Chapter 5- History Class
After a series of rooms filled with specters, Luigi finds himself in a lavish study with wooden bookcases that stretch from floor to ceiling and have the ladders that roll along a rail to allow access to each and every book. The library is two stories with plush red carpet and chairs to match strewn about. The large desk on the right side catches the plumber's eye as it is buried with books and journals. As he inspects the desk he notices that all the literature piled upon it is about Egyptian culture and mythology. Either someone was really into this stuff or they were studying up for history class, Luigi observes as he picks up a book. As he puts the book back down after leafing through it, he looks up to see a book jutting out of the shelf, uneven with the others. His OCD kicks in and he walks over and pushes the book back in place aligned with the others. A loud clicking sound causes him to jump and the bookshelf swings open. "A secret passageway, huh," Luigi notes aloud; "of course, every library has one of these right?" The green clad plumber heads down the passageway to a set of descending stairs that eventually lead to a large stone door covered in symbols. He recognizes the symbols and whips out the Dual Scream. "Gadd?"
"What is it Luigi," the elderly professor asks curiously.
"I found a door with some hieroglyphics on it. I was wondering if you could help translate them for me."
"Its not really my area, but I'll give it a try lad; what do you have?" Luigi describes each of the symbols and Gadd punches it into his computer hoping it will enlighten them. "Ah okay, this is what my translator program says, 'Do not open this door; if done, the peace of the afterlife will be disturbed and the intruder will suffer greatly.'"
"With that, its time to turn around," the plumber notes and turns to leave.
"Oh don't believe that pish-posh lad! Come on, go inside," the professor exclaims. "The ectoplasmic radar is spiking; you have to go inside!"
"Oh no I don't," Luigi retorts; "I have read about various explorers that go inside cursed tombs and then days, weeks, or months later they or their love ones dies or have a debilitating accident. As a man studying the paranormal you can't deny this. Wait, the what is spiking?"
"The ectoplasmic reader, it's a new program in the Dual Scream; instead of just detecting boos, it can now detect all forms of the paranormal by detecting ectoplasm," Gadd explains. "Back to the topic at hand, I agree curses can be real, but this is not Egypt sonny. I doubt there is a real curse on that door."
"True, we are very far from where such curses were known to the point of administrating, but you're sure no one could look this stuff and do it here," the plumber asks.
"No, but it is very unlikely. Plus this is the only way we are going to save your brother," Gadd logics.
"All right I'm going in," Luigi declares, pushing fears and worries aside for the sake of his brother. He reaches for the handle, slowly pulls the door open, and steps inside.
The door leads to a large room with a path lined by sandstone pillars that have torches affixed upon them. Sand blows around the room with phantom winds guiding it along. The plumber switches the Poltergust to fire mode and lights the first torch that he can reach. Subsequently, after lighting that one torch all the other torches light, which show Luigi a path strewn through the large room. He follows the path to the other side that leads to another door with a picture of a pharaoh greeting Anubis, Egyptian God of the Dead or Lord of the Underworld, and statues of Egyptian jackals are perched on either side of the door. "This is just weird," the plumber comments as he pulls the door open which leads to another set of stairs. He steps through the door and descends halfway down the steps when he hears the hefty door close atop the stairs. He gulps nervously then continues down the narrow hallway of sandstone until he reaches a room at the bottom of the stairs. It is a small room, which makes Luigi suddenly claustrophobic, with small groupings of clay pots in three of its corners. The pots' lids are all shaped as the different animal heads of the Egyptian gods and goddesses. Luigi heads over to the last corner, as it is stacked with trinkets, valuables, books, and a photo album. Curious, he picks up the album and begins leafing through it. The first page reads, 'Charles Edward Harrisburg;' and shows a picture of an older man standing next to a younger man who looks similar, no doubt his son. The following pages contain pictures of the two men doing various things at different locations then one picture catches his eye. The two men are standing in a field with a familiar auburn woman; "Amelia?"
A rumbling sound comes from the middle of the room causing the younger Mario Brother to turn quickly from the album. He shines his flashlight to the middle of the room, which reveals a large sarcophagus setting on the floor; a gold plated, traditional sarcophagus with its lid slightly ajar. Luigi's arm starts quivering, unseen torches light up with fire and shouts surprised. A white wisp emerges from the case causing the plumber's eyes to widen and his breathing to shorten. Above the sarcophagus the wisp takes shape as an elderly gentleman wearing a tunic and shendt made of white linen and a nemes upon his head; to the plumber he looked like the pharaoh pictured on the door with Anubis.
"How dare you disturb my tomb? Intruder, grave robber, have you no shame," the ghost accuses.
"I'm not a grave robber," Luigi defends. "I would not take your life treasures Charles."
"How do you know my name thief? Do not patronize me with lies! You learned it from my treasure! It is bad enough that I could not enter the afterlife and am perpetually trapped on this earth, but then to have some cretin come and steal from my tomb is unacceptable!"
"I'm not here to steal!"
"Liar! You did not heed the warning on the door and now I will curse you with the curse that is placed on me," Charles disappears and the torches glow a low red. Luigi's eyes dart hastily around the room then looks to the walls. Black jackals resembling Anubis starkly contrast their sandstone canvas and then their white eyes start to glow red. Luigi steps back as he watches the jackals emerge from their images and land in front of him, snarling. "Feel Anubis' wrath," the ghost's voice booms and echoes throughout the small room.
With his eyes still fixed on the jackals, the younger Mario Brother pulls out the Dual Scream in hopes to contact Gadd. He tries, but to no avail; all he gets is static. Suddenly one of the four jackals lunges at the plumber. He dodges out of the way, but finds himself closer to another one, which decides to take advantage of the opportunity and latches down onto his leg. Luigi screams out in pain then whacks the large black canine with his flashlight causing it to let go.
His mind races as he tries to figure out how to get rid of the jackals. Okay, these are obviously jackals that symbolize Anubis, so maybe something about Anubis himself is the key to defeating them. What do I know about Anubis? The young plumber tries to rack his brain, but is interrupted as the jackals continue their attack. He is able to dodge another pounce, which sends the dog into the tomb wall, temporarily stunning it. The other two Jackals stalk closer, Luigi brandishes his flashlight at them, but makes no contact. Okay, Anubis is the God of the Dead or wait is he? Yes, but no; doesn't he lead spirits through trials in the afterlife? Isn't there something about scales? Crap that doesn't help me! I should have looked at those books before coming in here! The stunned jackals regain their footing and join their pack members; stealthily the sneak behind the Mario Brother and enclose him in a ring.
Oh no, I'm surrounded, he thinks panicked. Time to just use the process of elimination, he whips out the Poltergust's hose and blasts fire at the jackals. The fire envelops them, but they are not affected. They begin to close in, snapping their vicious jaws through the flames of the fire. Not working, not working! Luigi quickly switches the elemental medal on the Poltergust and lands on water. Turning it on to full blast, he blasts two of the jackals across the room. The other two pounce on Luigi and drag him down to the floor. The water sprays everywhere as the plumber falls, including onto one of the walls. One of the jackals' pictures is washed away; the black streaks down the wall, as the etched outline remains empty. The jackal pulling on his leg howls in pain then simply disappears.
"Ah ha!" He shakes off the other jackal and quickly washes the walls as he dodges more attacks. One by one the jackals howl in defeat then vanish from existence; as the last one disappears, Charles reappears hovering over his sarcophagus.
"How did you beat the hounds of the dead? The servants of Anubis," the elderly ghosts confounded.
Instead of listening to the phantom, the green clad man pulls out the Dual Scream again and scans the ghost's heart. 'My burial was a debacle, but my tomb is perfect!'
"Is that so," Luigi retorts as he returns the Poltergust to its normal function and takes aim for a pot in a close corner. The one thing I do remember from history class is that the pots held the mummy's organs and preservation was everything to the Egyptians, to ruin that is to ruin a perfect tomb. The Poltergust sucks up one of the pots causing it to stick to the end of the hose then Luigi aims the pot at Charles and switches the red machine into reverse, shooting it at Charles.
"Not my treasure," the elderly ghost screams as he becomes stunned. The plumber quickly flashes the ghost with his flashlight then flips the Poltergust back into its normal mode. "No, no, don't make me leave my tomb," the ghost pleads as he struggles and tries to flee but eventually loses. Charles is sucked into the Poltergust's containment chamber causing the tomb to light up brightly. The Dual Scream buzzes in Luigi's pocket.
"Luigi! Are you all right," E. Gadd asks, concerned.
"Yeah just a little shook up," the plumber replies.
"Quite understandably son," Gadd notes. "Perhaps you should come back and empty the Poltergust."
"Sounds good," Luigi agrees and ends the transmission. As he turns to leave, something sparkling at the foot of the sarcophagus catches his eye. The pot he threw at Charles contained a gold key, which now lies on the floor. "I guess it was treasure," the green clad observes as he collects the key and heads back to the lab.