Mario and Luigi
The Shaman of Shadows
Area 1: The Living Thicket
1-6: The Greenhouse of Horrors!
*Village of Ghosts*
"This is quite a find, Luigi!" praised Gadd. "You've caught quite an old ghost here. Let's hurry and store him!"
"Okie dokie, but what about the shadow spirit?" Luigi asked curiously.
"Not to worry, we can filter him out separately!" Gadd claimed with a chuckle. "Now, place the nozzle of the poltergust into the Ghost Container. I'll Portrify Pumpkin Head later. For now, we deal with the shadow spirit!"
Luigi did as he was told and after all was said and done, Pumpkin Head was stored while the shadow spirit was extracted. The shadow spirit was ejected from Gadd's machinery and projected onto the wall. It hopped around in a friendly manner in an attempt to communicate.
Merlon and Merlessa walked over with a sense of urgency. "I knew I felt something strange!" Merlon claimed as he looked upon the shadow spirit. "That spirit is Mario's Soul!"
"Great job retrieving it, Luigi!" Merlessa congratulated.
"What do we do with it?" E. Gadd asked dumbfounded.
Luigi looked pale, "Yeah, m-my brother's not... dead... is he?" he asked trying to fight the thought.
Merlon chuckled, "No, no, not at all, Luigi. He's under Merloom's Curse."
"We can't understand him now, but I got just the thing for that!" Merlessa claimed with a wink. "I'm gonna need some help, so would the Three Musty Fears hiding in Luigi's shadow please come out?"
Enchanted, the Three Musty Fears appeared and floated above Luigi's head. "How may we assist you, Merlessa?" Greaper asked politely.
"Ask the spirit if he's willing to 'haunt' his brother," Merlessa said with a quote, end quote expression with her fingers.
"Oh, I think I know where you're going with this...," Greaper said with a smirk. Greaper flew off and joined with the shadow of Mario. Mario's shadow was still for a few moments until Greaper resurfaced. "Yeah, he agrees with this. He says he's dying to help Luigi but isn't sure how."
"Aww, he must really hate the position he's in right now," Dry Bones said with a chuckle.
"That's brotherly love for ya!" Boo claimed.
"Good, that's all I need to know," Merlessa started as she turned to Luigi. "Luigi, stand in the light and project your own shadow so that it stands next to your brother's."
Gadd moved a lamp behind Luigi and his shadow stood near Mario's. Merlessa began a chant with her hands clasped together. A strange wind moved throughout the room and Mario's shadow overlapped Luigi's. Gadd was astounded, "Incredible, Luigi now casts his brother's shadow instead of his own!"
Merlon chuckled, "And that's not all, take a look!" he said as he pointed. Mario emerged from the wall as a three-dimensional purplish being with glowing yellow eyes.
"Mama Mia, what is this?!" said Mario's shadow as it looked itself over.
Luigi jumped in fright, "Waah!" he screamed.
"Luigi calm down, it's me, Mario!" Mario said trying to calm his brother.
Luigi calmed down as soon as he realized Mario was really before him, "What happened, why do you look like that?" Luigi asked with obvious concern.
"Yes, Mario, why don't you fill us in?" Gadd asked with interest.
"We thought you were doomed when Merloom took your soul," Merlon claimed.
Mario placed his hand underneath his chin, "Hmm, well it happened like this! Peach and I were taken to wherever Merloom went but he didn't do anything with her. Once he realized she was there, Merloom tried to use that same tactic to steal Peach's soul but the crystal ball was too full and cracked. I was able to escape but Peach is still locked up in some large building. As I got further away, that wizard's curse finally got to me and I turned into a shadow spirit! All this time I've been looking for you Luigi so we could rescue Peach and get my body back!"
"I was hoping for more info. Peach was there with you? Why?" Merlon asked curiously. "Merloom can't do anything with her."
"Oh, yeah, and King Boo was there too, he seemed to be wanting something from Merloom!" Mario blurted out.
"KING BOO?!" everyone shouted.
"Great Scott, King Boo, what dealings does he have with that wizard?!" Gadd said with a fright.
"I don't know all the details, but it looks like they were going to make a trade," Mario began. "He wanted Merloom's Crystal Ball for something he called, 'The Urn of Underland Valley Shadows'!"
Merlon, Merlessa, and the Three Musty Fears froze in fear over what they just heard. "The Urn of Underland Valley Shadows?! If Merloom gets a hold of that artifact his power will increase one hundredfold!" Merlon claimed in fear.
"I knew he was always looking for something powerful! He must really want to undo the prophecy of the Green Thunder!" Merlessa deduced. "He was always paranoid about prophecies!"
"Well, the King of all Boos would be the one to ask about that," said Boo in terror.
"Why does King Boo want Merloom's Crystal Ball?" Greaper asked bluntly.
Everyone went silent as they had no answer as to why the King of all Boos would want a wizard's crystal ball. Merlon spoke, "I'm sure we'll discover the answer to that later," he claimed. "It's time to take down the Rag Hag, Luigi! I suggest visiting Merlicity and buying some things before taking her on. Just as a precaution, you know."
"Okie dokie!" Luigi agreed strongly.
"One thing before you go!" Merlessa said. "Mario, you can help Luigi by interacting with the environment in several new ways. I'll brief you as you go along, but for now, just get to the Greenhouse and I'll do the rest!"
"Thank you!" Mario said as he and the Three Musty Fears retreated into Luigi's shadow.
Luigi then visited Merlicity and saw that her shelves were stocked with magical goods, not all things Luigi could use, but they were neat. "Ah, what great timing! I've just finished taking inventory! So what can I get you handsome?" she asked with a coy tone.
Luigi searched the shelf and found a special shell, "Perfect, a Boney Beetle Shell!"
"Ah, yes, the Boney Beetle Shell is an enchanted shell that returns to its user after being kicked around. It's perfect for long-range combat!" Merlicity explained. "The Boney Beetle Shell is pretty straightforward! Aim it at your target and give it a good kick! The enchantment on it will always have it return to you, so kick it as hard as you like!"
"That's good, I could use some range!" Luigi said happily.
"I also see you have a Mega Vibe Shroom!" Merlicity noticed. "You probably noticed by now, but you can combine those vibes with some of your weapons and skills!"
"Yes, my Thunderhand went well with the Rage Vibe!" Luigi said.
"Fantastic, I'll bet your brother's hammer can be combined with the Gloom Vibe. You'll throw a fit of flailing hammer swings under that effect!" Merlicity said with a laugh.
"I wonder what else I can combine! I'll have to experiment a little when I return to the Thicket!" Luigi mused.
"Good luck out there!" Merlicity said with a cackle.
With nothing more to do, Luigi returned to the Living Thicket.
*The Haunted Greenhouse*
Luigi appeared at the end of the trail leading from the Pumpkin Plains and, as he gazed just slightly further up the trail, he could see a massive gloomy Greenhouse looming over the forest. It was a long and rectangular building with a domed center and a small patio that extended from the dome section. "Here we go!" both Luigi and Mario said in unison.
Luigi trotted up to the entrance and saw it was blocked by a Calm Door. So he took out the Vibe Shroom and took bites until he was calm. He sighed with a breath of calmness and the door opened. He then entered the Greenhouse with his Thunderhand lighting his way. Inside, Luigi was astounded by its spaciousness. There were rows of plants grown for whatever purpose the Rag Hag needed. Luigi proceeded through until he reached the big door at the back of the room. He grabbed the handle but found it locked. He then heard a rustling behind him as every plant in the room shivered.
The room suddenly filled with the same Pumpkin Piranhas he fought in the plains. Mario's shadow emerged, "Let's go, give'em a good whack with that Boney Beetle Shell, Luigi!" he suggested.
"Let's try using it with a Vibe!" Luigi said.
Luigi changed his vibe to Joy and kicked the Shell. A cyclone wrapped around the shell and it hit multiple targets as it rebounded off walls and other targets. This made clearing rooms filled with offenders much easier and more timely. The Poltergust sucked up any ghosts left behind until one dropped a key. He took the key and the lights turned on and all the plants crumbled into dried dust. "Oh, yeah!" said both Mario Bros.
Before Luigi could move, a rumbling shook the ground beneath his feet and the dirt floor opened into a sinkhole. Luigi shouted in fear as he descended and landed with a loud thud. He landed in a muddy pit with water leaking from an ancient pipeline. As he regained his senses, he noticed a worn hole in the wall before him. "Mama Mia, that was some fall!" Luigi said as he rubbed his neck.
Mario materialized and tapped on Luigi's shoulder, "Hey bro, get a load of this! This pipe to our left must connect to the well where that Pumpkin Head ghost was. This place is pumping in water from that well."
Inspecting the room further revealed a small hole in the dirt, "Hmm, I wonder what's through here," Luigi said curiously. He peeked into the hole in the wall. The dirt hole revealed a darkened room that was hard to see into. However, what Luigi did manage to see, spooked him. He made out moving plant-like shadows that seemed to belong to a large plant. "Calamitous clam sauce...," he said in quiet astonishment.
Greaper appeared to the left of Luigi's face, "I'll bet that's the Rag Hag's current experiment. I say we destroy that plant. It may draw her out of hiding!"
"What a neighborly way of making an entrance!" Luigi snarked. Luigi then jumped up to the wall and began wall-kicking back and forth until he made it back to the surface. He then used the key he obtained to open the door.
This room was the main room of the greenhouse. It was circular and built to be a flower garden. Only this garden had chipped and worn statues of wizards and the plants were overgrown and unkempt. At the center of the room stood a circular fountain with a large wizard statue placed at the center. Strange red water poured like a waterfall from the pot the statue was carrying. "What's with this fountain?" Boo asked as he appeared.
"It looks like blood, but it's much too thin to be blood," Luigi deduced with relief.
"It must be fertilizer she's using!" Mario guessed. "Let's turn off her irrigation system! I have a hunch we'll find the off switch in the basement!"
With that, Luigi noticed a door on the left side of the room and another door opposite it. The door on the left side of the building was locked but the door to the right was a Rage Door. Luigi changed his mood to Rage and approached the door and growled fiercely and the door deeply echoed him and opened.
Inside was a dimly lit room lit with a strange unnatural black light. Luigi was chilled at the many strange large flowers in their planter boxes. The boxes held one of these massive flowers and were arranged in a way that made the room seem like a maze. Strangely, the rectangular room was filled with this one type of flower. "I wonder what type of flower this is?" Luigi thought out loud.
"They look dangerous, I would refrain from touching them...," Dry Bones suggested with a whisper.
"Good idea...," Luigi agreed as he started moving through the maze. Menacing Orange Ghosts and Hanging Ghosts appeared occasionally to spook Luigi and make his trip cumbersome. He dealt with the ghosts carefully as he passed each flower. Strangely, each flower twitched and shivered slightly as he passed them. As he progressed he found blocks that contained coins and other treasures hidden in the dead ends. Eventually, he arrived at the end of the strange maze and found himself at a large water pipe churning away. It was the main pipe that connected to the sprinklers above the strange flowers.
"All right, Luigi, let's do what plumbers do best!" Mario said with a thumbs up.
"You got it, bro!" Luigi said as he approached the main valve.
As Luigi placed his hands on the valve, he was immediately spooked by two hanging ghosts that dropped down on both his right and left flanks. After the initial shock of being spooked, Luigi retaliated with his Thunderhand and sucked up the two spooks. This caused the lights in the room to come on and the strange black light to go out. A key dropped from the hanging ghosts and Luigi picked it up. Luigi then wiped the sweat from his brow and turned the valve. However, the valve would not stay put. "What the? I wonder what went wrong?" he thought out loud as he inspected the pipe more. He then found a secondary valve that was further down the pipe. So, he tried to turn that one as well. Unfortunately, this one too, returned to its normal state.
Luigi tapped his foot in confusion, that is, until Merlessa contacted him in his mind, "Luigi, this is the type of moment where your brother is going to have to help you! Let me explain! Your brother is a shadow spirit that can interact with objects in the physical plane, but he cannot touch living beings. All you need to do is have a light on in the room and cast your brother onto a nearby plane. Then all Mario needs to do, is interact with whatever is outside your reach! Go ahead, give it a try! I can see both those valves through your eyes and I'll just bet they both need to be turned at once!" she explained.
"Crazy wizard architecture!" Luigi said with a shrug as he stood against the valve closest to the light. Mario then took over and cast himself onto the wall. He then grabbed the other valve and the two both turned the valves until a satisfying click could be heard. Both valves locked in place and the water stopped running. "All right, we did it, bro!" Luigi cheered.
"We're one step closer, Weeg!" Mario encouraged.
Luigi faced the flower maze only to find the plants moving slightly as if waiting for something. These plants were active now that the lights were on and they didn't seem happy that their water source was turned off. They all bloomed eerily as Luigi approached. They resembled Crazee Dayzees, but their petals were dark red and their eyes were dilated. They also wore a crooked smile.
Greaper stopped Luigi in a panic, "Don't get near these. There's a sign here that tells us what these are. It's written in the Mage Land characters, but I can read it," he warned as he read the sign. Greaper read, "Mayzee Dayzee, Warning, getting too close will result in immediate mauling followed by death!"
Boo appeared and shied away from the Mayzze Dayzze's long blank stare and creepy smile. "Uh, let's get outta this room! I don't like all these stares! Do you see any alternate routes to take?"
Luigi looked around the room and gazed at the sprinklers above. "That sprinkler system gives me an idea!" Luigi said confidently as he High Jumped to the pipes above. Every Mayzee Dayzee in the room followed him with their creepy gaze. Luigi began to balance himself as he carefully walked over the small pipes.
Luigi found it difficult to balance himself but then he got an idea, "Wait, I can use a Vibe here!" he said. Luigi used his Mega Vibe Shroom and made himself Calm. Now, he easily traversed the small pipelines. Even when he fell he realized the Calm Vibe gave him a Double Jump.
Some time passed as Luigi was almost home free. He nearly slipped a couple of times and when he lost balance, the Mayzee Dayzees would shiver in anticipation. Luckily, Luigi made it back and left the room.
As he passed the fountain, Luigi could see the water flow had weakened. He quickly pressed on, unlocked the other door, and entered. Inside, was a room filled with little black piranha plants. "Mama Mia, Mario, would you look at all the Munchers!" Luigi said astonished.
"Yeesh, I've seen pipes with lesser clogs!" Mario pointed out.
Dry Bones appeared at Luigi's right, "So, what will you do now, Mr. Green? This particular breed can't be harmed easily."
"Hmm," Luigi pondered as he inspected the room carefully. "Let's see, the walls and ceiling are clear and made of glass but the floor has these little guys planted very neatly along nearly every inch of the floor. Hey bro, I think it's time I try that new technique we have been working on!" Luigi said with a clenched fist.
"Huh, but Luigi, you have a harder time with that move than me!" Mario protested. "Your shoes are so bald on the bottom how can you be sure you won't slip up?"
"It'll be fine, bro, as long as I can build up enough speed I should be okay!" Luigi reassured.
"That's right, Luigi is a better runner than me but I still worry. It's only going to take one slip with those cruddy shoes of his!" Mario thought hoping his brother would be fine.
Luigi made a mad dash from the door and headed straight for the open left wall. "Behold, the Mario brother's new technique! The Wall Dash!" he shouted with a jump to the wall. Like a ninja, Luigi ran vertically across the wall while leaving his left hand to skim the wall for extra balance. Just before Luigi began to lose his footing, he spin-jumped to a vertical pipe and clung to it like a fireman's pole. "Yes, Luigi got it!"
"Nice one, Weeg!" Mario cheered. "And here I thought you weren't ready yet!"
Luigi gave his brother a thumbs-up with a chuckle and began changing positions on the pipe. He jumped from the pipe and used the thin sprinkler pipe running along the ceiling like a pair of monkey bars. He then swung from that pipe to another vertical pipe. From that vertical pipe, Luigi faced the right wall and jumped to it. Upon reaching it, he rebounded with a Wall Kick and then jumped to safety on the other side of the room. Luigi gave himself a cheer for a job well done and Mario cheered along with him. Their cheering, however, was cut short as a large blue ghost appeared. Luigi howled in fright and by reflex flashed his Thunderhand which stunned it. The Poltergust promptly sucked it up and the lights came on. The door behind the ghost was a Joy Door. Luigi changed his Vibe and entered the door. It was a stairwell to the basement.
The basement was very dark, so much so, that nothing was visible. Luigi flashed his Thunderhand and he could see nothing but pipelines and massive vines. Gulping with anticipation, he followed the vines to the source. His eyes widened with fear as the light revealed a massive version of a Pumpkin Piranha. "Oh no, it's a 'Pumpking' Piranha!" Luigi joked with a moan as it opened its fiery eyes.
"Luigi, let's smash that overgrown squash!" Mario said confidently.
"All right, here I go!" Luigi said as his waist was grabbed by a vine. "Uh oh!" he gasped as he was tossed across the room and collided with a large machine. Luigi shook it off and turned around to get a good look at what he collided with. "Mario look, it's the pump controls!"
"Hmm, let's shut it down!" Mario suggested with a grin.
The massive monster showered Luigi with fiery emissions from its eyes and mouth. This allowed Mario to be projected as a shadow spirit onto the machine behind Luigi. "Keep him busy, Weeg! I'm gonna tinker with this thing!" Mario instructed. The machine began making strange noises as Mario began to interact with it.
The Pumpking Piranha lashed out at Luigi with one of its huge roots. Thankfully, Luigi caught the massive vine and held on tight. "Just make it quick, bro! I can't hold on to this forever!" Luigi said hurriedly.
Just as Mario was moved away from the machine he turned the main valve, "Got it!" he said as the machine began to shut down. The pipes went quiet and no longer pumped water.
The Pumpking Piranha paused as it licked its lips. It was already growing thirsty. It angrily turned to Luigi. Luigi held out the Mega Vibe Shroom, "You want some water? How about some tears!" he said as he changed his Vibe to Gloom.
Luigi used Mario's hammer and began to throw a fit with it. He smashed into the Pumpking Piranha with a tantrum of hammer swings. After Luigi's tantrum had ended, the room was filled with the gooey remains of the creature. He then used the Clarity Shroom to end his Vibe.
"Are you all right, bro?" Mario asked worriedly.
"A little tired, but I'm fine, now where's that irrigation pump?" Luigi asked rhetorically as he looked around. Luigi turned and walked to the massive pump machine with various pipelines attached to it. "Great work, Mario!" he laughed. He approached the machine and removed the master valve so it couldn't be turned back on. "That should do it, Mario!" he said with a thumbs up.
"Right, now let's head back and see it that stopped all that water!" Mario suggested with curiosity.
Back in the main room, the water completely stopped and revealed a painting that was attached to the cubic stand the statue was standing on. The painting was of a huge beautiful tree in the center of a meadow that was by extension surrounded by a thick forest. "A painting? I was hoping something else was going to happen!" Luigi said distressed.
"Not so fast bro, it's a magic painting!" Mario analyzed. "I'm betting we can enter this painting and it'll lead us straight to the Rag Hag!"
Luigi snapped his fingers, "All right, Luigi do it!"
Greaper and the rest of the Fears appeared behind them, "Be careful with the Rag Hag, Luigi, I sense some strong spiritual energy from within that painting!" Greaper warned.
"Well, she is a 'master' Druid after all. What did you expect?" Boo followed.
"Let's mosey, I really wanna see why she's called 'The Rag Hag'!" Dry Bones urged.
"Okie dokie! Let's go!" the brothers said in unison as Luigi rushed into the painting with a long jump. Sure enough, the painting reacted like a warp zone and Luigi entered it like a pool of water. When the painting settled the picture changed from its serene look to one of death.
*The Rag Hag's Lair*
Luigi dropped from the sky, landing hard on the mushy dirt. Luigi looked around but noticed nothing but lush thick grass and a massive tree before him. In the distance, a wizard was dancing at the base of the tree. "Weeg, that must be the Rag Hag! Let's go give her a taste of pasta power!" Mario said eagerly.
"I wonder if she's expecting us!" Luigi followed as he dashed up to the wizard.
The wizard stopped her chanting and dancing and turned to face the brothers. Her appearance was strange in comparison to what they've encountered so far. She didn't appear to be zombified at all and was quite stunning. Her cherry blossom-colored hair framed her face with two curled side tails and her bangs nearly covered her glowing yellow eyes. She wore the traditional green robes that all other druids wore alongside a white and pink kimono-styled garment underneath the open robes. Finally, she wore a crystal ball around her neck crafted from amber.
"Oh, hello, who are you, and... how did you find me here?" she asked gently.
Luigi scratched his head underneath his cap, "Hmm, um, do you happen to know of a druid called 'The Rag Hag'?"
"Rag Hag...?" she asked as she shot Luigi a scowl. "Is that what they are calling me now? What a boorish and rude nickname! My robes may need some patching but I am no 'hag'! My name is Merlana!"
The voice of Dry Bones whispered, "This is the Rag Hag? I thought she was supposed to be butt-ugly!"
Mario stretched himself over Luigi's shoulder to look closer at her. He wore a slightly mocking expression, "You're pretty..., but you're no Princess Peach!" he said with a shrug. The Rag Hag gave him a quizzical stare.
"Mario, I'm pretty sure she doesn't know who Peach is...," Luigi said embarrassed.
"Ahem, either way, you're responsible for making a mess of the forest outside aren't you?" Mario accused.
"Mess? Excuse me, but I am arranging that forest into a much nicer assortment of plants!" Merlana replied harshly.
"Trust me, lady, you and I have completely different ideas about beauty!" Luigi snarked.
"Yeah, and my bro and I have come by to stop what you and your master, Merloom are doing!" Mario boasted.
Merlana was now agitated, "Eh, my beloved Merloom?! You intend to fight us?! Humph, I try to make the forest beautiful and everyone has a hissy fit! I should have known a couple of 8-bit lunkheads like you could never appreciate what I've done! It looks like I'll have to explain it to you! You see this wonderful tree behind me? It's a wonderful tree called 'The Tree of Life'! It's the main flower in my arrangement. When you choose flowers for an arrangement you must have a main one that others compliment! This tree requires a massive amount of nutrients to grow to its full potential so I've been feeding it the fertile nutrients from the Living Thicket. The forest may die as a result but it'll make a perfect arrangement. Just think about it! The entire forest dies and then it surrounds the Tree of Life at the very center, creating a magnificent contrast between life and death! Ho, ho, ho, ho-!" she laughed haughtily while placing her hand over her mouth.
Mario paused for a second and gazed upwards at the tree. He then faced Merlana with a rather blank expression. "Your tree's ugly...," Mario said bluntly.
"W-w-w-w-whaaat!" cried out Merlana. "How dare you-! What would you two know about flowers?! What are you guys anyway? You look like garbage handlers!"
"Well, we're not garbage men, per se, but removing clogs of garbage is kinda something we are good at!" Mario said with a grin. "And that's why we're here! You see that man behind me? My little bro. He's gonna stomp you into the afterlife!"
"Come again?!" Luigi said astonished. "Bro, what are you doing?"
Mario whispered to Luigi, "Relax bro, I'm talking you up! She'll be shaking in her shoes in no time!"
Before Mario could instigate anymore, Merlana was already boiling, "So..., you think you're such hot stuff? Well then, let's play a little game!" Merlana said as she whipped out eight magical cards. She approached a stump and placed the cards on it. "You know, we Wizards use many cards in our spells. Well, let's try your luck! I'm going to pick four cards and so will you. After that, the game will begin and I will eliminate you with the power imbued into each card!"
Luigi approached the stump while Mario whispered, "Ha, see, gambling is another strong suit of yours, Luigi, you got this!" he encouraged.
"As long as she doesn't stack the deck!" Luigi replied.
Merlana shuffled the cards quickly and laid them out on the stump in two rows of four. "I'll go first and pick a card. You pick one after me. We'll take turns until we each have four in our hands. Then you may use the power of each card in any order you choose but only after the other has made their play! I'll pick this one!" she explained as she picked up a card.
Luigi tried to find a weakness in her expression but her cold eyes didn't budge. Luigi chose a card and Merlana followed immediately. Luigi carefully chose another card. Merlana wasted no time in choosing her next card. Luigi chose carefully between the three last cards and Merlana wasted no time choosing her final card. The last card automatically went to Luigi out of the process of elimination.
Merlana began laughing lowly with her head down as Mario and Luigi looked at the cards they got. "Did you get anything good?" Mario asked as he looked over his brother's shoulder.
Luigi held all four cards in his hand, "Hmm, a Mini Mushroom, a Life Mushroom, a Poison Mushroom, and... a plain Mushroom?" he said strangely.
"That's not too bad, what do you think Luigi?" Mario said confidently.
Luigi sighed, "I think she stacked the deck...!"
Merlana floated backward while still giggling, "You are so right, Green Man, and now I'm gonna feed you to my flora! My first card is... the Ghost Shroom!" she said holding the magic card up to Luigi. With a flash of light, Ghost Shrooms came by the dozen and began speeding after Luigi.
"Wah! Oh, wait, Ghost Shrooms!" Luigi said as the Poltergust reacted like a hungry dog and began sucking up the Ghost Shrooms one by one. This strategy worked until one of them bounced off another and bit down hard on Luigi's arm. "Yeow! Why you little-!" he cursed as he flailed. Thankfully, the Poltergust managed to get them all. Merlana was slack-jawed at what just happened. Luigi took the plain Mushroom card out of his pocket, "Let's use this to clear up those flesh wounds!" he smiled as the card produced a Mushroom. Luigi happily munched it down.
Merlana smiled evilly, "Ha, this exchange is over..! Huh...?" she paused in bewilderment.
"That Mushroom tasted kinda funny, but it still did the trick all right!" Luigi smiled.
"Why, what's going on? You were supposed to become a Mushroom when you ate that!" Merlana said in distress.
"Huh, I thought that Mushroom tasted funny!" Luigi said irately. "But I'm wearing a Trueform Badge, so my shape doesn't change!" he said pointing to the badge pinned to his overalls.
"You sneaky little sewer rat!" Merlana cursed as she stamped the ground with her feet.
Luigi took the opportunity to use the Vibe Shroom until he became enraged. He then lunged at Merlana with the Raging Thunderhand and pulverized her into the ground. When he took a moment to catch his breath she was buried underneath the soil. As expected she rose from the dirt seething with anger, "Fine, let's see you try that again!" she threatened.
Luigi was more than angry enough to comply as he took another lunge at her. She summoned the power of her next card and Luigi was repelled via a lightning strike from Merlana's body. "What the..?!" Luigi shouted as he tumbled backward.
"Ha, taste the electric shield from my Volt Shroom! Those electric attacks of yours can't even touch me now, no matter how angry you are!" Merlana explained while laughing boastfully.
Luigi cleared his head with the Clarity Shroom. "Okay then, let's see you enjoy your own medicine!" he said as he held up the Poison Mushroom card. It produced a sickly purple mushroom that headed straight for Merlana.
"I was hoping you'd use that one! Sorry, but it won't work on me!" Merlana said as she held up another one of her cards. "I don't know how you found a Mega Vibe Shroom and a Clarity Shroom, but I've decided that you don't deserve such things, so I'm taking it away! Go, Reverse Mushroom!" she bellowed.
The light teal mushroom emerged from its card and collided with the Poison Mushroom and Luigi freaked out. The Poison Mushroom now began chasing Luigi down. Once he gained enough distance, however, he turned on it and began to suck it up with his Poltergust. Unfortunately, this was a bad decision as it burst into spores upon being squashed by the nozzle. Luigi was smothered by the spores of poison. "Oh, no, Luigi!" Mario shouted in terror.
Merlana laughed, "No matter how strong you are you can't train your organs and the poison of that mushroom will cause those to liquify! So you'd better do something before that happens!"
Mario attempted to retaliate by swinging his fists in the air angrily, but he couldn't get very far from Luigi. Luigi pulled out the Life Mushroom card fully knowing that Merlana was expecting him too. "Bottoms up!" Luigi said as he swallowed the life-giving mushroom. In an instant, he felt the poison clear from his body and his strength restored to a degree.
"I don't get it, Weeg, why give you the Life Shroom?" Mario asked quizzically.
"My guess is... a puppet can't use them and since she made me use it so soon, I'm guessing she thinks her last card is her trump card!" Luigi deduced.
"Well, get ready bro, because here it comes!" Mario warned.
Indeed, Merlana flashed her last and final card and it was the worst one possible for Luigi. It was a Mega Mushroom. Merlana devoured the shroom and she began growing several times her original size. "Oh no..., one stomp from that, and I'm done for!" Luigi said as he took off running.
"Run, run, run little human!" Merlana taunted.
Luigi held up the Mini Mushroom card in disgust, "How is this supposed to help me now? Even if her power runs out she can still stomp me in one blow if I use this!" he thought.
Luigi ran around the meadow as fast as he could while being chased by Merlana until he passed the stump again. Mario caught his brother's attention by tapping Luigi on the shoulder, "Luigi, use the Mini Mushroom! There's a hole in that stump!"
"Do I have any other choice?!" Luigi said rhetorically as he used the card and swallowed the Mini Mushroom. He shrunk to a fraction of his size and entered the hole in the stump.
Merlana raised her foot over the stump, "Hide if you want it makes no difference!" she said as she stomped. The stump was pressed into the ground like a cork into a bottle.
Luigi fell into a small tunnel that led underground and eventually into a small cave with two '?' Blocks and a new block he hasn't seen before in his travels through Mage Land.
The block was a red colored '!" Block. Boo materialized, "Hey, doesn't that block have the same '!' as the switch in that Switch Palace you pressed? Let's hit it and see what goodies we find!" he laughed giddily.
Merlana began shrinking to her original size, "Well, that was fun, I needed a break. As I thought, they are now fertilizer for my tree."
As Merlana finished her sentence, the ground began to rumble and the stump began rising. Merlana gasped in terror as the ground erupted with green flames. Luigi emerged from the ground with green overalls, a white cap, and a white undershirt. He held a green fireball the size of a basketball on his right index finger. "Game over, Merlana...," Luigi said with a now determined expression glued to his face.
"Good going, bro! Fire Luigi is just what the doctor ordered!" Mario encouraged strongly.
Merlana rose to her feet, seething, "A Fire Flower? I thought I got rid of those nasty little weeds! Well, it doesn't really matter! You want to see my master druid magic? Then I'll show it to you!" she said as she began to show her true colors.
"No matter what, this will be over in a flash!" Luigi said cheerfully as he clenched the fireball in his hand, causing it to emit through his fingers.
Merlana released her true power and both her and the environment changed drastically. Merlana showed her undead state and her tree was now a sickly shade of grey with blood-red leaves. The grass beneath their feet vanished and the ground cracked it became so dry. Dry Bones's voice was giddy, "Ohh, there we go! She now fits her nickname!"
"Now you'll see the beauty of my arrangement!" Merlana howled malevolently. She chanted a spell, "Solar Flare!" she announced as flames rained down on Luigi.
"No problem!" Luigi said as he effortlessly dodged the flames and volleyed fireballs through the chaos. Merlana screamed in horror as she was engulfed in green flames.
She quickly put herself out and growled in anger. "How can a human deal this kind of damage?!" she said astounded. "I think you need to slow down! Or better yet, since you love to run so much, why don't you try this spell on for size! Sap Splash!" she chanted. She expelled a massive glob of amber sap from her mouth.
Luigi didn't have time to dodge the unpredictable attack and was covered in the sweet sticky sap. "Eww, gross!" Luigi cringed. Then, Luigi heard a buzzing noise from above him, "What's that?!" he said looking up. A swarm of infatuated Buzzers emerged from the tree's canopy to come after Luigi.
Merlana continued to chant as enemies grew from the ground. Plant creatures sprung up all around. An army consisting of artichoke-like creatures named Artichokers, carrot-like creatures with faces like a Halloween jack-o-lantern called Carriboscis, stump-like creatures called Stumpets, and the Pumpkin Piranha's from earlier swarmed the field. "Weeg, whack those Stumpets with your fireballs, they explode with a Backfire technique that destroys everything around it when you do that!" Mario claimed.
"Okie dokie!" he replied. Luigi jumped into the air, shaking off the sap, and fired fireballs at the Stumpets. They began exploding like volcanoes and the other creatures also caught fire. Luigi then began dodging the Buzzers and retaliating with fireballs.
Luigi defeated all of Merlana's summons, "What is this?! Why is this happening?" Merlana said in distress. "Stay away from me!" she panicked as she began summoning waves of vines.
Luigi jumped and leaped over these walls of thorns. He then went for the Mega Vibe Shroom in his pocket, but when he pulled it out he noticed it had wilted into a Dried Shroom. The Shroom of Clarity also dried out. "Oh, no! The Poison Mushroom must have destroyed them! So that's what she meant when she said she would take them from me..." Luigi thought sadly. "I guess I have to finish this with fire!"
Merlana grew desperate, "That does it! Only my finest spell will put an end to you! Get ready..., for my Moonlight Blast spell! It is the most powerful offensive spell we druids use!" she finished as she began chanting with her wrinkled hands in the air. Luigi rushed toward her, "It's useless! You can't dodge this!" she threatened as she completed her chant.
Luigi smiled as he tightened his legs for a High Jump. Just as Merlana unleashed a powerful energy sphere, Luigi used his High Jump and leaped over the massive ball. Merlana could only look on in awe as her best spell was wasted. As Luigi fell from the sky, he pointed his fingers downward and threw fireballs at her. Her body was engulfed in flames as she cursed her bad luck.
When Luigi landed, and his flames extinguished, Merlana slumped backward and fell to her knees with her face to the sky. She was defeated, "I know who you are now..., you're the Green Thunder aren't you...? Who would have thought you would be human and not a wizard at all... Fine, Green Thunder, I am defeated, I go willingly...," she said with a new sense of sadness.
Luigi gave her a look of pity as the Poltergust reacted to her. Merlana's body deteriorated until her darkened spirit vanished into the Poltergust. However, unlike any ghost he had defeated before, a bright light erupted from the nozzle as what seemed like reality itself was being pulled into it. When it faded, Luigi opened his eyes and found himself in the greenhouse.
Luigi had arrived in time to witness all of Merlana's plants crumble to dust. As he left the Greenhouse he expected things to improve but the Living Thicket seemed to decay even further. While all of Merlana's toxic plants and fungi were removed, the damage was done. Many dead pines began to fall and echo through the forest.
Luigi seemed disappointed, "Y'know, don't things usually improve when we beat the bad guys?"
Mario replied, "Not to worry, Weeg! I'm sure these druids are just glad all the weeds are gone! Once we handle Merloom, they can start planting again!"
Luigi was satisfied with his brother's optimism and with a nod, he blew the whistle.
*Village of the Druids*
"Thank you, Green Thunder, you have done us a most great favor! We are in your debt!" the Druid Elder claimed as he shook Luigi's hand erratically with joy.
The entire village cheered for their new hero and Luigi blushed. Mario's shadow appeared back to back with Luigi. "Do you see that, bro? They're cheering for you this time, not me. To be honest, I am a little envious!" he chuckled.
The Elder turned to Luigi again, "Green Thunder, I know you're in a hurry, so we won't keep you any longer. Now we can collect our seeds before Mage Land falls!"
Luigi raised an eyebrow, "Huh, no I'm here to prevent that from happening! I got rid of all the bad plants!"
The druid replied with an odd joy, "Ah, you must be unaware of the druid's prophecy then! It is said that when the Living Thicket dies and turns to dust during Mage Land's darkest hour, Mage Land's destruction is at hand! We must now gather all we can before it's time to leave!"
The wizard danced off as he rejoined the others. Luigi was dumbfounded, "Mario, what just happened?"
"He's just a crazy old coot, Luigi," Mario began. "Don't let it bother you! We'll save Mage Land just like we've done with so many others!"
Luigi regained his confidence with a smile, "Yeah, I'm sure he's just a little delirious from the darkness! That's all!"
Greaper emerged close by, "He said something about a prophecy. I wonder if these little villages and towns have their own prophecies we aren't aware of." Greaper shrugged and continued, "Meh, whatever the case may be, let's head back for now."
*Village of Ghosts*
Luigi stopped by Gadd's Lab to rest and empty the Poltergust. He placed Merlana's spirit into the new and improved Ghost Portriaficationizer with Pumpkin Head. The machine cleaned them up and the two spirits were channeled through a wacky arrangement of devices only Gadd could dream up. Finally, a large stamp pressed the ghosts into a picture frame. Merlana and Pumpkin Head were no longer monsters. Merlana sat peacefully in a flower bed with a male druid standing fondly over her.
"Oyamaa, Luigi, you've done it again!" Gadd stated with excitement. "In the end, it looks like these two are reunited in this heavenly painting!"
"I'm glad I could help them rest, even if this method is a little unorthodox!" Luigi said. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this!"
*End of Chapter*