And now, the thrilling continuation from last chapter! I'll reply to Reviews at the end of the chapter this time because I'm quite excited.
DISCLAIMER: Super Paper Mario is owned by Nintendo.
Stirring in the darkness, Luigi could still feel the pain in his legs. He wasn't sure what he injured to make it hurt so much, but the best he could do without medical expertise was walk it off and hope for the best.
What little light shone inside from the open pantry door was enough for Luigi to get his bearings on the situation. The supplies were mostly old, perishable food that he didn't dare to touch, but the non perishable foods had seen better days as well in their containers.
He pushed himself off the ground to stand, wobbling a bit as a jolt went through his legs. He would leave the food and go back outside to find the Pure Heart, this time more carefully. Limping to the door, a horrid though came to Luigi when he remembered...he had closed the pantry door before passing out, yet it was open when he woke.
Something wet dripped on Luigi's head when the realization hit him. He shook uncontrollably as his vision slowly panned to above him. The child hung from the ceiling with her arms, much larger and spider-like, even more legs wriggled from the edges of her eyes and mouth. The body slouched as it dangled, clicking and snarling like something from the vacuum of space.
Luigi bolted as best as he could. The creature dropped down from her perch to give chase once more. He struggled to run as the pain in his legs hit him over and over. He leapt behind a couch the next room over. His hand briefly brushed over something cylindrical and metallic as he hid behind the couch. Grabbing for the object half-underneath the couch, he found a flashlight.
The sound of a thousand spindly legs alerted Luigi to the creatures presence, and he instinctually flashed the light into the corrupted's eyes. It screeched, as if blinded, and Luigi used this weakness to slip back into the kitchen and towards the lobby area from before.
The Pure Heart hummed loudly near the stairs, surprising Luigi. He remembered the growling from before, he knew there was probably another corrupted downstairs, and he knew that the Pure Heart was why he came here. If he could find it, he could flee the mansion without any guilt or regret. The familiar sound of spider legs against wood echoed from where he came from. Maybe if he was lucky, the two corrupted would lose interest in him in favor of fighting each other.
He hobbled down the stairs with the child quickly following behind him. The further he went, the more he began to realize the lower floor was a horrible trap. A maze meant to confuse whomever was unfortunate to enter. He began to notice Pure Heart humming louder in certain directions, so he followed. He could always hear the sound of spider legs behind him. No matter how far he went, she was a room behind him.
The skittering sound seemed to stop around the same time the humming did: at the foot of a staircase. The room was otherwise empty with only two doors, a lot of space, and an upwards flight of stairs. The center of the room had a single stone, shaped like a heart, and humming very quietly.
Luigi hurriedly picked up the stone and placed it in his bag, but not before hearing the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned around. A pair of gumless teeth greeted him with a monstrous roar.
"Mercy!" Luigi shouted, falling down again.
The creature was the size of a bull, but with sharp teeth and a three striped horns akin to those of a rhino. A white, empty eye surrounded by a gross red gunk pierced him when the it turned its head. Six long, scrawny legs held up the beast's segmented body while the remains of an article of cloth and a sickly yellow tail dragged on the floor.
It huffed at Luigi while a black ooze secreted from its mouth.
He swung at the beast in fear, the teeth attacked to his hammer scratching the creature's face and aggravating it without any intention.
It rammed towards him as an attack, but missed almost every time. If it got too close, he swung again, each time with more force. Somewhere during the fight, Luigi managed to hide underneath the staircase, which the corrupted could not slip under. The underside was cramped and filled with boxes, but the plumber managed to fit.
As the corrupted attempted to collapse the staircase, a box of photos caught Luigi's eye at just the right time. It depicted a shaymen woman in sunset colors, surrounded by a group of small, hound-like creatures, and a larger one.
The stairs shook.
The connection between features on both the woman and on the corrupted began to match up. The glasses. The hair. The colors.
More shaking.
He picked up the picture and flipped it over. The back read, clear as day, "Merlee + pets".
"Merlee!" Luigi exclaimed.
It stopped. The corrupted ceased its attack on the wooden steps.
Confused, Luigi stepped out from his hiding place. The corrupted stared at the floor, whimpering. It looked up at him apologetically, it's eyes somehow seemed gentle.
"Merlee?" Luigi asked, approaching.
It, no, she nodded. She nuzzled him when he got close enough. The noises she made sounded like an attempt to speak, but nothing comprehensible came through, though it was obvious she was apologizing for her behavior.
Luigi wrapped his arms around the corrupted woman, hugging her.
Hey look, a chapter that didn't end in murder or trauma.
Review time!
GreenCAT: Ouch indeed.
NormanWhitesmith: You come back here right now, this story isn't over 'til I SAY it's over.
Guest 1: Luigi has yet to break old habits, but he willing...eventually. Also yeah, HORRIBLE time to pass out.
Space Dimentio: In Luigi's defense, he was in a lot of pain. I've nearly passed out from stubbing my little toe, so I understand his pain...obviously with less spiders involved.
The Toad Soldier: Even though you've just read chapter one and probably won't see this for a while, I can assure Luigu will be safe for now.
Guest 2: Glad you like the story!