Author Notes - Serpci is definitely one of the best boss fights in the game. Literally everything about it is designed to make you use everything you have in your arsenal. She also has one of the best designs. Seriously, look at dat bod. (And once again, my orientation is put into question).
Bow down to your new pharaohs brewerspackers9 and C.T Genius, for they have added their favourites/follows to the story!
WARNING: I'm normally not the biggest fan of trigger warnings, but I do see one as being rather necessary here. Without going into details here for spoiler-riffic reasons, this chapter discusses the serious topic of suicide. It is not shown on-screen, but it is mentioned quite a bit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - U-SERPCI THE THRONE
Polterkitty flinched. She couldn't help but get the feeling that something absolutely horrible was going down in Master's suite.
'Alright Kitty,' Daisy said. 'Give us the lowdown. What now?'
Now that they had made it through the door, only one major trap remained. The room was small, and lit only by a single dying torch. The cobwebs covering the corners made Luigi feel nervous. The only route out was a long series of stairs.
'Me-yow-yow!'
'She says that we have to be careful. The end of this staircase is the end of the whole thing, but-'
'Wait, we're at the end already? Alright!'
'What? No! Daisy!'
Unfortunately, the princess cared too much about getting out of that death trap than taking any care. She charged right up the steps, not even thinking about the possibility of tripping, too excited to see the light again.
She stopped in her tracks. The step her foot rested on sunk downwards just a couple inches, but more than enough to make her heart stop.
'Oh no...'
'MROOOW!'
Daisy didn't even need the translation on that one. She rushed forward even faster than before, just barely holding back a scream. Polterkitty gave Luigi no warning - there was less than no time for one - and threw him onto her back. He wrapped his arms around her neck by instinct. The answer to the question he was too scared to ask came with a very loud and sudden THUD. Followed up by another one a second later. And another.
The walls themselves were slamming against each other, one segment at a time, with enough speed and force to turn even the toughest of steel into putty. Luigi closed his eyes and screamed, tightening his grip on Polterkitty's neck. The petrified panther ran to her absolute limit, not just to make sure that Master got her prize but to also save a friend.
'DO NOT LET GO!'
The plumber would've loved to respond with 'like I would do anything else', but was screaming too hard to say anything.
Daisy watched the panther dash past her with Luigi in tow. Her heart could just barely catch up with her legs, working overtime to pump blood to every part of her body. Despite its hard work, it took hardly any time at all for Daisy to grow lightheaded. Sweat seeped out of her every pore. She didn't dare turn around. She just knew that if she stopped to check behind her, she'd be turned to paste. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed her; it took a lot of strength not to puke on the spot.
The corridor made a ninety-degree turn to the right. Polterkitty made the turn no problem and booked it up the next flight of stairs, knocking over a vase in the process halfway up. She couldn't help but feel bad for the poor, unaware spiders populating the corridor. She didn't stop until she reached the top and leapt into a small chamber. Luigi slid off her neck and fell to the floor, gasping for air once he could finally stop screaming.
His eyes widened. 'Daisy...!'
He and Polterkitty turned their attention back to the corridor. Daisy, going red in the face, had kept a great pace. Her look of determination masked the utter horror going through her mind, and the sight of Luigi waiting for her brought light back into her eyes.
Her foot got caught on the knocked-over vase. For a moment, everything seemed to pause. The entire world ceased to function. Daisy was slammed back into reality when her chest hit the floor.
'DAISY!' Luigi screamed.
Daisy took one last look at his face. Despite all the horrors they had faced, this was the most terrified she had seen him all night. She didn't even bother getting back up. What was the point? She could hear the walls crashing together right behind her. It was only a matter of time before she would be turned into paste.
It wasn't like Luigi needed her anyway.
'RUFF RUFF! RUFF!'
Suddenly, Daisy felt something lift her off the ground. She could hear the vase getting crushed to smithereens behind her.
'Hurry, Polterpup! HURRY!'
Luigi's own heart was about to burst. Only Polterpup could save her now.
*SLAMSLAMSLAM*
'DAAAIIISY!'
'OOF!'
Polterpup threw Daisy to the ground, spinning her around to make sure she didn't land on her chest.
The final segment slammed against the wall. The squished remains of an unfortunate spider seeped out and fell to the floor. Thanks to her position, Daisy got the perfect view of the corridor crushing the innocent arachnid right at her feet. Her breath was heavier than the biggest of Hammers. She sweated more than ice cubes in the Summer sun. She didn't even notice Luigi running to her side, holding her hand and giving her a relieved smile.
'Oh, Daisy! I'm so glad you're okay!'
His voice was merely white noise. All she could focus on was the mere fact that she had nearly died.
'Daisy?'
She could feel the tears demanding to be released.
'D-Daisy? Are you okay? You're just... s-staring.'
It was like a dam. Her mental block shut off all emotional flow. But, like a real dam, there was only so much it could handle. Sooner or later, her fear would pile up and destroy the wall she tried so desperately to maintain.
'Please Daisy, say something.'
Luigi nearly panicked again. This silent thousand-yard-stare was so uncharacteristic of her. For a moment, he feared she was possessed by something.
'Daisy! Listen to me!'
She buried her face in her hands, and wept.
Luigi jumped back. 'M-Margherita?'
Of all the ways for her to respond, this was the last thing he was expecting. He stayed away, not daring to interrupt her. He knew better than anyone that the best thing to do was to leave her be. Polterpup approached her, whimpering, until Luigi gently pulled him away.
Daisy's crying fit came to a swift end when she suddenly got to her feet and slammed her fist into the wall. 'ARRGGH!'
Everyone flinched. Her fist left a very noticeable crater in the brick work.
'D-Daisy?'
The princess leaned her forehead up against the wall, and continued to cry.
'Daisy! Speak to me!'
His tone came out far harsher than he wanted, but he didn't care. The princess glanced at him. Staring into her teary, frightened eyes, he nearly cried himself. Though anger emanated from her body, her eyes revealed her vulnerable inside.
'What do you want me to say?' She asked.
'D-Daisy... you're crying! Why are you crying?'
Daisy chuckled. It was an empty laugh completely lacking any joy.
'I guess I've done a good job at hiding it then.'
'Um, h-hiding what?'
The princess pressed her back against the wall, and slid down until she hit the floor. She had stopped crying, but looked no less alone and afraid.
'Luigi,' She muttered. 'Do you promise you won't tell anyone else?'
'Y-Yes. I-I promise.'
She sighed. 'So... you must think I'm some awesome warrior who's afraid of nothing, huh? An ass-kicking princess who never backs down? You think I have no fear?'
Luigi gasped. 'Y-You mean you-?'
'I am terrified of EVERYTHING, Luigi!'
The plumber's flashlight fell to the ground. Silence filled the room. Polterkitty sat on the sidelines, cringing.
'I'm not brave, or fearless, or anything like that. You think I wasn't scared when that Tatanga enemy kidnapped me? Sweet Luvbi, I've been terrified out of my mind since the beginning of all this! Absolutely petrified!' She paused to take a breath. 'I hoped that grand piano would be the worst it got. But... but it only got much, much worse.'
Luigi opened his mouth, but left it hanging for a few moments. He spent much longer thinking about what to say than usual.
'You... you mean that?' He asked. 'I-I can't believe it.'
'Yeah, well, that's the truth! The brave princess you know and love is actually nothing more than a coward. I've been bottling it all up, and... I guess something finally broke.'
The plumber truly couldn't believe that this was happening. Yes, he had his suspicions, but to think that it was real was something else entirely.
'Okay, so you're just as scared of everything as I am.' He said. 'So why would you hide it? Bottling it up just makes it worse.'
Daisy pouted. 'I... I don't know.' She giggled. 'Oh, I am such an idiot.'
'W-What? No, Daisy. You're not an idiot!'
To his shock, the smile on her face was genuine and warm. With a sigh, she stood up. Her arms and legs shivered.
'No, it's okay Sweetie.' She said. 'I hid how terrified I've been because I figured that you wouldn't like me anymore if you knew the real me.' She giggled some more. 'I can't believe I actually thought that! Why would you, the sweetest man on the planet, judge me for something like that?'
Luigi smiled, and leapt into an embrace. The way he held onto her was akin to a child hugging his bedtime teddy bear to keep away the nightmares. Daisy made no attempt to pry him off.
'Of course I wouldn't.' He said. 'I don't care about any of that. I love you for you. And if 'you' is as scared as me, then I love it. And anyway, with how timid I am, do you think I wouldn't like someone else like that?'
Daisy returned the hug. 'Geez, when you put it like that, it sounds even more silly. It's just... I feel like I have this reputation as a tough tomboy princess to uphold. That's why I pretended to hate shopping last whenever-the-hell-it-was, if you're wondering. Yeah, I do kick ass, but I just can't do it all the time. Sometimes, I just wanna go back to bed and cry.'
'And that's okay. If you want to keep it hidden from other people, that's fine too. Just promise you won't hide it from me ever again.'
Daisy needed a moment. There was about fifty thousand things that she wanted to say, but she simply couldn't piece the words together. She hugged him tighter; she didn't need to say much at all.
'I promise.' She said.
The calm embrace continued for all of two seconds, before the ringtone of the VB destroyed the lovely silence. Its sudden onset made Luigi jump back.
Daisy groaned. 'You serious? Hang on Sweetie.'
When she responded to the call, she could see E. Gadd chilling by his computer. Gus T and Parr T were by the ghost container unit. The blue fungus had his arms out, barely restraining the urge to strangle the yellow mushroom.
'Look at that, Gus!' Parr yelled. 'Those twins keep arguing with each other, while the maid threatens to give everyone their second death!'
'Yes, Parr, I can see that. I have been looking in the same vault you have. Oh, the chef just whacked the pianist upside the head. And said pianist is destroying him.'
Through the camera, Daisy could see some sort of web article on E. Gadd's computer, but the low-quality footage of the VB made it unreadable.
'Good news, Princess!' The professor announced. 'I was just doing some research and I... I'm not interrupting anything, am I?'
Daisy rolled her eyes. 'No, no. It's okay. You were saying?'
'Right. See, most of the ghosts as individuals are near impossible to research, thanks to them not being especially notable people in their life. Queen Serpci, however, is an exception! As a pharaoh in ancient Sand Kingdomian times, there is an abundance of information on her. Would you like to hear it?'
'Me? Unless it tells me how to punch her in the face, I don't really care. Luigi might wanna hear about her, though.'
With no more of an introduction, she handed the device over to Luigi. The green-clad plumber, indeed curious, continued the call.
'Now listen to this, sonny!' E. Gadd said. 'It says here that Serpci was the only child of King Sphynx, thanks to her mother unfortunately losing her life giving birth to her.'
'Awww...'
'Yes, it is indeed tragic. The deaths of loved ones is unfortunately quite common among ghosts... Anyway, King Sphynx did not hold it against his daughter and treated her like a princess. Until, of course, he was assassinated.'
Luigi gasped.
'Indeed. Being the only one in line, Serpci inherited the throne at a very young age. She ruled her kingdom until she was thirty-nine years old. She... erm, do you want me to give it to you straight?'
The man took a moment to consider it.
'... Yes.'
'Don't say I didn't warn you. At the age of thirty-nine, she committed suicide by allowing a venomous snake to bite her.'
Luigi winced. Daisy did not feel like asking.
'Why did she do something like that?'
'Her motives were never clear, though apparently the people in her life were not particular shocked. Welp! Time to go capture her now!'
The call ended there, rather abruptly. Luigi simply put the VB away into his pocket with a dejected sigh.
'I don't wanna know, do I?' Daisy asked.
'No... you really don't. So, how do we get out of here?'
The only thing of note in the room, aside from a few well-painted vases, was a massive web that covered up one of the walls. The sight of it alone made Luigi shudder. Fortunately, spiders were one of the few things in the hotel that Daisy wasn't scared of. Her eyes drifted to a lone torch hanging on the wall.
'Well, this seems simple enough.' She remarked.
She ripped the torch off the wall and brought it over to the thick webbing. Even the strongest of spider silk was no match for the flame, and the sticky strings vanished in a flash of embers. Seeing as the torch was no longer needed, Daisy tossed it over her shoulder - which would've been an absurdly stupid move if the flooring was even slightly flammable. Behind the webs, was another picture of Luigi. This one was identical to the one in Serpci's chamber; same pose and all.
'So Serpci's chamber would be on the other side of this wall, correct?' Daisy asked, to which Polterkitty nodded. 'Kay, so what in this sweet holy world do we do now?'
Luigi approached the carving of himself with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He certainly hadn't wanted to be noticed this much. He focused on the pose his stone counterpart was in.
'Is this the part where I smash it?' Daisy suggested.
'Uh... we'll save that as our last option.' Luigi said.
'Don't you mean, our Last Reso-?'
'Boy, this is not the time.'
Even Polterkitty couldn't quite understand this one. No mortal had ever gotten this far before, and ghosts simply fazed through the wall. She wasn't at all certain that corporeal lifeforms could solve this puzzle. Luigi moved his arms out in a way resembling a robot in desperate need of repair.
Daisy cocked an eyebrow. 'Uhhh... Luigi, what are you even attempting to do?'
The plumber hooked his flashlight up to the Poltergust, and proceeded to imitate the pose much better. In fact, it was as if the carving came to life. The carving itself glowed, and the wall shifted just a little.
Luigi's eyes widened. 'Wait, what? That worked?!'
Daisy chose not to complain, and grabbed into his shoulders. She made the right choice, as the wall spun around into a semi-circle with ridiculous speed, taking the two mortals with it. The spin stopped abruptly, sending both humans falling to the ground. They look a moment to glance around the room - they made it back. And Serpci was there, floating above her coffin.
'EEK!' She shrieked.
It took the pharaoh a few moments to relax, and realise that they were merely mortals. Well, the princess was 'merely' a mortal. Nothing about Luigi could be 'merely' to her.
'So I see that you have successfully navigated my ancient tomb.' She said. 'I am not at all surprised that the amazing Luigi made it through alive, but I am rather shocked that the princess managed to survive.'
'Hey!' Daisy yelled.
'I am impressed, to say the least. I believe you are looking for this.'
She moved her hands about in a manner similar to a flowing river. An 'ember' of sand arose from the floor, and 'jumped' into her open hand. Once the sand trickled back to the floor, it uncovered the next elevator button. This one was for floor eleven.
Daisy got up from the floor. 'Oh, yeah! That. We want that.' She lifted Luigi onto his feet. 'And I'm sure that a big Luigi fangirl such as yourself would gladly hand it over to him.'
Serpci giggled. 'But of course!'
She slithered through the air and dropped the button directly into Luigi's open hand, no questions asked. The plumber stared at it for a bit, unable to believe it was actually real.
'Uh, t-thanks, Serpci.' He said. 'For the-'
Serpci grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward. 'It doesn't matter when he'll be staying with me forever!'
Luigi struggled against her grip, but it felt like fighting against a black hole. The deadly smile she gave him just unnerved him further.
'HEY!' Daisy shouted. 'Get off 'im!'
The princess gritted her teeth and reached out for her plumber. She was just an inch away when Serpci sent a ball of sand flying directly into her face. The grains irritated her eyes, and with a mighty sneeze she fell to the ground. Her head hit the back wall on the way down.
'Ow...' She muttered, rubbing the back of her head.
'DAISY! HEEELLLP!'
She rubbed the sand out of her watery eyes, only to see both Luigi and Serpci were gone. With a gasp, she shot to her feet.
'When I get my gloves on that pharaoh, I swear to Grambi-!'
She flinched as Polterkitty's massive head suddenly popped out through the Luigi carving. To say the least, she seemed to be having difficulties getting the rest of herself out.
'Ruff ruff! ARF! (Can't you just take off that stupid pendant?)'
'Mrow-rowww! (Master will get mad if I do that.)'
The rest of Polterkitty's body made it through the wall, popping through so fast that she fell onto her face. Polterpup floated on through without any effort at all, giving her a rather annoyed look.
'Yip yip! (That is the last time I help you get through walls.)'
The spectral hound looked around, and his tail drooped. He emitted a series of whimpers that Daisy figured translated to 'where is Master?'.
'Heck if I know where Luigi is! All I know is, that pharaoh dragged him away. If she brought him deeper into this tomb, I'M GONNA-'
The pharaoh's spine-tingling giggles could be heard just outside the front door, and that was precisely where Daisy ran to. She left the door open just long enough for Polterkitty to slide on through. Serpci stood in the middle of the gigantic sandy room, with both her hands on Luigi's shoulders. His pupils were pinpricks, and his muscles didn't even shake a bit.
'DAISY!' He yelled.
Daisy clenched her fists. 'Alright Queenie! I demolished your husband, and I can do the same to you!'
The anger boiling inside her was enough for her to overcome the bitter cold.
Serpci giggled again. 'I wouldn't try it if I were you. I am second in power only to Amadeus Wolfgeist.'
The princess scoffed. 'So? We captured him too. If we can defeat the most powerful ghost in this hotel, we can absolutely beat you!'
She left out the part where they only won because Luigi attempted a more diplomatic route. Either way, Serpci didn't seem fazed in the slightest.
'Perhaps we could take the 'we' out of that equation, hm?'
'Don't you DARE, for even a moment!'
Serpci cared none for her pleas, and waved her arm around in a circle. The spinning started off slow, with only a few grains of sand drifting into the air, but it got progressively faster and faster. The quicker her arm spun, the more sand swirled around in the air. Daisy growled through her teeth, and charged forward. Whatever that pharaoh was attempting, Daisy was going to bash her ghostly face in.
The princess skidded to a sharp stop. The flying grains had transformed into a mighty sandy tornado. Luigi and Serpci disappeared behind the twirly cloud of dust, and Daisy had to step back before the particles further irritated her eyes. Polterpup and Polterkitty could only watch in horror, fearing for her safety.
'Come out and fight me like a real ghost!' Daisy cried.
The sand tornado did not last long, and seemingly dissipated into thin air within moments. Daisy felt relief for about two seconds, before she realised that neither Luigi nor Serpci could be seen where they once were. Instead, in their place, was a giant mound of sand towering over Daisy that was in the shape of Serpci's head. And, while the princess couldn't be sure, she was certain the sandy face was giving her a death stare.
'OH DEAR GRAMBI!'
Daisy, as per her promise, made no attempt to hide her terror as she fell over backwards. Paranormal gates appeared and locked into place, reducing the available arena space to at least half its original size.
'If you want Luigi back,' Serpci's voice bellowed from inside the giant head. 'You'll have to fight for him!'
At that moment, Polterpup and Polterkitty rushed to her side. They growled and hissed at the grainy bust, making it clear that the princess would not be the only one fighting.
'Ooh, now this is interesting.' Serpci said. 'I am not surprised to see the doggy leap to his master's defence, but the kitty is quite unexpected. Perhaps she has found a new friend? Not that it matters. All shall fall to the mighty Serpci.'
And then, to Daisy's horror, the head began to move. It travelled forward in a straight line, ignoring all the bumps and ditches in the dunes. It passed through them like nothing. And it wasn't too slow either. Though no speedster, its speed was more than enough to make Daisy scream.
'Okay, okay!' She said, getting to her feet. 'If anyone has any ideas, SAY THEM NOW!'
Polterpup and Polterkitty responded, revealing a fatal flaw in Daisy's plan - she had no way of understanding them. Their desperate cries to converse only overwhelmed the princess.
'Alright, everybody shut up!' She yelled. 'Give me a moment to think. If I had the Poltergust, I could easily suck up the sand. But without it...'
With the sandy face of her doom approaching closer and closer every moment, it gave Daisy little time to think. She closed her eyes for just a moment, and when she opened them again she got a face full of sand.
'AAAHH!'
In a moment of panic, she threw a punch. Her fist knocked the nose clean off Serpci's creation, and it collapsed into a heap on the ground.
The head stopped moving so Serpci could emerge from the top of it. 'Don't do that!' She yelled, rubbing her nose. 'That hurts!'
Daisy smirked. 'Oh, sorry. Would you rather I do this?'
She delivered a punch to one of the eyes. Sand scattered everywhere, leaving a massive dent where the eye once was.
'OW!' Serpci cried, her hand over that eye. 'D-Don't you understand that attacking that hurts me too?'
'Yeah, that's kinda the point.'
Polterpup laughed at this little joke, which was the final straw for Serpci. The pharaoh growled, and pointed right at the princess. Four giant cobras, also made of sand, emerged from the bottom of the heap. They managed to tower over the already-huge sculpture. Better yet, they each had glowing eyes that were staring directly at Daisy.
'EEP!'
'Get 'er, my slithery companions!'
The two cobra heads above Daisy stuck their tongues out, as if to savour her scent, and dove down teeth first. Daisy leapt out of the way, and the cobras smacked their faces into the floor. It left them both dazed.
'Kitty!' Daisy yelled. 'Destroy!'
Polterkitty nodded, and pounced. The cobras recovered from their dizziness, only to see a Panthergeist extending her claws out at them. They shrieked for the half-a-second they had left before Polterkitty ripped them to shreds.
'Leave them alone!' Serpci cried. 'Snakes are my only friends!'
'So you're friends with dirt, huh?' Daisy remarked. 'I'm not surprised.'
Serpci's expression softened. For a moment, her confident anger faded and she frowned. Her eyes, though empty and lacking pupils, had a hint of sadness in them. Her hands shot to her head, and she began to hyperventilate.
'We got her!' Daisy said. 'Poltiepup, Polterkitty. Attack the head with all you've got!'
The remaining trio charged for the vulnerable face, chipping away at the sand bit by bit. Daisy continued to punch her way through, backing away as it began moving forward again. Polterpup dug through the mouth like he was just burying a bone, having a little too much fun as he did so. Polterkitty did the most damage, tearing through like she was ripping apart paste.
And Serpci could feel each impact on her real face.
'STOP IT!'
Daisy laughed. 'Make us!'
Serpci's breathing turned harsher. Thank goodness for her ghostly nature - she'd have a heart attack otherwise.
'Why aren't you helping me, Boss?!' She screamed. 'I'm doing everything that you want me to! GIVE ME COURAGE!'
Daisy stopped. It encouraged the Polterpets to cease their attacks too.
'Serpci? Are you alright?'
The pharaoh screamed again, this time incoherently. Daisy backed away until she could see her clearly.
'Serpci, listen to me! You don't have to do this. Just give Luigi back to us and we will leave you alone!'
Serpci just glared at her. She disappeared back into the head, and the entire sandy pile sunk back into the dunes. It scattered like water running on the floor, and disappeared like it wasn't there at all.
'Don't run away!' Daisy yelled. 'Give me back my Luigi!'
Polterpup yipped and growled at where Serpci's creation once was, while Polterkitty shuddered.
'Mro-ow-row!'
'I have no idea what that means, but that doesn't sound good.'
Polterkitty could not have been more right. The sandy heap, now nothing but a shapeless pile, remerged and 'leapt' into the air like a shark attacking from the ocean. It soared over the trio, sprinkling them with the grains that trickled down.
'OH GEEZ!'
The flying heap covered half the room in just a couple of seconds, and slammed into the floor. The impact unleashed a sonic wave of dirt that levelled the entire terrain as it went, and it was heading straight for Daisy. The princess didn't have it in her to scream anymore. She stepped back, trying to get through the scrambled mess that was her mind to figure out when to jump. Her vision began to blur, making the guesswork that much harder.
'YIP YIP!'
'MIAAAOOOW!'
She leapt. Her legs were sturdy and athletic, yes, but could only do so much. Her feet hit the solid shockwave.
'WAHHH!'
She fell flat on her face, and coughed out mouthfuls worth of sand. Pain circulated through her body from her chest hitting the ground. Many, many expletives spilled from her mouth. It was no exaggeration that she'd rather deal with two Tatangas over this.
She wanted to give up. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Not with Luigi's life on the line.
'Is that all you've got, Queenie?!' She cried.
The head reformed at the impact site, no less big than before but retaining all damage inflicted. The four cobras reappeared, baring their fangs before Daisy could even get to her feet. Serpci's creation moved across the room, faster than before.
The princess gritted her teeth.
'Polterkitty!'
The Panthergeist in question stood up straight, awaiting either an order or a berating.
'Since no one here has the Poltergust, you are the faster at clearing away sand out of the three of us. Attack that face and don't stop 'till you've drilled all the way through!'
Polterkitty shuddered. The way Mean Lady barked orders at her reminded her too much of Master. Yet, there was something different about it this time. She didn't feel like she had to follow it lest she get punished. She wanted to follow it.
'Mrow-ROWW!'
'Now GO!'
The Panthergeist got down to the floor, wiggling her legs in preparation, and pounced.
'MROOOOAAW!'
The snake heads dove down to snap at her, but she jumped right past them. Using her gigantic claws, she tore through the sand like tearing through tissue paper.
'No... NO! S-Stop that at once!' Serpci cried.
Polterkitty just hissed in response, not slowing down for a moment. She bashed and scratched with unrelenting fury.
'That's right, Polterkitty!' Daisy yelled. 'Keep going!'
The Panthergeist paused her attacks, for just a second. She could recognise the white glove she just uncovered.
'Meow? ROW!'
She cringed. The cobras above her had sunk their fangs into two of her tails, and pulled. No matter how deep she dug her claws into the ground, the sandy snakes yanked her away from her target and slowly into the air.
'ROOOWW-OOWW!'
'KITTY!'
The gloved hand twitched about, as if reaching for its saviour. Polterkitty's claws scrapped the floor as she was dragged away and off the ground.
'I do not understand why you are on their side, Neferkitty.' Serpci said. 'But I will be sure to teach you a lesson for it.'
Polterkitty gripped the floor as hard as she could, anchoring herself to the uneven surface. Though the cobras pulled harder and harder, she would not leave the ground.
'Let go, you confounded beast!' Serpci yelled. 'M-Make this easy for us! ... Please?'
The spectral panther just chuckled, and pulled herself towards the dunes. The cobras held on tighter, which was precisely what she wanted. The tails detached from her body, and she smacked her face into the sand. Even the cobras seemed shocked that all they had in their maws were a couple of disembodied tails, ones which soon disappeared into a cloud of sparkles.
'No... NO!'
Polterkitty gave the head-shaped mound one last hack, making sure to avoid the hostage within, and as if she had destroyed a load-baring pillar the entire structure began to shake and wobble. The sand collapsed into the dunes, revealing nothing but a panicking Serpci and a sneezy Luigi in a dissipating cloud of dust. The pharaoh tensed up upon the realisation that her veil had been destroyed, and just tensed up more when she saw the Panthergeist snarling at her.
Daisy dashed across the room with Polterpup behind her. 'Luigi, get out of there!'
Luigi heard her voice but was too deep in a sneezing fit to even get up, let alone run away. Serpci, in a knee-jerk reaction, reached for his wrist.
'RAAWWRRRR!'
Polterkitty shoved her aside, and got between her and the plumber. She snarled and growled, no less threatening with just one third of her tails. Luigi took this opportunity, and ran over to Daisy the moment his sneezing fit stopped. The princess brought him into a hug, and held on tight. Polterpup ran around his legs, finding that he couldn't get close enough even if he was phasing through him.
'Are you alright, Sweetie?' Daisy asked.
Luigi gently pulled himself away. 'Uh, aside from almost suffocating and then nearly sneezing myself to death? I've felt better.'
'Huh, you too?'
The duo brought their attention to the pharaoh, who seemed to be bordering on a panic attack. Polterkitty circled around her, awaiting any sort of move.
'This is all your fault, Neferkitty!' Serpci shouted. 'Luigi was the only thing that made my afterlife worth it, and you've taken him away from me!'
Luigi winced, and not because he was the target of an obsession again. Sure, she was certainly going more than a little too far, but if her claim was true...
'Uh, Daisy?' He said. 'I-I know you don't like it when I keep suggesting we try to be nice instead of fighting, but-'
'Say no more, Luigi.' She replied. 'I get it now.'
'Y-You do?'
She nodded. 'I mean, I went the diplomatic route with Ug, but that was only because I had to. And the redneck twins were just annoying. But with Serpci here... she seems so lost and scared in this world, but tries to hide it. I-I know how that feels.'
Luigi glanced down at his glove, the one with electrical scorch marks. He prayed that it wouldn't come to that.
'Uh, n-not to put this pressure on you,' He stammered. 'But do you know how to do that in a way that doesn't involve me spending the rest of my life with her?'
'Oh, um...' She scratched the back of her neck. 'I was kinda hoping you knew.'
'Okay, how about-?'
No time for ideas yet, as Serpci summoned more cobras made of sand. Unlike the ones from before, they were not much bigger than her at all, and the eight of them surrounded her like a ring.
'I'll have my Luigi on the wall!' She declared. 'If it's the last thing I ever do!'
She didn't know where anyone was, and spread her arms out in a manner resembling a panicking child. The eight sand cobras leaned their heads back, and each fired out a sharp glowing projectile from their mouth. The energy required to fire such shots made them collapse into piles. The shots all flew in a straight line like an arrow unaffected by gravity, and while most of them went in completely random directions one was on its way over to the mortals.
'Serpci!' Daisy yelled. 'You don't have to do this!'
She didn't notice the arrow aiming to go straight through her.
'Daisy, LOOK OUT!'
Luigi pushed her out of the way and onto the soft ground. He cringed as a piercing pain coursed through his arm. Only when she hit the ground did Daisy realise what just happened. Serpci screamed in despair, and disappeared into the sand. Polterkitty growled at that spot.
'Luigi!' Daisy cried.
She saw him with tears in his eyes and his hand firmly grasped over his upper arm. Despite his agony, he gave her a smile.
'I-I'm just fine.' He claimed. 'S-See?'
He peeled his blood-stained glove away, and it was certainly not a pretty sight. The bizarre projectile had cut through his shirt and his skin. Compared to the lacerations on Daisy's chest this gash was hardly big at all, but still blood seeped out of it.
'Oh, Luigi...' Daisy murmured. 'You didn't have to do that.'
'I had to.' He said. 'After all those times you've done it for me, I had to repay you. And it's not so bad.'
Though he wasn't wrong, it didn't make Daisy feel any less uncomfortable. Polterpup had reached his boiling point, and charged after where Serpci had vanished while yowling and barking like mad.
'Boy, what are you doing?' Luigi asked as Daisy helped him up.
'No fan of Master would hurt Master like that!' Polterpup yelled.
The spectral hound skidded to a stop as a massive dust cloud emerged from precisely where Serpci was last seen. The Polterpets braced for any sort of attack.
'Boy? Gattina? Get away from that!'
The dust cloud changed shape into a solid hand made of the particles, one the size of Master Hand himself. It spread its fingers out and aimed its open palm for the animals.
'ROWL!'
'YIP!'
Polterpup and Polterkitty jumped out of the way as the hand slammed into the ground where they stood. It managed to survive the impact, and left a big dent in the dunes.
'If there is a way to kill a ghost,' Daisy muttered. 'I'm going to find out tonight.'
The sandy hand flew back into the air, and changed its shape into a fist. Instead of attacking the Polterpets again, it fired itself at the humans like it had been shot out of a cannon.
'OH SWEET MASTER HAND!' Daisy screamed.
Luigi saw how much Daisy's knees shook, and that was enough to help him forget the pain in his arm. He got his hands on the Poltergust, and waited. The fist moved so fast that he didn't need to wait very long at all. Relying on his instinct, he slammed on the 'suck' and the 'blow' button, activating a burst. The sudden burst of air reduced the fist to its individual grains, which sprinkled harmlessly over Luigi and Daisy.
The man look a quick look at his wound. 'I hope no grains got in that...'
Daisy wiped the absurd amount of sweat from her face. 'Oh, thank you Sweetie. Oh my lord, I'm about to faint.'
'Um, try to wait until after this battle.'
The princess looked back at the exit door. Serpci was apparently paranoid that they would flee, so she had doubled the paranormal gates blocking the way out.
'I still have the eleventh button.' Luigi said. 'And Polterkitty can tear through those gates. But, I don't wanna leave Serpci like this. You know, if I have to stay here so you can-'
'Only after Serpci pries you out of my cold, dead hands.'
Speaking of the pharaoh, she was yet to reappear. Her creations, on the other hand, were here to stay. Piles of sand began to grow from the floor, siphoning up as many grains as they could to grow as high as possible. Polterpup and Polterkitty dashed away from the mountainous heap.
Daisy groaned so hard, her throat hurt. 'What the hell is she doing now?!'
The gigantic sand piles slowly took shape, going from mere hills to becoming more geometric. Tall cylinders on the sides, a thick wall in the middle, an even taller tower behind that, and... a raised drawbridge? When crenels formed on top of the cylinders, the shape became clear. Serpci had built a literal sandcastle, one that was even bigger than her pyramid. She stood on the top of the soaring middle tower, looking down at the mere mortals. Hardly any sand was left in the floor itself.
Daisy gulped. 'D-Do you need a bathroom break too?'
'Uh... y-yes!'
Luigi looked at his scorched glove. With a sigh, he realised they had no other option. He clenched his eyelids shut as he poured all of his concentration into that hand. For a moment, a ball of electricity sparked from his hand, only to disappear in moments.
'Dang it...' He muttered.
Daisy's eyes widened. 'You wanna explain what that was?'
'Uh, so there's this thing called the Thunderhand...'
While Luigi explained his bizarre power to his princess, the ghostly pets bowed before the drawbridge and growled at the pharaoh. Polterpup in particular spouted many expletives, and Polterkitty made up for her clean mouth by roaring as loud as she could.
Serpci snickered from her perch. 'Don't you pests know? Sand can be moulded into anything I want!'
Two cannons, made of sand of course, showed themselves from behind the castle walls. The grains that made up their fuses trickled to the ground, and once they ran out the cannons fired.
'ROOWR!'
'YIIIP!'
They leapt out of the way of the circular projectiles, which hit the bare floor so hard they both left a small crater.
'-which is why I can summon electricity from my hand.' Luigi finished explaining, right as the cannonballs hit.
'Alright, that's great.' Daisy said. 'Now how does that help us deal with a giant sandcastle armed with working cannons?! Last time I checked, electricity had no effect on Ground-types.'
'Remember what the professor said about the Super Suction thing? It requires a source of electricity to work.'
'Your point be-?' She grinned. 'Oh, I gotcha!'
Luigi focused all his energy into his hand, every ball of electricity created lasting longer than the last. Serpci saw the mortals standing in the middle of the arena, and laughed.
'Have you given up?' She said. 'Have you realised that you cannot beat me? Surrender yourself to me, Luigi, and your princess friend will go free!'
'You're gonna have to kill me first!' Daisy declared.
'Yeah, that can be arranged.'
Luigi could feel the electricity getting stronger and stronger, yet requiring less effort each time. He just knew this plan could work! Then, he did. He sparked a ball of lightning in his palm, and this one stayed. It didn't even take much effort to sustain it either, though his glove didn't appreciate it so much.
'I did it... I did it!' He said.
'So you can summon lightning on will?' Daisy asked. 'And you're not one of the most famous people in the world?'
'Uh, thanks? We should really be asking how I-'
Beyond his control, a surge of lightning leapt from the ball and connected to the Poltergust's engine. It drained the electricity quickly, requiring Luigi to exert more effort to upkeep it. The wheels on the Poltergust popped out, and the lights inside it glowed bright enough for it to shine through the solid plastic and metal. It revved like an old race car that was ready to win the race.
Except it was a car that sounded more like a Boeing 747.
'Oh sweet Luvbi!' Daisy yelled. 'Okay, Elvin was not kidding when he said that was loud.'
Generating the lightning ball took so much effort that Luigi dropped the Poltergust nozzle. It doubled in size as it fell to the ground. Over the loud engine sounds, he could hear Polterpup and Polterkitty demanding answers.
'Why on Earth is that so freaking loud?!'
'Green Man, what does that do?!'
The sand cannons fired again. Polterpup dodged the cannonball aimed for him, but the second smacked Polterkitty in the chest. Yowling in pain, she dropped at Luigi's feet.
'GATTINA!'
Serpci bellowed. 'See what happens when you try to fight a ghost as powerful as I? I am the Queen of the Sands, and I shall remain as so for all of eternity! Join me, Luigi, and you shall be my King.'
Polterkitty ducked behind the humans and cowered. Never had the thought 'how do I use sand to flip someone off?' crossed Daisy's mind before. She snapped out of her silly questions when she saw how much Luigi was straining.
'Oh, Sweetie! Are you okay?'
'Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine. It's just taking a lot of effort to - NGH! - keep this charging! You're... you're gonna have to use the Poltergust for me.'
'Alright, I can do that.'
She picked up the nozzle and aimed it at the pharaoh staring down at them. The vibrations of it were strong enough to shake her arms.
'Poltiepup!' She yelled. 'If you know what's good for ya, you'll get out of the way right NOW!'
Though he still wanted to chomp Serpci's face off, Polterpup obeyed her order and hid behind them alongside Polterkitty.
Serpci giggled. 'Do you mortals really believe that your measly vacuum can destroy my grand sandcastle? I'd like to see you try!'
Daisy smirked. 'Oh yeah? Well, I'll show you the power of-!'
'JUST USE THE STUPID SUPER SUCTION THING ALREADY!' Luigi screamed.
'Oh. R-Right.'
Daisy pressed the 'suck' button on the enlarged Poltergust - as if things weren't risqué enough already - and no one quite expected what happened next. The usual tornado of air rushing into the invention was no longer tiny. Oh no. It was the size of Serpci's own sandcastle, so grand in its scale that the floor itself shook beneath them.
'HOLY RAVIOLI!' Luigi cried.
'SWEET LADY ROSALINA!' Daisy shouted.
The Polterpets had nothing to say. How could one speak when one's jaw was on the ground? Serpci could feel the suction pulling on her hair, and what little confidence she had draining away.
'Y-You think that will stop me?' She stammered. 'I-I-I am Queen S-Serpci. N-Nothing will stop me!'
Her confidence, if she had any left, could do nothing to save her castle. The grains that made up the walls were caught up in the Poltergust tornado, vanishing into it by the loads. It was as if it was just a regular sandcastle being blown away by an ocean breeze, not a previously impenetrable fortress.
'No... NO! NOOO!'
The grand stronghold was reduced to its pathetic state of being a mere heap, thanks to it collapsing in on itself, but Daisy was not done yet. Serpci tried to retreat back into the safety of her pyramid, but the massive tornado had her stuck in place.
'LET ME GO!'
The Super Suction practically laughed at the foundation, tearing straight through it. Daisy laughed too at the wonderful destruction. Better yet? Serpci had used every grain of sand to build that castle. With it gone, so was her sand. It only took a minute for the Poltergust to demolish the castle.
'YEAH!' Daisy yelled.
Luigi fell to his knees and sighed. He couldn't hold up the Thunderhand anymore, and it faded away. Had he kept it up for an extra second, he would have fainted. With its source of power gone, the Super Suction ceased, and the Poltergust returned to normal. All that remained in the massive room were the uncovered debris, the pyramid, and Serpci herself.
The poor, poor pharaoh lay on the bare floor, hyperventilating as she slowly realised that her one weapon was totally gone.
'Help me, Boss!' She yelled. 'I know I failed you, but WHY WON'T YOU HELP ME?!'
How pathetic. I should've known a coward like you would fall to the green man, no matter how much I helped you. You're on your own now, honey.
Daisy's grip on the nozzle weakened, until it slipped out of her hand. She glanced back - those paranormal gates were still there.
'Luigi,' She said. 'She's your biggest fan. I can't be sure, but I think she might listen to you more than me.'
The plumber nodded, got to his feet, and approached the frightened queen. The look she gave him was not of anger or even fear. It was betrayal.
'Serpci, I-'
'GET AWAY FROM ME! D-Don't come near me with that w-weapon of yours! I-I thought you were a hero. How could you use that machine on me?!'
'Uh... you kidnapped me. And tried to kill my friend. I am going to fight back. Why did you do that?'
Serpci's heavy breathing slowed down, and she looked to the ground in shame.
'You won't believe me,' She said. 'And I won't blame you. But I would never do what I just did to you if I had the choice.'
Luigi sighed. 'It was Hellen Gravely, wasn't it?'
The pharaoh just nodded. 'She... she told me she would give me confidence. That she would make me brave. A h-hero like you would never like a coward like me.'
This statement shocked Luigi so much that he dropped the Poltergust nozzle.
'W-What?' He said. 'What made you think that?'
Serpci couldn't even look at him anymore, and faced the floor instead. She whimpered, and Luigi could see her tears falling to the ground.
'I-I'm terrified of everything, Luigi, kinda like you. But you face your fears. You battle on no matter what. Me though? I... I... I couldn't take it. An entire kingdom depended on me, but I couldn't handle it. My only friends were snakes. So, I...' She choked. 'I took the coward's way out.'
Luigi was no fool. He quickly pieced together the horrible story from what Serpci said and from E. Gadd's research. Tears came to his eyes; he was not about to repeat Kruller.
'Oh, Serpci...'
He brought her into an embrace, and she allowed his arms to make contact with her ethereal skin. With a huff, Daisy decided that she wasn't going to sit this one out anymore. She made sure to approach them quietly.
'Serpci, I-'
'EEK!'
Serpci jumped backwards onto the floor. Her orange cheeks turned a deep red. Perhaps approaching quietly was a bad idea.
'Oh, sorry!' Daisy said.
'N-No, i-i-it's alright.' Serpci stuttered. 'That, uh, that happens a lot.'
The princess knelt down, and looked the pharaoh in the eyes. 'Let me tell you about my boyfriend, Serpci. He couldn't give a poison mushroom if you're fearless or scared of your own shadow. He'll love you no matter what. Trust me, I would know.'
Serpci looked to Luigi. 'Is... is that true?'
Polterpup and Polterkitty, very slowly, joined up with their team mates. The plumber nodded, and gave Serpci a soft smile.
'Absolutely.' He said. 'And I don't have a lot of fans. So, if you're one of them, I really like you too.'
Serpci's blushing intensified. All sadness vanished from her face, and her smile grew larger than she realised it could.
'I can't believe it!' She squealed. 'My hero, my idol... HE LIKES ME!'
She took to the skies and flew around like a stunt plane, emitting high-pitched squeals that were just barely in human hearing range.
Luigi couldn't help squealing too. 'AWWW! She really likes me.'
'Ya don't say?' Daisy remarked.
Serpci's little fly around the room was only interrupted when she flew in to give Luigi a hug. Her excited squeals hurt his ears, but he didn't want to ruin it for her.
Daisy chuckled. 'So I guess dying was worth it so you could meet your idol, huh?'
Both Luigi and Serpci, to her shock, gave her death glares. She stepped back and held her hands up in defence.
'Daisy, really?' Luigi said.
'If I died any other way, maybe!' Serpci yelled. 'But my life was filled with horror and misery! I thought ending my life would end my suffering too, but... it just made it worse. So much worse. Even now, I have to deal with my boss, who no doubt will punish me greatly for fangirling over you.'
Daisy, hoping to make up for her very poor choice of words, lifted up the Poltergust nozzle with a grin.
'Well, then don't we have the solution for you!' She said, spinning it around. 'If you let us capture you in this thing, then we can get you to a containment unit that'll keep you safe from Hellen Gravely and her freaky mind tricks. Plus, your husband will be there!'
Serpci gasped. 'You... you mean my sweet William MacFrights?'
'Yep!' Luigi said. 'And I can do it myself. Once this entire mess is over, we can let you out.'
The pharaoh squealed again, but this time it got to a pitch where only the animals could actually hear it.
'Yes yes YES!' She cried. 'I'll take it! When you let me out, will you give me your autograph? Will you tell me all your heroic stories? Will you? WILL YOU?!'
Luigi blushed. 'Uh, yeah. Sure.'
'EEEEEEEEE!'
Luigi didn't even need to flash her. Heck, he didn't even need to press the suck button. Serpci folded her arms like she was going back into her sarcophagus, and squeezed herself into the nozzle until she disappeared. All four members flinched. The paranormal gates blocking the exit vanished.
'Uh, did she just...?' Daisy asked.
'I, uh, think she did.' Luigi replied.
The princess began to shiver. With the thrill of the battle now over, she could once again feel the freezing cold air on her skin.
She chuckled. 'Y-You know, when we f-first met her, I-I thought she w-was a crazy s-s-stalker or some-t-thing. C-Can you b-blame me, though? B-But I g-gotta say... anyone w-who's that b-big of a f-fan of L-Luigi is a f-f-friend of m-mine.'
Luigi's blushing grew even redder, to the extent that he seemed to be overheating. He pulled out the floor eleven button, holding it tight.
Daisy crossed her arms and groaned. 'GAH! I f-forgot how c-c-cold this p-place was! C-can we g-get g-going n-n-now?'
'Before we go to the next floor,' He said. 'I think we should return to the lab for another rest. These past couple floors have been awful, especially for you Daisy. Not to mention,' He glanced at the wound on his arm. 'I wanna make sure this and that bite won't get infected.'
'I-I ain't g-gonna argue w-with t-that for a m-m-moment. I f-feel like if I h-have to d-d-do this any l-longer without a r-rest, my h-heart will ex... ex... explode!'
So, the group made the return trip to E. Gadd's lab. Wherein, the professor finally explained the instant-ghost-transfer process, and asked how Luigi got a hold of his universal translator. And, after their second six-hour rest and the regrowth of Polterkitty's missing tails, it was off to the Twisted Suites.
SERPCI, THE FANGIRLING PHARAOH
AGE - 39
GENDER - Female
CAUSE OF DEATH - Suicide, caused by allowing a venomous snake to bite her
Serpci, a former queen, is actually a very timid ghost who hides her fear behind a cool and collected façade. Her anxiety became too much, leading her to suicide. Due to him dealing with fear far better than she ever did, she is a massive Luigi fangirl. The mere mention of his name gets her squealing.
Author Notes - Yep! For no other reason beyond 'sure, why not?' the Super Suction was used during the Serpci boss fight! I plan to use it a bit more than it was in the game, if you couldn't tell.
I've been giving Daisy a lot of solo missions as of late, like the fight with Ug or the entirety of the Boilerworks. I have noticed, and though this isn't necessarily a problem I plan to 'rectify' this.
And now it's off to the TWISTED SUITES! I just know that many of my readers are very excited. And so am I!
King Boo found that his minions were being rather... uncooperative.
'Geez, if you go through with that, you'll be boned!' Boones said, sighing.
Booccaneer rolled her eyes. 'Avast! Your insanity is beginnin' to shiver me timbers.'
Boosician laughed. 'Haha! You serious? Wait, you were? Let me laugh even harder. HAHAHA!'
'Thou mayest thinketh we willeth join?' Boo-At-Arms questioned, shaking his head. 'Thou be crazy!'
'Normally I'm up for some fun,' Boofuddler said, crossing her arms. 'But seriously! You've absolute lost it!'
The rest of the Boos agreed with her without any second thoughts. Booigi and AnuBoo cheered with each other, while Booducer and Booldog shared a laugh at their boss's expense. The others did not even acknowledge their king.
King Boo could not bare to strike down his own Boos, but it had never been so tempting. Not that it mattered. After Hellen Gravely broke him out, he only needed her.
