Chapter 21 Attack of the Shadowling

Breathing while flying towards Sparksville at this time was one of the hardest tasks Ludwig had ever done. He felt like passing out multiple times throughout the flight and probably would have fallen to the ground if Kamek wasn't there to catch him. Speaking of which, the magikoopa had a serious face, charging through the air with a fearlessness that Ludwig could never hope to match. All he could hope for in this scenario was that everything would be okay, a hope that he wasn't one hundred percent sure he fully believed in.

When they got halfway to Sparksville, Kamek sucked some air through his teeth. He cringed, tightly gripping his broom in one hand as he put the other to his forehead. This made the already paranoid mood Ludwig experienced escalate even further. He backed up, holding onto Kamek's broom as well to ensure that the two of them would get to the town safely.

"It's going to be okay," Ludwig said, both to himself and toward the struggling advisor.

"I hope so," Kamek said. A visible shudder ran down his spine. "There's so much dark magic in the air, and it's only getting worse,.."

Ludwig bit his lip. "Y…yeah." Part of him wanted to back away, fly in the opposite direction because of the mere sight of Kamek struggling. He didn't though, mostly because Aria's face appeared in his mind. The thought was in such high definition that Ludwig could almost touch her, almost talk and be heard by her. In fact, that's exactly what he did.

"Don't worry, Aria. It's all going to be okay."

After what felt like forever, the two of them finally arrived in Sparksville. Ludwig's breath caught in his throat as he surveyed the town, with colossal piles of rubble that no doubt belonged to some of the buildings. Smoke rose from the piles, in a manner that was the reverse of light from a lighthouse. That light was a beacon that drew people in. This smoke was a warning that drove people away. What made the sight worse were the sounds. All of them were hideous, especially the spine-chilling screams and wails from the people. Ludwig's shivers got even worse upon hearing them, and his breathing became an even bigger problem than it had been on the flight here.

Regardless of these sights, the two pressed forward. Ludwig couldn't bear to see the ruins of Sparksville, so he mostly kept his eyes on Kamek. This was a problem in its own right, as Kamek's face bore the trademark green that identified sickness. He only barely avoided throwing up, and his face turned greener the deeper they got into the town. Ludwig stopped him from falling to the ground on several occasions, but the Koopaling's fear didn't lessen during any of them. All it did was heighten, heighten enough to make him fear for the lives of him, Aria, as well as everybody who lived within this once gorgeous town.

The two airborne Koopas flew through a thick cloud of smoke, which made breathing an even bigger problem for Ludwig. He hacked away as they flew through, and when they got to the other side, Ludwig froze in midair. The demon stood, proud and tall, over each and every building in Sparksville. Ludwig shook at its purple form, stomping and destroying everything that it could. When he saw a red gem resting in the middle of his chest, he had a chilling realization.

"It's a Shadowling," he whispered.

"In…" Kamek put his hand to his mouth. "Indeed."

The word "no" played on a loop in Ludwig's mind. He had encountered a Shadowling before when Morton fell victim to its influence. The Shadowling in question kept Morton prisoner inside of it, in a way that allowed the demon to feed upon Morton's depression, sorrow, and despair. Now, Ludwig didn't know for certain how Aria fell victim to a Shadowling too, but given its size, it was no doubt feeding off of her despair and sorrow as well.

This just made Ludwig feel sick.

"Where…" he swallowed a batch of the worst vomit he had ever tasted. "Where are Jackie and Bob?"

Kamek shook at a violent level. It almost looked like a seizure, although Ludwig knew that the illness brought upon by the exposure to dark magic was much worse. He reached out his arms to aid Kamek, but the magikoopa fell off the side of his broom. Ludwig shrieked and flew after him, only barely catching him in time.

"Ludwig…" Kamek said. "I… I can't." Ludwig's brow furrowed while he sat Kamek down on the ground. "This… this dark magic is… too much…"

Ludwig's heart pounded. "Then what do we do?"

Kamek wheezed. "T…take my wand." He reached into his cloak, pulling out his wand. "You… you remember what the incantation for the purification spell is, right?"

Ludwig took some time to think about this. "I… I do."

"Good." Kamek handed over his wand. "Free your sweetheart and get rid of that demon." Ludwig opened his mouth, but Kamek held up his finger to silence him. "Don't worry about me. I'll recover once our enemy is gone. Just find your friends and help them out. Keep them safe, please."

Ludwig nodded, despite his own uncertainty. "Okay." Battling every thought and instinct, he turned and left Kamek on the ground. With his wand locked in the grip of his hand, Ludwig flew through the city. He kept his eyes peeled, trying to locate Bob and Jackie. When he didn't immediately find them, his heartbeat sped up. His breathing also transitioned into hyperventilation, and sweat covered every inch of him.

"JACKIE!" Ludwig called out. He had to yell above the sound of the Shadowling stomping the town into oblivion. "BOB! WHERE ARE YOU!" He stopped, looking from left to right. He was just on the brink of going out of the way and checking the General Store for them when a flash of royal blue caught Ludwig's eye. He looked to the right and saw Bob flying toward him with Jackie holding his hand.

"Ludwig!"

"Bob! Jackie!" Ludwig flew over to them. Tears fell out of his eyes and he even managed to smile despite everything. "You're alright!"

Bob scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Relatively."

"I'm so glad you're here," Jackie said, staring at Ludwig like he had the cure for every disease on the planet. With wide eyes, she reach out and took Ludwig's hand in hers "Do you know how we can save Aria?"

A lump formed in Ludwig's throat at Jackie's tone. Never before had he heard somebody reach such strong levels of desperation.

"We need to get into the crystal on the Shadowling's chest," Ludwig said, trying to battle his own uncertainty as he did.

Bob raised an eyebrow. "The Shadowling?"

"That's what the demon is called." The second he finished saying that, the sound of another building being crushed under the Shadowling's foot rang through the air. Dust flew everywhere, clogging the air. As such, Ludwig gestured for Bob and Jackie to descend to the ground with him. He did his best to not throw up at the sight of a koopa troopa, caked with blood and adorning a cracked shell, laying on the ground next to them.

"The…" Ludwig struggled to speak as Jackie helped the injured civilian to his feet. "The Shadowling holds a prisoner hostage in their chest, using their despair as a battery." His legs wobbled, but he ignored them. "The prisoner needs to be freed before a purification spell can be used to destroy the demon itself."

Bob and Jackie exchanged a look. "So… so we actually need to break the crystal." When Ludwig nodded, Bob let out a breath. "Alright." He stepped forward. "Ludwig, you and I can fight off the Shadowling. Jackie?" He looked over at his girlfriend. "Jackie, I think you should take this koopa troopa to the hospital."

Jackie seized up. She looked at the civilian, struggling to stand on what no doubt were broken legs. Despite her lip trembling when she gazed upon them, she looked up at Bob. "Actually, Bob, I want to go with Ludwig."

Bob did a double-take. "What?"

"Aria's my sister." There was something about her voice when she said that, like she was applying a newly acquired strength onto her soul. "She's been going through a lot to help me, and I want to help her."

Bob's eyes were wide. "But Jackie, it's…"

"I know, I know." She reached out and took Bob's hand, stroking his fingers with her thumb. "I know the risks. I know the dangers. But I need to do this. Please." Her eyes grew misty. "Please let me do this," she said with a shaking voice.

Bob hesitated. The look on his face contained a mixture of intense love and unbearable fear. He shook while looking at Jackie, and it looked like he was going to have a panic attack over the mere thought of her doing this. In many ways, it was similar to Ludwig's own experiences with both his family and with Aria. Regardless, he still nodded.

"Okay." He took the civilian from Jackie, supporting him by putting his arm on his shoulders. "I'll join you guys as soon as I can." He looked at Jackie. "Please…" he looked at Ludwig. "Please be safe."

Ludwig nodded, and Bob left. Looking back at Jackie, Ludwig almost froze. He didn't know if he could necessarily keep her safe in this scenario. However, the look in her eyes, the look of pure bravery and desire to help, did help bring his confidence up. He took her hand, and together, they rose into the air. Flying through the dust, they could see the Shadowling on the edge of the town.

"Okay," Jackie said, keeping her eyes locked on their opponent. "Let's do this!"

Admiring her determination while still trembling, Ludwig nodded. He put Kamek's wand away in his hammerspace, and together the two of them flew towards the Shadowling.

"HEY!" Ludwig screamed when they were close enough.

The Shadowling briefly stopped. "What's this?" It looked down upon Jackie and Ludwig, laughing at the sight of them. "Two measly koopas think they can stop me?" He shook his head. "You two are extremely foolish." His eyes glittered, the sight making Ludwig's stomach churn. "Regardless, I sense great power from you." He grinned the nastiest grin in the world. "You will work wonders when it comes to resurrecting my majesty and her prince."

With that, he shot his open hand towards them. Ludwig bolted out of the way mere seconds before it grabbed them, much to the demon's annoyance. It looked upon these "measly koopas," eventually smirking as it pointed at them, sending a shadow bolt right towards them.

Once again, Ludwig managed to get out of the way in time, if only barely. He directed his attention towards the Shadowling's chest, and zipped towards that. Channeling his rage, he shot multiple blasts at the red gem. Cracks formed in the surface of it.

"What's this?" the Shadowling exclaimed. "You wish to free my prisoner?" It laughed. "A foolish pursuit."

"IT'S NOT FOOLISH!" Jackie screamed, surprising Ludwig so much that he almost dropped her. "THAT GIRL IS MY SISTER! I WON'T LET YOU HARM HER!"

The Shadowling just chuckled some more. "A sisterly bond. How amusing."

It shot more and more shadow bolts at the two of them. Ludwig managed to evade them, but quickly reasoned that the Shadowling's attacks would make getting closer to it even harder. He needed a way of distraction, a method he could use to draw the Shadowling's attention off of himself. One look at Jackie, gripping his hand tightly, gave him an idea.

"Jackie," he said through shallow breaths, "I would like to apologize in advance for this."

Jackie blinked. "Apologize for…"

Before she could finish, Ludwig tossed her as high into the air as he could throw her. This, thankfully, proved to be the distraction he was looking for, as the Shadowling gawked at Jackie's screaming form. Moving as fast as possible, Ludwig zoomed toward the gem, shooting more and more fireballs at it. More and more glowing red chips fell off of it until, with one last mighty stream of flame, Ludwig created a hole in its surface.

"Yes!" he said, doing a fist pump as he did. He then located Jackie with his eyes, who screamed for her life as she plummeted towards potential death. Taking a deep breath, Ludwig held out his hand and telekinetically brought her over to him. It felt like his very soul was shattering into pieces, but he ignored the pain until Jackie's hand was securely back in his.

"YOU INSECTS!" The Shadowling bellowed. It shot his hand forward to try to grab them again, but both of them flew into the hole in its chest before it could grab them.

Once safely inside, Ludwig set the hyperventilating Jackie onto the ground. "Are you alright?"

Jackie could barely speak through her wheezing. "I… I…" she put her hand to her chest before looking back at Ludwig. "That wasn't cool."

Ludwig cringed. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that." He looked down the tunnel that would lead them right towards the Shadowling's heart. "We need to hurry though. Aria needs us."

Despite herself, Jackie took hold of Ludwig's hand once again. "Lead the way."