. "But fine, enough of spitting venom back and forth. Tell me, what are your people looking to do with us?"
"What do you suppose we should do?" Lu glanced back to her Shamans below, still concentrated on their electric chain. "Though we have you in our prison pen here, I don't wager it would hold back all of you in there."
"Just tell us when, Peach," whispered Daisy.
"It wouldn't, no," revealed Peach. "We could easily battle our way out here, and use our combined might to overthrow every last Shaman in this area."
"Then why not just let loose?"
"Because, contrary to how crudely you've interacted with us," contended Peach, "sending assassins to blast us from the sky and then battle us, we are still trying to continue with our goal here, and not seeking to get into a worse fight than what we've already fallen into."
"She lies," shouted a Shaman, "and that's all they ever do!"
"They're waiting to exploit kindness," hissed another Shaman. "Don't give in!"
"Chieftain Lu?" Croma faced her, as he tilted his head. "What will we do?"
"…Bold words, Princess Peach," allowed Chieftain Lu. "But…I will not risk the safety of my people on your fragile ideals."
"Not to mention that she's already lashed out at us," called the Shaman from before. I lifted my head and gazed beyond the ice and lightning as Astra and her group came into view. "They're all dangerous, that's certain."
"So be it." Chieftain Lu nodded and twisted away from us. "We'll need to imprison them somewhere separate from their tools of war." She neared the edge of her stone column. "Farewell, Princess Peach, and company, of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Hold!"
Everyone jerked up and turned eastward, as a Shaman in an indigo robe dashed forward. A large blonde mustache and his yellow eyes were all that appeared from his hood. Along with him, a smaller Shaman in midnight blue hurriedly shuffled after him. Some groans escaped the hamlet's Shamans, while Chieftain Lu rolled her eyes as she faced the two.
"Ugh, what?"
"Why are they here?"
"That weird seer family…"
"Can't they stay on their summit?"
"Merle and son," called Lu. "To what do we owe the visit out here?" She flipped her cloak around, perhaps as she shifted her arms beneath it. "Vi would likely have more time to spend with your family."
"We've come up this way for our training sessions in the valley," explained Merle. "And yet, now it appears that I've come at the right time to prevent a terrible mistake."
"Are you seriously referring to these interlopers?"
"Indeed I am." Merle lowered his head to direct his attention to us, and blinked as he studied us. "This is the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, after all."
"And currently our enemy," snapped Lu. "Again, why are you interrupting?"
"It's quite important—"
"More than our sentencing and justice for their intrusion?"
"Yes, I'm sure all of you had wonderful plans for handling this bunch," called Merle. "But, see, my father's vision very specifically involved them being here and coming with me." He shrugged. "You can prevent that, if you'd like, though I'm not certain how it'll alter the fate of the world around us, if we end up spiraling into a darker time than if they had come with me, or—"
"Oh, just take them already," snapped another Shaman. "It's not even worth the effort nor aggravation."
"While I'm capable of making my own orders and allowances," started Lu, as she glared down at the Shaman who probably called out, "that father of yours has had quite meaningful choices behind his visions." Chieftain Lu exhaled and hung her head. "So long as you take them from here, and don't allow their return, you can collect them and go."
"As you and all the Stars wish."
"Don't be so arrogant, Merle." Chieftain Lu waited as the traps around us lowered and stopped fairly quickly. "Just because your family was assigned such tasks doesn't mean you gain free reign and jurisdiction over anything you like across the hamlets of Star Hill."
"Of course, I'm aware," insisted Merle. He nodded to us, and ambled past the horde of Shamans, his son in tow behind him. "Come along, then, heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom. Let's be on our way."
Could he really make it that simple?
No one else budged or chased after us, as we shared baffled expressions with one another before following after the Merle Shaman.
Once we were clear enough away from the hamlet, Merle paused to glance back. His son lowered his head and pivoted away from his father and the rest of us. Peach lowered her shoulders and stepped toward the two.
"Thank you for helping us." Peach smiled and held her hands together before her. "Exactly what kind of vision were we seen in?"
"One that's a complete farce," revealed Merle. "Thankfully, none of them will ever question it."
"Ah, wonderful work." She nodded and winked to him. "I had hopes that we would gain a reliable guide from that detour."
"Reliable…?" Merle shook his head. "You planned on that? All of it?"
"Not quite to the number, but—"
"That light you sent out," he realized. "It wasn't to get their attention. It was because you sought mine."
"Well, you did answer my call," revealed Peach. "So, yes, as it turns out."
"Fascinating." He stroked his mustache and nodded. "Very well. What do you need of me, Princess Peach?"
"We're looking to train," she divulged. "Please, can you take us somewhere to work on honing our magical abilities?"
"Yours?" Merle tilted his head, and then spotted Peach's Royal Scepter. "Ah, I see. Well, as it happens, I'm taking my son here for training in the Celestial Valley." He glanced down to his child and seemed to smile at him, though I might have just projected that onto him. "I suppose we could all benefit from working together out there."
"Then it's settled." Peach tightened her hand into a fist. "Take us with you, please."
"There doesn't seem to be much choice in that matter," teased Merle. "But yes, let's make our way over."
Merle guided us past a field of violets, and upward a hill, stepping along the petal covered trail. While Peach and most of our group followed him and his son, I lingered behind a bit. That seemed a bit too easy…
"Luigi, don't fall behind," cautioned Yoshi, and beckoned me to follow. "We don't want the others to chase after us."
"Ah, right, good point."
Shaking my head, I jogged to catch up with my allies, as we traveled further into the mountains of Star Hill.
...
Gosh, this was a bit of a change-up from how Mario and Bowser's trip went, huh?
Since their venture to Star Hill was about healing, I figured that their conflict made more sense to have a quicker resolution, and their quarrel with locals wouldn't outweigh their need to get help.
To contrast, I wanted Peach, normally a healer and usually given an easier time dealing with people at large, a tougher challenge. Instead of ending with an easy road to peace, she instead struggles against those that counter her and her companions' every move, and see right through her. She's forced into a more confrontational scenario, and in spite of not wanting to battle, she's forced into it.
Luigi tries his best to keep everyone together among his ranks, though it's difficult if he's still wavering on his thoughts and goals. Perhaps there's a little more distractions to come for him on this adventure.
The next chapter should be a bit longer than this, since we'll be going over some different magic types. And Peach's group will be getting into some conversations together. Yay, depth and development! Oh, and probably some chit-chatting with Merle and Merlow, since they're here too.
Feedback is helpful and deeply appreciated, if you can spare some thoughts. I love to hear back from readers.
Thank you again for reading and supporting, along with your patience for the continuing story! While it will take more time, there is more to come, so be sure to keep a lookout for it! Take care.