Mario and Luigi

The Shaman of Shadows

Area 2 - Mt. Chimney

2-1: The Village of Anger

*?*

"Wizard..., Luigi has destroyed your lousy puppet...," King Boo said, his appearance cloaked in darkness.

"What, how...? Merlana has been destroyed...?" Merloom said as he turned from his table of ancient parchments.

"I told you not to underestimate the Mario Brothers!" King Boo growled deeply.

Merloom slumped, "A minor setback... These..., Mario Brothers, you call them? Are but a mere nuisance!"

King Boo growled under his breath, "Very well wizard, have it your way..."

Careful to hide her presence, Peach, eavesdropped on their conversation, hoping for some insight. There she stood, her back to the grungy stone wall as she listened through the cracked door.

Peach thought deeply, "Just what is King Boo up to? What is he doing with that nasty wizard?"

"At any rate, provide me with the provision I desired so this deal may be completed!" Merloom demanded.

"Alright wizard, however, the Urn of Underland Valley Shadows is... well let's just say that some assembly is required!" King Boo chuckled.

"WHAT?! You mean to tell me that it is in pieces?!" Merloom growled angrily.

"See for yourself, I'll create the portal to send you into the Underland. Just don't tarry for too long. I may not be able to bring you back, you are undead after all!" King Boo laughed as he cast a spell. The spell seemed to tear open a black bubble in the atmosphere.

"Curse you, spirit, I will have that Urn!" Merloom claimed as he leaped into the portal.

Peach watched in amazement until she felt a breath of cold air on the nape of her neck. Peach went pale as sweat rolled down her forehead. Her eyes slowly moved pulling her head to the source. The horrifying visage of King Boo faced her, "Ah, there you are! Now, what to do with you?"

Peach screamed and went into the room, "I have to stop that wizard for Mario and Luigi, or at least buy them time!" she said as she leaped into the portal after Merloom.

"You pesky Princess, don't interfere!" King Boo shouted angrily, causing the walls to vibrate.

*Village of Ghosts*

Luigi slept in bed as Gadd quietly typed away on his computer. "That was some ride wasn't it?" Greaper asked his fellow spirits.

"Yeah, that Rag Hag got molly-whopped!" Boo said joyfully.

"No bones about it, she had no idea what hit her!" Dry Bones rattled.

"...Molly-whopped...?" Greaper said befuddled.

Mario held his head high, "I knew it all along! Luigi is good at gambling with stuff like cards, so this isn't a surprise to me!" he said with praise. Luigi awoke and blinked his eyes. He hopped out of bed with a yawn and the Musty Fears returned to his shadow while Mario stayed by his side. "Ready to go, bro? It's boring when you don't need to eat or sleep!" Mario claimed.

"Sure thing, bro!" Luigi said as he stretched.

Gadd turned while in his chair, "Oh, are you boys headed out? Before you go, I have completed translating the Hint Block messages from the Living Thicket. Come take a listen!" he said with a light chuckle.

Luigi crowded around with everyone to hear the message.

A familiar female voice hummed a tune. It was Merlana, the Rag Hag.

"Merlana!" shouted a male voice. "I've been studying and learned some new magic! Would you like to see it?"

"Oh, Merloom, um, I...!" said Merlana as she was cut off. Everyone was surprised as they continued to listen.

Merloom continued as he began chanting a creepy incantation. Merlana's gasps of horror were evident. "What kind of magic is that?!" Merlana exclaimed.

"Like it? It's my shadow!" Merloom claimed. "It's like my body double!"

"Merloom, that is... creepy!" Merlana replied in discomfort.

Before Merloom could respond, footsteps interrupted them. The owner of the footsteps spoke, "Merlana, what's going on here?!" asked the voice. This voice was familiar as well, it was Pumpkin Head.

"Who is this?" Merloom asked quizzically.

"I am Merleadow and I am Merlana's suitor. And... you are?" he asked.

"S-suitor...? No, that can't be. I am the one who is courting Merlana!" Merloom said angrily.

Before Merleadow could say anything, Merlana spoke up, "I'm sorry, Merloom, but it's the truth! Merleadow and I are in a relationship," Merlana said strongly.

Merloom grumbled, "...That's not fair..., that's not fair at all!" he roared.

That was the end of the message.

"Oyamaa, it seems our wizard friend had a crush on the druid you defeated!" Gadd said. "I can guess as to what came next but it looks like we know the true relationship between these two!"

"Merloom's a nastier guy than I thought. He turned someone he once cared about into this... Shadow Puppet?" Luigi said sadly.

"That seems to be the case. These Hint Blocks must contain the truth about Merloom's past and his relationships with these individuals! How interesting," Gadd said.

Luigi dismissed himself and approached Merlon and Merlessa. They were happy to see him, "Ah, Luigi, are you fully rested?" asked Merlon.

"Yep, Luigi is A-okay!" he said comically.

Merlessa seemed down, "That's really too bad about Merlana and her suitor. At least they can rest in peace now. Merloom couldn't deal with her rejection so he cursed her as a result."

"Merloom made a puppet out of her and she became what he wanted her to be," Merlon followed. "As I thought, these puppets that Merloom created are tied to the darkness that shrouds Mage Land. The darkness grew weaker when you defeated Merlana!"

"That's a good thing! However, it does confirm my suspicions that you will have to deal with all the puppets before you can reach Merloom!" Merlessa started. "Speaking of which, you'll be heading to Mt. Chimney next, which is a very tall and skinny volcano. In the old days, Mt. Chimney is where the Pyromancers cultivated fire magic!"

"Other classes learn fire magic too! Shamans, Mages, and Witches go there to learn the arts of pyromancy, so be on your guard!" Merlon stated with a warning.

"You got it, thanks for the info!" Luigi said as he excused himself.

"I'll make sure Merlana and Merleadow's story is properly categorized so they can get the peace and respect they deserve! Off you go now!" Merlessa said cheerfully.

Luigi then headed to Merlicity's shop to stock up. She coyly blew him a kiss upon entering her abode. Luigi blushed as she spoke, "Well if it isn't my favorite customer! What can I help you with, sweety?"

Luigi stocked up on some things, purchasing an extra Fire Flower as he did so. Afterward, he noticed some things on a higher shelf that were much more elaborate, "What's that stuff?" Luigi asked curiously.

"Oh, that's my 'Top Shelf'! Sometimes I get strange one-of-a-kind items in, but if you want them from me, then your typical coins won't do. Remember those Wizard Coins I mentioned to you a while ago? Yes, I will trade you Top Shelf items for those if you have enough."

Luigi inspected the top shelf items and saw there were five. Four of those items were magical cocktail potions that she made herself. She noticed, and before Luigi could say anything, "Oh, that's some of my home cooking! Please try it if you like! The first one there is called a Bracer, it'll double your durability and it does wonders against bug bites! The second one is called an Energizer, it'll double your strength and it really helps you get through a long day of work! The third one there is called a Crystalline, it gives your body a magical shield that nullifies spells for a short while and it doubles as a great sunscreen! The last one there is called the Power Blast, it does everything the others do, plus it doubles your agility, so it's really great for when you just want to get through something really fast!"

The last item was a pair of blue boots, "Ah, I see the Super Boots have your eye don't they? Indeed they are a really great pair of boots, but alas, you seem to be short on Wizard Coins for those. I normally bend my prices, but not on these I don't!" Merlicity explained sternly.

Luigi decided to try one of every one of her potions and he stored them safely, "Great, I hope you enjoy! Seriously, I stayed up all night making those..." she mumbled. "Also, I know you lost the Mega Vibe Shroom and the Clarity Shroom. I'll see if I can't get those in stock for you so you can get replacements! So don't skip those Wizard Coins!"

"Thank you very much!" Luigi said brightly.

With that, Luigi blew on the Warp Whistle.

*Mage Land, Feasting Swamp, Outside the Village of the Druids*

Luigi landed on the riverside of the Feasting Swamp, disembarking from the magical winds that took him there. Before him, the dock stood with the strange ferryman waiting for him.

Luigi walked over to him and he waved him over. "Ah, it's good to see you again my friend, and in such good spirits too!" said the ferryman as Luigi boarded his boat. The ferryman pushed the boat away from the dock with his paddle and away they went.

Luigi gazed over the side of the boat and deep beneath the sludgy brown water he still could see the faces of the dead leering back at him. He recoiled and began whistling softly to put himself at ease. "So, who is this guy, Weeg?" Mario asked quietly.

Before Luigi could respond, the ferryman seemed to be able to hear Mario and replied, "Oh, just an average ferryman who waited a long time for a dark chapter in Mage Land history to finally come to a close. We are headed to Chimney Mountain, correct? Ah, Chimney Mountain, t'was such a splendid sight back in the day! Since Mage Land is a floating island it isn't a natural volcano. The Pyromancers came together and transfigured the entire mountain into a massive magical furnace! With such power at our disposal, we were able to make crafts from metal, clay, and glass. So as such, much of the culture in the village ahead is centered around arts and crafts! The passion of the pyromancers for the arts was truly one of a kind!" he went on reminiscing.

The ferryman went on until another old rickety dock came into view. "Look, bro! This must be it!" Luigi said, eager to disembark.

Luigi quickly hopped off and the ferryman drifted away waving as he did so, "Be wary friends, for an angry flame now burns deep within Chimney Mountain!" the ferryman warned.

Luigi approached the metal gates that led into a village. Mario seemed bothered, "Hey Weeg, how did that guy know where we were going? No one told him."

"Well he is a wizard, Mario, I'm sure he knows lots of stuff!" Luigi said brushing it off. He then reminded himself of something, "D'oh, speaking of which, I totally forgot to ask Merlon why the druids still believed that Mage Land was going to be destroyed!"

Mario blew it off, "Don't mind that, Luigi! We'll give these people something new to believe in!" he laughed with a thumbs up.

Greaper appeared, "Hmm, not only that, but that ferryman knows about old stuff too."

"Yeah, like ancient things!" elaborated Boo.

"And he spoke as if he had seen it all before...," Dry Bones added.

"Never mind all that now, though, we have to get moving. The village ahead is the Village of the Pyromancers," Greaper informed.

The brothers looked at one another and with a nod, "Let's go!" they said together in unison.

*Village of the Pyromancers*

As the party entered the Village of the Pyromancers, they quickly inspected their surroundings. The village was covered in a smokey vale and it was hard to breathe. The cobblestone walkways were disheveled, revealing deep holes in the ground. Within these holes and cracks, shined bright orange flames. Any water source was polluted by sulfur and too hot to drink. Luigi coughed, "Sufferin' spaghetti! It's really hard to breathe here, Mario! The air is as thick as clam chowder!"

"Really? I don't know, I can't breathe without my body! Hang in there, Weeg, this must be the curse that's on this place!" Mario deduced.

Greaper appeared, "Shh, do you hear that?" he said as everyone went quiet. The small sound of a Music Box could be heard. It's tone is irritating. "Another Music Box, be careful Luigi, we don't yet know what effect it has on the villagers!"

Just as Greaper vanished back into his hiding place, a guttural growl came from a wizard that had appeared from the smoke. His movements were erratic and he seemed very agitated. Luigi took a defensive pose and Mario took an offensive pose, despite not being able to do anything. Then, the wizard spotted Luigi and drool came from his mouth. He roared at Luigi and bolted straight for him in a blind rage.

"Jump Luigi, he's as angry as a hornet!" Mario shouted.

"Here I go!" Luigi said as he quickly performed a squat into a High Jump. He jumped into the air and made it above the smoke line. A lone chimney stood in front of the view of the actual Mt. Chimney. Luigi took notice of the structure and flutter kicked to slow his descent. Luckily, he landed on a rooftop. However, beneath him, a flurry of angry pyromancers crowded beneath him, filling the streets.

"Guys, there's a building with a large chimney up ahead!" Luigi noted.

"That must be where the Music Box is stashed!" Greaper deduced.

"Yeah, it's just like the last one!" Boo added.

"You mean in a high place where everyone can hear it?" Dry Bones clarified.

"Well then, let's go get it and smash it to bits!" Mario said flatly.

"Okie dokie!" Luigi agreed as he darted off across the many rooftops. As he jumped and jumped, he found it harder and harder to breathe the closer he got to the chimney. Other smaller chimneys erupted with a black smoke that seemed alive. Luigi noticed the house he was on reacted to his presence as a black mass came from its chimney. "Oh no, that's not just ordinary smog it's...!" Luigi started as Mario finished.

"SMOOORGGS!" Mario shouted in disgust as the black mass became many tiny fluffy creatures of soot with glowing yellow eyes.

They all stared at Luigi, "SmOrG!" they uttered.

Luigi reacted with disgust, "Yech, Smorgs! Great, just what I needed, living pollution!" he finished as he jumped away to another rooftop.

"Let's see, we have mad pyromancers below, and Smorgs up top. Any ideas, Weeg?" Mario asked urgently.

"Hold on, I need another look!" Luigi said as he performed another High Jump. He leaped into the sky and this time he saw something that was both disgusting and horrifying. The tallest chimney in the village was covered in Smorgs. So much so, that the black mass had tentacles protruding from it. Long tendrils composed of these fluffy creatures snared the chimney, preventing access from above. Luigi landed with disgust. "Gross, they weren't there before, they must have been attracted to the Music Box!" he said with irritation. "That means we have no choice but to enter the front door and sweep them out from the inside!"

"Yeah, we need to get through all those angry wizards first. Hmm, I know, what we need is a distraction!" Mario claimed.

Greaper emerged, "Why not try your machine? The Smorgs are pollution after all!" he said as he vanished.

"Oh, good one! I can just scoop up the Smorgs and when they fill up the Poltergust, I'll just put it in reverse and cover the wizards in soot!" Luigi planned.

"You really think that's gonna work, bro?" Mario asked puzzled.

"Like a charm, Mario! Remember how sticky these guys are? We had to clean them out of Peach's attic in the castle that one time, remember?"

"Yeah, that was a fun way to spend a weekend...," Mario said reminiscing in disgust.

Luigi revved up the Poltergust and it came to life. It hunted down and sucked up some Smorgs from a nearby chimney. The machine moaned in response and then made it back to full strength. The iHaunt chimed and Luigi picked it up, "What was that, Luigi? My sensors just picked up a nasty decline in the Poltergust's power!" Gadd asked worriedly.

"Not to worry, Professor, I'm just cleaning up a little Smorg problem is all!" Luigi claimed.

"Oh, well do be careful! The Poltergust can only handle so many Smorgs before it overheats! They are spirits of fire after all!" he laughed as he hung up.

Luigi traveled from rooftop to rooftop catching Smorgs as he got closer and closer to the large building. After catching many Smorgs, the Poltergust had enough and Luigi flipped it in reverse. He found himself standing atop a small house that was directly in front of the large building that resembled some kind of art studio. The massive chimney was erected from the very center of the building and the Music Box could be heard much clearer. The wizards crowded beneath Luigi. They trampled over each other to get to him. "You ready, Weeg?" Mario said as he appeared.

"I got it!" Luigi said as the nozzle aimed at the crowd of wizards below. The Poltergust gave him a nod as well. With a massive gust, the vacuum expelled every Smorg it had consumed and they exploded with a cloud of soot. "It worked, yahoo!" Luigi said as he viewed his handiwork. The pyromancers were dazed and confused, blinded by the soot. Luigi high-tailed it for the big metal double doors and opened them with haste. He shined his Thunderhand inside, "Hello?" he said as he slammed the doors behind him, sealing them shut.

All was quiet inside the building and Luigi noticed that it was some kind of art studio. He found a Hint Block near the door. He hit the Hint Block and recorded the garbled creepy static message.

Luigi found that the chimney was erected from a kiln that was placed at the center of the circular room. The room was filled with broken glass, clay sculptures, and creepy paintings of ghosts and other strange things. He approached the kiln only to find its two small doors padlocked. "Rats!" Mario shouted.

"We need the key...," Luigi said flatly.

"Huh? What's that noise?" he continued as both he and his brother turned around. They witnessed a large gold key levitating in the air and heard a disembodied spirit laugh and giggle at him.

"...That laugh..., it's a Boo Luigi, use your Dark Light!" Mario urged.

The invisible Boo darted around the room as several golden ghosts and wizard ghosts appeared to assist the Boo. Luigi quickly dispatched some of the spirits but quickly realized that they would keep coming as long as the Boo was still around. Luigi shined his Dark Light on the floating key after creating an opening. The Boo suffered under the light as it began to appear. Luigi then felt his breath taken by a pale ghost that began to strangle him from behind. Mario appeared and whacked the ghost away, "No, you don't, you spiteful specter!" he shouted angrily. Mario then realized, "Weeg, I can hurt them in this state!"

Luigi regained his breath with a slight cough, "Nice one, bro! Keep'em off me while I handle the Boo!"

With Mario's help, Luigi shined his Dark Light on the Boo once more and revealed him. The Boo smiled, "I am Boonardo, the great artist! I hate it when people look over my shoulder while I create!" he said as the Poltergust attacked. The Boo struggled as Mario batted away ghosts. Luigi easily dispatched the Boo and it vanished into the vacuum. The other ghosts departed as the lights in the studio came on. The creepy paintings that were on canvases were now blank white sheets of paper. Luigi wiped his brow as he sighed with relief, the key dropping to the floor. Luigi picked up the key and opened the kiln. A massive treasure trove of coins and jewels poured out. "Yay!" Luigi cheered as he collected the mass of valuables. After he was done picking up every coin, Luigi peered into the dark kiln. He shined his Thunderhand and heard the echo of the Smorgs at the top singing along with the Music Box.

Mario poked his head inside, "Hello, Mario Brother's Cleaning Service, we understand you have a Smorg problem! Come on, Weeg, we have work to do!"

"Okie dokie, here we go!" Luigi said as he climbed into the kiln. He stood up inside and shined the Thunderhand all around. He noticed that the chimney walls had broken structures made of wood and platforms that he could easily scale. Luigi jumped to a platform and as soon as he did, the kiln came to life. It lit up the entire chimney with orange light as he heard the giggling of ghosts. Supernatural flames began to rise slowly. "Whoa, let's get outta here!" Luigi shouted in a panic as he jumped up to another platform. This platform was broken and was adjacent to another one across from him. He leaped to it, the flames coming on strong. Above him was a pole of wood sticking out of the wall even he couldn't jump to.

Greaper emerged, "Use the light cast by the flames to cast your brother onto the walls of the chimney! He can interact with nonliving things! He may be able to pave a new path for you!" he said as he vanished.

Luigi nodded and waited for the flames to reach a height where Mario could be cast onto the walls. Luigi hung down onto the ledge to cast a shadow, "I got this, Weeg!" Mario said as he grabbed the wooden stake and removed it from the wall. Mario placed the wooden stake at a lower altitude so Luigi could jump to it. Luckily, Mario also placed it directly beneath another stake that was also too high for a regular jump. Luigi used his High Jump to reach and grab hold. He pulled himself up and was perched on the stake like a bird. Luigi then began jumping to other wooden stakes that led higher up until he came to one that had a craggy wall next to him. He latched on and began to climb, the flames increased in speed as they rose higher and higher.

"Hurry, Mister Green, those flames are getting closer... and hotter too!" Boo said with a look of urgency on his face.

Luigi made it to the top of the craggy wall, looked around, and saw a dangling chain in the middle of the chimney space. He leaped to it and grabbed it and this caused him to swing back and forth. Luigi swung to the opposite side and grabbed onto some grooves etched into the walls. Using his super strong grip, he edged his way over to a higher set of grooves and jumped up to set his fingers into the next set. Another set was above him followed by another. Luigi repeated the process of jumping until there were no more groves above him. He jumped to the chain again which now began to descend slowly. Luigi climbed the chain quickly until he saw a stone platform. He jumped to it as the chain broke and fell. The platform was stranded, "You're almost there, Mister Green!" Dry Bones cheered.

Luigi saw a set of grooves to his left and needed to use the wall dash to reach them. He dashed to the grooves and climbed to another set of grooves above him. Now, there was no place left to go. Luigi looked above and a platform suspended by two spokes came into view. Using a High Jump, Luigi jumped to the platform.

This platform was the dampener at the top of the chimney. Above him, were the Smorgs, and at the center of the platform sat the Music Box. "There it is, Weeg! Smash it!" Mario said with urgency.

"Time to end this angry music!" Luigi said as he got out Mario's Hammer.

Before he could do anything, the pesky Smorgs grabbed the Music Box and hid it amongst them. Both brothers moaned. "Weeg, did you see the magenta ones? Grab them with your Poltergust. They should scatter and leave when all the magenta ones are defeated!" Mario informed.

"Oh yeah, the magenta ones are the strongest ones!" Luigi said. The Smorgs came down like snowflakes onto the dampener and Luigi noticed that the dampener plate moved when enough weight was on one side of it. Luigi quickly began to suck up the Smorgs to even out the plate so he would not fall off. The Poltergust moaned in protest. More Smorgs came down and Luigi made quick work of them. The Poltergust was full and beeped with a flashing red light. He reversed the poltergust and blasted the Smorgs back into their pile. This caused the magenta ones to fall down. He quickly sucked up three of them. Others escaped into the horde. Luigi repeated the process two more times dodging both ghosts and Smorg attacks. Eventually, all the magenta Smorgs were sucked up and the horde began to scatter revealing the outside sky. The Music Box dropped down and shattered as soon as it hit the dampener. It went silent. A rumbling could be felt beneath him.

"Luigi, that's our cue to get out of here!" Greaper insisted. Luigi High Jumped out of the chimney and flutter-kicked his way down as the valve opened releasing the pressure like a blow torch. He landed safely on top of the roof and witnessed the pyromancers waking up from their enraged trances.

Luigi got off the roof as one pyromancer came up to him, "D-did you do this?" he asked curiously.

"Yep, we removed your Smorg problem and that nasty Music Box!" Luigi claimed cheerfully, his face covered in soot.

The surrounding pyromancers cheered as they began to assemble. They invited Luigi to join them. They surrounded the town square that was just south of the studio. The elder came to meet with Luigi. He shook Luigi's hand with both of his in gratitude, "Oh, thank you so much, sir! That terrible anger has left us! However, it looks like darkness still presides over our village... But the bright side is, at least we are all free in our minds! Dear Sir, I could not help but notice you wear the color green. Are you by chance..., the Green Thunder as spoken of by prophecy?"

Luigi blushed, "Well, some seem to think so! I did lift the curse on the Forest of the Druids!"

The elder gasped, "Then it must be true! If you have defeated the Rag Hag, then the Wheezing Wizard will also fall before you!"

"The Wheezing Wizard...?" said both brothers in unison.

"Yes, the Wheezing Wizard is the one responsible for polluting this village with his magic! He hides deep within Mt. Chimney controlling the furnace for the Shaman of Shadows!" explained the elder. "He tried to force us to create works of art for Merloom! What a travesty!"

"Alright, everything's gonna be okay, Luigi will flush him out!" Luigi said bravely.

All the pyromancers cheered as one little girl approached him and tugged on his overalls, "Hey Mister, listen, listen!" she said ecstatically.

"What is it?" Luigi replied.

"You came from the Druid's home? Then you must know about Fire Flowers then? They won't work here, especially, not on the Wheezing Wizard. Instead, I recommend using Ice Flowers! I heard a rumor that he doesn't like the cold and we use Ice Flowers here as fire extinguishers when young pyromancers lose control of their flames during practice. Although, I haven't seen many lately. I hope they're okay...," she said with her hand placed under her chin.

"Thanks, little one, I'll be on the lookout for them!" Luigi said with a thumbs up.

The elder came to him again, "To get to Mt. Chimney you must continue north. Just outside this village is the Fire Flower Fields. I'm not sure what has become of the fields, so do be careful," he said as he withdrew.

"You heard him, Luigi, the Fire Flower Fields are up ahead. You want to keep moving or visit home base for a moment?" Mario asked.

"Let's talk to Gadd and the others and see what they have to say about our next move!" Luigi insisted.

"You got it!" Mario agreed. Luigi pulled out the Warp Whistle and away he went, back to the Village of Ghosts.

*End of Chapter*